Arab films A Hero, Talavision make Oscars shortlist

Iranian producer Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” which made the shortlist for best international feature film, tells the story of Rahim, a traditional sign-maker imprisoned for an unpaid debt. During a two-day period of leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint, but things do not go as planned.

Farhadi previously won multiple foreign film Oscars with “A Separation” and “The Salesman.”

“Tala’vision,” by Jordanian filmmaker Murad Abu Eisheh, is competing in the live action short film category.

The film tells the story of a young girl trapped in a war zone who connects with the outside world through a small television, until laws force her father to get rid of it.

The list also includes another Arab story, “A Broken House,” which is shortlisted for best documentary short subject category.

Directed by Jimmy Goldblum, the film revolves around a Syrian artist, Mohamad Hafez, who after receiving a single-entry visa to study architecture in the US, realizes he cannot return home.

He starts to create life-like replicas of his Damascus neighborhood to fight homesickness.

The final list of Oscar nominations will be revealed on Feb. 8, and the awards will be handed out on March 27.