Asghar Farhadi Found Guilty of Plagiarizing Idea for A Hero

Academy Award winner Asghar Farhadi is in some hot water!

The Hollywood Reporter first reported that a court in Iran has found Farhadi guilty of stealing the premise for his new film, A Hero, from an earlier documentary, All Winners All Losers, made by Azadeh Masihzadeh, a former film student of Farhadi’s.

A court in Tehran found Farhadi guilty of violating Masihzadeh’s copyright for All Winners All Losers and of plagiarizing key elements of the documentary for his film without crediting Masihzadeh.

THR added that the ruling is binding and cannot be appealed. A second judge will now determine Farhadi’s punishment. In the worst case, the director could be forced to hand over “all income earned by the screening of the film in theaters or online” to Masihzadeh, and could even face time in prison.


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About David Gonzalez 3061 Articles
David Gonzalez is the founder and chief film critic of Reel Talk Inc. and host of the Reel Chronicles and Chop Talk (80s horror) podcasts. As a Cuban American independent film critic, David writes fair and diverse criticism covering movies of all genres and spotlighting minority voices through Reel Talk. David has covered and reviewed films at Tribeca, TIFF, NYFF, Sundance, SXSW, and several other film festivals. He is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved Critic and a member of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA), New York Film Critics Online, Hollywood Film Critics Association, and the North American Film Critic Association. As an avid film collector and awards watcher, David's finger is always on the industry's pulse. David informs and educates with knowledgeable and exciting content and has become a trusted resource for readers and listeners alike. Email him at david@reeltalkinc.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @reeltalkinc.