An Iranian court has cleared two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi of plagiarism charges lodged against him regarding his 2021 film “A Hero,” which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival that year. The legal case had been ongoing for two years.
One of Farhadi’s former students, Azadeh Masihzadeh, claimed that the director based his film off a documentary she’d made in one of his Tehran-based filmmaking workshops in 2014. Both her documentary and Farhadi’s narrative feature were inspired by a real-life incident in 2011 in which a man in Iran on furlough from a debtors’ prison found a bag of gold coins and returned them to their owner rather than keeping them for himself.
Three professors who are intellectual property rights experts at the University of Tehran apparently gave testimony devastating to the plaintiff’s case, arguing that current events such as the 2011 incident are public property and...
One of Farhadi’s former students, Azadeh Masihzadeh, claimed that the director based his film off a documentary she’d made in one of his Tehran-based filmmaking workshops in 2014. Both her documentary and Farhadi’s narrative feature were inspired by a real-life incident in 2011 in which a man in Iran on furlough from a debtors’ prison found a bag of gold coins and returned them to their owner rather than keeping them for himself.
Three professors who are intellectual property rights experts at the University of Tehran apparently gave testimony devastating to the plaintiff’s case, arguing that current events such as the 2011 incident are public property and...
- 3/13/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Two-time Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi has been fully cleared by an Iranian court of allegations of plagiarism pertaining to his film “A Hero” that launched from the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Farhadi’s former student Azadeh Masihzadeh had accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for “A Hero” from a documentary she made during a filmmaking workshop held by Farhadi in 2014 in Tehran. Her allegations of plagiarism led an Iranian court to open preliminary trial proceedings in March 2022.
The court has now issued a verdict according to which several Tehran University copyright law experts and other experts have rejected the accusations as baseless, clearing Farhadi of all blame and putting an end to Masihzadeh’s legal action, according to a statement issued by Farhadi’s French producer Alexandre-Mallet Guy corroborated by Iranian reports.
“A Hero” is about an earnest-looking man named Rahim who, while on furlough after being imprisoned for debt,...
Farhadi’s former student Azadeh Masihzadeh had accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for “A Hero” from a documentary she made during a filmmaking workshop held by Farhadi in 2014 in Tehran. Her allegations of plagiarism led an Iranian court to open preliminary trial proceedings in March 2022.
The court has now issued a verdict according to which several Tehran University copyright law experts and other experts have rejected the accusations as baseless, clearing Farhadi of all blame and putting an end to Masihzadeh’s legal action, according to a statement issued by Farhadi’s French producer Alexandre-Mallet Guy corroborated by Iranian reports.
“A Hero” is about an earnest-looking man named Rahim who, while on furlough after being imprisoned for debt,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian authorities have rejected as “baseless” allegations that director Asghar Farhadi stole the idea for his acclaimed 2021 feature A Hero.
A former student of the two-time Oscar winner, director of A Separation and The Salesman, sued Farhadi for allegedly pilfering her premise for A Hero. Farhadi had always denied the allegations.
On Wednesday, a group of three professors at Tehran University specializing in copyright law, along with four official art experts, rejected the claims as invalid and baseless, clearing Farhadi of all blame.
The student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, claimed Farhadi plagiarized the story for A Hero from a documentary (titled All Winners, All Losers) she made for his class. Both the documentary and Farhadi’s fiction film share the same basic story of an inmate in debtors’ prison who, while on leave, finds a bag of gold coins and struggles with the decision to keep the money or return it. Masihzadeh...
A former student of the two-time Oscar winner, director of A Separation and The Salesman, sued Farhadi for allegedly pilfering her premise for A Hero. Farhadi had always denied the allegations.
On Wednesday, a group of three professors at Tehran University specializing in copyright law, along with four official art experts, rejected the claims as invalid and baseless, clearing Farhadi of all blame.
The student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, claimed Farhadi plagiarized the story for A Hero from a documentary (titled All Winners, All Losers) she made for his class. Both the documentary and Farhadi’s fiction film share the same basic story of an inmate in debtors’ prison who, while on leave, finds a bag of gold coins and struggles with the decision to keep the money or return it. Masihzadeh...
- 3/13/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Editor’s note: IndieWire obtained a statement from Asghar Farhadi’s attorney via representatives in response to the piece published in The New Yorker on Monday, October 31. The full statement can be found at the bottom of this story.
Updated November 3: A New Yorker spokesperson shared this statement of IndieWire supporting Rachel Aviv’s piece following Farhadi’s attorney’s claims: “Rachel Aviv wrote a fair and factual account, supported by numerous on-the-record sources and confirmed by our fact checkers. She spoke extensively with Mr. Farhadi — more than a dozen hours worth of interviews — and the article examines his perspective at length and reflects his substantial input. The New Yorker stands by the story.”
Published November 1: Asghar Farhadi is currently awaiting a final decision in the plagiarism lawsuit filed against him by his former student Azadeh Masihzadeh, who claims that his film “A Hero” was based on a...
Updated November 3: A New Yorker spokesperson shared this statement of IndieWire supporting Rachel Aviv’s piece following Farhadi’s attorney’s claims: “Rachel Aviv wrote a fair and factual account, supported by numerous on-the-record sources and confirmed by our fact checkers. She spoke extensively with Mr. Farhadi — more than a dozen hours worth of interviews — and the article examines his perspective at length and reflects his substantial input. The New Yorker stands by the story.”
Published November 1: Asghar Farhadi is currently awaiting a final decision in the plagiarism lawsuit filed against him by his former student Azadeh Masihzadeh, who claims that his film “A Hero” was based on a...
- 11/3/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSHale County This Morning, This Evening.RaMell Ross—whose 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening was among the best releases of the 2010s—will direct an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winner The Nickel Boys, which will star Aunjanue Ellis. In another major production announcement, Kantemir Balagov will make his English-language debut with Butterfly Jam, produced by Ari Aster. (Ela Bittencourt wrote about Balagov’s WWII-set sophomore feature Beanpole for Notebook.)’Tis the season. Yorgos Lanthimos is also about to begin filming his next movie—the un-Googleable And—in New Orleans. The cast includes Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, and, for Stars at Noon fans, both Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn.That’s not all. James Gray is on board to direct and substantially revise the screenplay for a “young John F. Kennedy” biopic.
- 11/1/2022
- MUBI
”I think the matter will no doubt be cleared up and I’m sorry it has created so much ill feeling.”
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi spoke of his innocence in the ongoing plagiarism case against him over his Grand Prix-winning feature A Hero, at Cannes today.
“I need to rectify this situation in light of the correct information,” said Farhadi in the jury press conference, where he spoke in Farsi, translated to French which was then translated to English via translators.
Iranian filmmaker Azadeh Masihzadeh is bringing legal action against Farhadi over the film, alleging plagiarism of her documentary All Winners,...
Iranian director Asghar Farhadi spoke of his innocence in the ongoing plagiarism case against him over his Grand Prix-winning feature A Hero, at Cannes today.
“I need to rectify this situation in light of the correct information,” said Farhadi in the jury press conference, where he spoke in Farsi, translated to French which was then translated to English via translators.
Iranian filmmaker Azadeh Masihzadeh is bringing legal action against Farhadi over the film, alleging plagiarism of her documentary All Winners,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
If the jury press conference for the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is anything to go by, we’re in for a pretty punchy ride on the Croisette the next few weeks.
Iranian director Asghar Fahradi spoke for the first time of a plagiarism suit that was filed against him from his former film student Azadeh Masihzadeh, who accused him of stealing the idea of last year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner A Hero. Masihzadeh claims the two-time Oscar-winning director took the idea directly from her 2018 documentary All Winners, All Losers.
The director, who was initially found guilty, is currently waiting to hear if the evidence against him will be challenged or re-examined and insists that false information is being spread by different news outlets.
“I have never spoken directly about this matter,” Fahradi said at the press conference on Tuesday. “This documentary was something I saw at...
Iranian director Asghar Fahradi spoke for the first time of a plagiarism suit that was filed against him from his former film student Azadeh Masihzadeh, who accused him of stealing the idea of last year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner A Hero. Masihzadeh claims the two-time Oscar-winning director took the idea directly from her 2018 documentary All Winners, All Losers.
The director, who was initially found guilty, is currently waiting to hear if the evidence against him will be challenged or re-examined and insists that false information is being spread by different news outlets.
“I have never spoken directly about this matter,” Fahradi said at the press conference on Tuesday. “This documentary was something I saw at...
- 5/17/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
If two-time Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi thought it was safe to attend Cannes 2022 as a member of the competition jury, he was mistaken.
At the end of the opening day jury press conference, a reporter confronted him with questions about documentarian Azadeh Masihzadeh’s accusation that he plagiarized his film “A Hero” from her 2018 non-fiction film “All Winners, All Losers,” about Mohammad Reza Shokri, a man who returned money he had found during his leave from a Shiraz debtors’ prison. Masihzadeh is a former film student of Farhadi’s.
Speaking on the issue for the first time publicly, the filmmaker admitted to having seen her documentary during a workshop, but said, “You can make a story or a film from the same event, without plagiarizing the other.”
The questioner suggested that Farhadi’s anti-defamation suit could place the young filmmaker either in an Iranian prison for two years or under the whip.
At the end of the opening day jury press conference, a reporter confronted him with questions about documentarian Azadeh Masihzadeh’s accusation that he plagiarized his film “A Hero” from her 2018 non-fiction film “All Winners, All Losers,” about Mohammad Reza Shokri, a man who returned money he had found during his leave from a Shiraz debtors’ prison. Masihzadeh is a former film student of Farhadi’s.
Speaking on the issue for the first time publicly, the filmmaker admitted to having seen her documentary during a workshop, but said, “You can make a story or a film from the same event, without plagiarizing the other.”
The questioner suggested that Farhadi’s anti-defamation suit could place the young filmmaker either in an Iranian prison for two years or under the whip.
- 5/17/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Speaking about the matter for the first time in public, Asghar Farhadi forcefully denied that he plagiarized his 2021 film “A Hero.”
“My film was not based on the documentary,” the Iranian Oscar-winning directed said on Tuesday afternoon at the Cannes Film Festival. “I think the matter will no doubt be cleared up. And I’m sorry it has created so much ill feeling.”
An Iranian court is hearing a case involving a former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, who has accused Farhadi of copying the idea for his movie from a documentary that she showed him in a 2014 workshop in Tehran.
“A Hero,” which won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year, tells the story of a man who finds and returns a bag filled with gold coins while he’s been temporarily released from prison. But once his deed as a good samaritan receives media attention, police suspect he could be lying.
“My film was not based on the documentary,” the Iranian Oscar-winning directed said on Tuesday afternoon at the Cannes Film Festival. “I think the matter will no doubt be cleared up. And I’m sorry it has created so much ill feeling.”
An Iranian court is hearing a case involving a former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, who has accused Farhadi of copying the idea for his movie from a documentary that she showed him in a 2014 workshop in Tehran.
“A Hero,” which won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year, tells the story of a man who finds and returns a bag filled with gold coins while he’s been temporarily released from prison. But once his deed as a good samaritan receives media attention, police suspect he could be lying.
- 5/17/2022
- by Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety Film + TV
Update with producer statement: A Hero producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy has released a statement following reports of a plagiarism judgement against Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi in Iran over the movie. The complaint was lodged by Azadeh Masihzadeh, a former student of Farhadi’s who accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for A Hero from her documentary All Winners All Losers. In his statement (read it in full below), Mallet-Guy says “We firmly believe that the court will dismiss Ms Masihzadeh who cannot claim ownership on matters in the public domain.”
Previous: A guilty judgement in a plagiarism case against Oscar winning director Asghar Farhadi is not the final verdict of the court, the filmmaker’s lawyer has said. The case involves Farhadi’s A Hero, which won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year and was Iran’s submission for the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.
A former student of Farhadi’s,...
Previous: A guilty judgement in a plagiarism case against Oscar winning director Asghar Farhadi is not the final verdict of the court, the filmmaker’s lawyer has said. The case involves Farhadi’s A Hero, which won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year and was Iran’s submission for the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.
A former student of Farhadi’s,...
- 4/5/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Two-time Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi and his French producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy are denying reports that the Iranian auteur has been sentenced and found guilty on a charge of plagiarism pertaining to his latest film, “A Hero.”
Farhadi’s former student Azadeh Masihzadeh has accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for “A Hero” from a documentary she made during a filmmaking workshop held by Farhadi in 2014 in Tehran.
“A Hero” is about an earnest-looking man named Rahim who, while on furlough after being imprisoned for debt, returns a lost handbag full of gold coins — an act that appears to make him a good samaritan. However, the story ends up being more complicated. The film won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year and was Iran’s submission for the international feature film category at the Academy Awards.
In a statement, Mallet-Guy said there has been no definitive and legally binding ruling on this case.
Farhadi’s former student Azadeh Masihzadeh has accused the filmmaker of stealing the idea for “A Hero” from a documentary she made during a filmmaking workshop held by Farhadi in 2014 in Tehran.
“A Hero” is about an earnest-looking man named Rahim who, while on furlough after being imprisoned for debt, returns a lost handbag full of gold coins — an act that appears to make him a good samaritan. However, the story ends up being more complicated. The film won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year and was Iran’s submission for the international feature film category at the Academy Awards.
In a statement, Mallet-Guy said there has been no definitive and legally binding ruling on this case.
- 4/5/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director of two Academy Award-winning foreign language films, has been found guilty of plagiarizing the story for 2021 Cannes Grand Jury prize-winning “A Hero” from a former student’s documentary, according to multiple reports.
The Iranian court’s ruling cannot be appealed. Sentencing could range from prison time to Farhadi being forced to surrender any profits from the film, for which Amazon has U.S. distribution rights, and which has made more than 2 million so far in worldwide box office.
“A Hero” centers on a man who finds a bag of gold coins while on a brief leave from debtor’s prison. He resists the temptation to keep the treasure and sets about trying to find its rightful owner — a choice that leads to a cascade of unintended consequences. TheWrap posted what would be one of many positive reviews for “A Hero,” saying Farhadi’s latest is “shot with precision,...
The Iranian court’s ruling cannot be appealed. Sentencing could range from prison time to Farhadi being forced to surrender any profits from the film, for which Amazon has U.S. distribution rights, and which has made more than 2 million so far in worldwide box office.
“A Hero” centers on a man who finds a bag of gold coins while on a brief leave from debtor’s prison. He resists the temptation to keep the treasure and sets about trying to find its rightful owner — a choice that leads to a cascade of unintended consequences. TheWrap posted what would be one of many positive reviews for “A Hero,” saying Farhadi’s latest is “shot with precision,...
- 4/5/2022
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Director and grand prix winner at last year’s Cannes festival for A Hero was sued by former student for using story from her documentary without credit
Asghar Farhadi, the Oscar winning director of A Separation and The Salesman, has been indicted in a plagiarism case brought by one of his former students, who had claimed he took the idea for his 2021 film A Hero from a documentary she had made for a film class.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Azadeh Masihzadeh brought the case after Farhadi had earlier sued her for defamation; in both cases the courts ruled in Masihzadeh’s favour. The case will now pass to a second judge whose ruling will decide whether or not Farhadi will be convicted. This can then be appealed.
This article was amended on 5 April 2022. It had been originally stated that Asghar Farhadi was convicted of the crime, following widespread misinformation,...
Asghar Farhadi, the Oscar winning director of A Separation and The Salesman, has been indicted in a plagiarism case brought by one of his former students, who had claimed he took the idea for his 2021 film A Hero from a documentary she had made for a film class.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Azadeh Masihzadeh brought the case after Farhadi had earlier sued her for defamation; in both cases the courts ruled in Masihzadeh’s favour. The case will now pass to a second judge whose ruling will decide whether or not Farhadi will be convicted. This can then be appealed.
This article was amended on 5 April 2022. It had been originally stated that Asghar Farhadi was convicted of the crime, following widespread misinformation,...
- 4/5/2022
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Update: An Iranian court has determined that film director Asghar Farhadi violated the copyright of a former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, for Farhadi’s latest film, “A Hero.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news early on Tuesday, “The case will now pass to a second judge, whose ruling can then be challenged in an appellate court. The judge can also order the case to be re-examined.” It was previously reported that Farhadi had been convicted of plagiarism, but that has not yet occurred according to a new report from Entertainment Weekly.
Earlier, Deadline noted that Farhadi’s lawyer, Kaveh Rad, said on social media that the reports are premature, and that “the decision is not the final verdict of the court and is considered part of the trial process.” In a statement to EW, French producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy said, “We firmly believe that the court will dismiss Ms.
Earlier, Deadline noted that Farhadi’s lawyer, Kaveh Rad, said on social media that the reports are premature, and that “the decision is not the final verdict of the court and is considered part of the trial process.” In a statement to EW, French producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy said, “We firmly believe that the court will dismiss Ms.
- 4/5/2022
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Updated, 1:41 p.m. Et: Representatives for Farhadi shared a statement with IndieWire from Memento Films producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy, collaborator with Farhadi on eight films including “A Hero” and “The Salesman,” excerpted here:
“We firmly believe that the court will dismiss Ms. Masihzadeh who cannot claim ownership on matters in the public domain given that the prisoner’s story has been disclosed in both press articles and TV reports years before Ms. Masihzadeh’s documentary was published.”
Updated, 12:29 pm Et: A day after an Iranian court ruled in favor of Azadeh Masihzadeh, the former film student of Asghar Farhadi who claimed stole the idea for his film “A Hero” from her own documentary, the Oscar-winning director has reportedly been found guilty of plagiarism. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the court sided with Masihzadeh, who just yesterday won a defamation suit filed by Farhadi alleging false claims.
However, sources...
“We firmly believe that the court will dismiss Ms. Masihzadeh who cannot claim ownership on matters in the public domain given that the prisoner’s story has been disclosed in both press articles and TV reports years before Ms. Masihzadeh’s documentary was published.”
Updated, 12:29 pm Et: A day after an Iranian court ruled in favor of Azadeh Masihzadeh, the former film student of Asghar Farhadi who claimed stole the idea for his film “A Hero” from her own documentary, the Oscar-winning director has reportedly been found guilty of plagiarism. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the court sided with Masihzadeh, who just yesterday won a defamation suit filed by Farhadi alleging false claims.
However, sources...
- 4/5/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Azadeh Masihzadeh, Asghar Farhadi’s former film student who accused the director of stealing the idea for his 2022 Oscar entry “A Hero” from the documentary she conceived in his class, has been found not guilty of defamation by the Iranian court. Farhadi brought the defamation suit against her after she claimed he stole material from her film “All Winners, All Losers,” which screened at an Iranian film festival in 2018. Still unresolved is the plagiarism suit Masihzadeh filed against Farhadi, which the court has yet to rule on.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Iranian court said there was “insufficient evidence” to support Farhadi’s claims that Masihzadeh sought to damage the two-time Academy Award–winning director’s reputation. Her acquittal in the defamation suit means she will not have to face up to a possible two-year prison sentence or, according to some speculation, possible corporal punishment.
If the court finds Farhadi guilty of plagiarism,...
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the Iranian court said there was “insufficient evidence” to support Farhadi’s claims that Masihzadeh sought to damage the two-time Academy Award–winning director’s reputation. Her acquittal in the defamation suit means she will not have to face up to a possible two-year prison sentence or, according to some speculation, possible corporal punishment.
If the court finds Farhadi guilty of plagiarism,...
- 4/4/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Asghar Farhadi, the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker known as one of the leading voices of Iranian cinema, is now in the middle of a legal battle over allegedly plagiarizing the idea for his film “A Hero.”
“A Hero,” which won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year and was shortlisted for the 2022 International Feature Oscar, follows divorced father Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who is on leave from debtor’s prison. When he stumbles upon a bag of money that turns out to be worth less than he thought, he decides to return the money in hopes of rehabbing his public image as an ex-convict.
But according to The Hollywood Reporter, one of Farhadi’s former students, Azadeh Masihzadeh, is now suing Farhadi on the premise that he stole the concept from a documentary titled “All Winners, All Losers” that she made in his film class. Also suing the Academy Award–winning director...
“A Hero,” which won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year and was shortlisted for the 2022 International Feature Oscar, follows divorced father Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who is on leave from debtor’s prison. When he stumbles upon a bag of money that turns out to be worth less than he thought, he decides to return the money in hopes of rehabbing his public image as an ex-convict.
But according to The Hollywood Reporter, one of Farhadi’s former students, Azadeh Masihzadeh, is now suing Farhadi on the premise that he stole the concept from a documentary titled “All Winners, All Losers” that she made in his film class. Also suing the Academy Award–winning director...
- 3/23/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
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