The agency representing director Asghar Farhadi announced on Wednesday that he has been exonerated from allegations of plagiarism made against him by one of his students for his film A Hero.
In 2021, a movie set in Shiraz, Iran, featuring a prisoner, received the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
A copyright infringement case was brought the next year by Azadeh Masihzadeh, a former student of his, who claimed that the documentary All Winners, All Losers was the basis for it.
The agency announced that the verdict for the alleged copyright violation in the movie A Hero has been given, and the film has been fully cleared of these charges.
The official Irna news agency quoted a statement saying that “all of the plaintiff’s claims” were unanimously rejected by “seven experts” chosen by the Iranian courts.
A Hero is the tale of a captive who gains notoriety after discovering a bag filled with gold coins and giving it back to its rightful owner, despite enduring severe destitution.
During the 2022 Cannes film festival, Farhadi denied accusations of plagiarism.
“According to Farhadi, once an event has taken place, it falls under the public knowledge. He also mentioned that an article about the event had been published in a prominent Iranian newspaper, easily accessible through a Google search.”
Each person may have their own understanding of this story. The idea of a Hero is similar to this documentary, and there is no issue of copyright whatsoever.
Farhadi is a two-time recipient of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, for his works A Separation in 2011 and The Salesman in 2016.
Source: theguardian.com
