| Director: | Houman Seyyedi |
| Producer: | Houman Seyyedi |
| Starring: | Mohsen Tanabandeh Mahsa Hejazi Navid Nosrati Neda Jebraeili |
| Cinematography: | Peyman Shadmanfar |
| Editing: | Houman Seyyedi |
| Music: | Bamdad Afshar |
| Studio: | Namava |
| Distributor: | Iranian Independents Shayesteh Film |
| Runtime: | 107 minutes |
| Country: | Iran |
| Language: | Persian |
World War III (Persian: جنگ جهانی سوم, romanized: Jang-e jahāni-e sevvom) is a 2022 Iranian thriller drama film co-written, directed, produced and edited by Houman Seyyedi. The film stars Mohsen Tanabandeh, Mahsa Hejazi, Neda Jebraeili and Navid Nosrati. It was selected as the Iran entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
World War III competed for the Orizzonti Award at the 79th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor and the Orizzonti Award for Best Film.
Shakib (Mohsen Tanabandeh) is a homeless day laborer who lost his wife and son in an earthquake years ago. Over the past couple of years, he has been in a relationship with Ladan (Mahsa Hejazi), a deaf and mute woman. The construction site on which he works turns out to be the set of a film about the Holocaust.
Against all odds, he is given a house and the opportunity of a lifetime to play the role of Adolf Hitler. When Ladan learns about his movie role and the house, she comes to his workplace to ask for help and a place. Shakib’s plan to hide her fails and threatens to destroy his chance to be somebody.
On May 11, 2021, Seyyedi announced that he would not appear in Saeed Aghakhani and Ehsan Zalipour's series The Secret of Survival (2022) because he was involved in the production of his new film.[2] On July 4, it was announced that the title of Seyyedi's new film would be World War III, and that its pre-production had been under way for a few days. Also, Mohsen Tanabandeh was introduced as the first actor of the film and some of the film's crew were named, and it was announced that the filming of World War III would begin in September. The rest of the actors of the project were also announced in the next news. It was also announced that Namava Internet Broadcasting Service would invest in the project.[3] [4]
On September 4, it was announced that Seyyedi has obtained the license for the World War III project, and filming would begin soon.[5] [6]
On October 27, 2021, the actors, writers and crew of the film were introduced and it was announced that the filming had started and was under way in the north of Iran. Some of the film crew had already collaborated with Seyyedi in the films Sheeple (2019) and Confessions of My Dangerous Mind (2015).[7] [8]
World War III was made with investment from Namava, and it was the first time that the online streaming platform had entered into the production of a movie project. It was also the second collaboration between Seyyedi and Namava after the series The Frog (2020–2021).[9] [10]
On August 4, 2022, it was announced that the film was set to compete for the Orizzonti Award at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.[11] [12]
— Screen Daily / Jonathan Holland[13] — The New Arab / Davide Abbatescianni [14]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Best Actor | Mohsen Tanabandeh | [15] | ||
| Asian World Film Festival | 2022 | Best Actor | Mohsen Tanabandeh | ||
| Special Jury Award | Houman Seyyedi | ||||
| Hainan International Film Festival | 2022 | Golden Coconut | Houman Seyyedi | ||
| Luxembourg City Film Festival | 2023 | Grand Prix | Houman Seyyedi | ||
| Middle East Now | 2022 | Best Film | Houman Seyyedi | ||
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2023 | FIPRESCI Prize | Houman Seyyedi | ||
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 2022 | FIPRESCI Prize | Houman Seyyedi | ||
| Tokyo International Film Festival | October 24 – November 2, 2022 | Best Film | Houman Seyyedi | [16] | |
| Special Jury Prize | |||||
| Venice International Film Festival | August 31 – September 10, 2022 | Orizzonti Award for Best Film | Houman Seyyedi | [17] | |
| Orizzonti Award for Best Actor | Mohsen Tanabandeh |