Iranian teen Rouhollah Zamani won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for the best young actor for his role in “Sun Children,” the latest from Majid Majidi, a director much celebrated for his facility with child performers.
Zamani, Shirzad and some other teenage members of the cast were selected through auditions Majidi held among the children making a living from peddling in the Tehran metro.
The film is about Ali, a 12-year-old boy and his three friends who work hard together to survive and support their families. They do small jobs in a garage and commit petty crimes to make fast money. Everything changes, however, when Ali is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground but must first enroll in the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child laborers.
Earlier, the Iranian director Majid Majidi's film “Sun Children” won the Magic Lantern award at the Venice Film Festival.
The 77th Venice International Film Festival kicked off on September 2 in Italy under strict health protocols. In this festival, 18 films, including the movie ‘Sun Children’ directed by Majid Majidi, competed for the Golden Lion Award.