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Iranian Court Finds Oscar-Winning Director Asghar Farhadi Guilty of Plagiarism

The Oscar-winning director’s sentence could be prison time and handing over all income earned from the film “A Hero.”

The celebrated Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi has been found guilty of plagiarizing a film student’s work for his new film A Hero by an Iranian court. The two-time Oscar winner’s verdict cannot be appealed in accordance with Iranian law, and his sentencing could include prison time and turning over all income earned from the film to his former student Azadeh Masihzadeh, whose documentary All Winners All Losers he reportedly stole from. Farhadi’s film A Hero has earned more than $2.5 million worldwide after premiering at Cannes Film Festival last year, where it won the Grand Jury award. Amazon Prime has the U.S. rights for the film.