8 Nominations for Foroughi’s Ava in Canadian Screen Awards

TEHRAN (Iranart) – T he feature debut of Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Sadaf Foroughi’s ‘Ava’ has received the most number of nominations among submitted films for the Canadian Screen Awards, slated for March 11.

The awards, given annually by the Toronto-based Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, recognize excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media productions.

According to the official website of the festival, the film has received nominations in eight categories, namely best original screenplay and directing for Foroughi, best motion picture, best lead actress for Mahour Jabbari,  best supporting actress for Bahar Nohian, best editing for Kiarash Anvari, best production design for Siamak Karinejad, and best cinematography for Sina Kermanizadeh.

Ava made its world premiere at the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival last September where it received the FIPRESCI Discovery Prize and honorable mention for the Best First Film.

Filmed in Tehran, the 100-minute drama follows a teenage protagonist through a period of intense speculation and personal intrusion.

Ava is a normal teenage girl who wants to be a professional violinist. But when a teenage girl in her school becomes pregnant, Ava’s mother and schoolteachers start monitoring her activities and in the process intrude into all aspects of her life. With her every movement now under watch, Ava’s anxieties rise. When Ava learns that her parents were once lawless themselves, she begins to rebel against family and social norms.

Born in Tehran, Foroughi holds a master’s degree in film studies from the University of Provence in Marseille, France, and a PhD in the philosophy of cinema. She is the director and writer of several short films including ‘Féminin, Masculin’ and ‘The Kid and the Kite’.