THE stage of the Dolby Theatre at the 2023 Oscars ceremony might seem a long way from the counter of a Glasgow late-night takeaway, but these two locations could realistically form part of the same scene for British-Iranian filmmaker Hassan Nazer.

The Aberdeen-based filmmaker arrived in Scotland as a young refugee in 2002 after being trafficked across Asia and Europe with the help of his uncle. First settling in Glasgow, he found work in a local kebab house to help fund his film studies at college in the city and his dreams of one day directing on the big screen. 

His latest film Winners was selected as the UK’s entry for Best International Feature Oscar (previously called the Best Foreign Language Film) for the 95th Academy Awards, having won the audience award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it also received its world premiere.

Last week also saw Winners awarded ‘Best UK Feature’ at the Raindance Film Festival, the same week it was named among 12 standout films to make the longlist for The British Independent Film Awards’ Raindance Discovery Award, which highlights innovation, uniqueness of vision, maverick filmmaking and risk-taking.  

Written and directed by Mr Nazer and shot entirely in Iran with 100% Farsi dialogue, Winners was fully financed in Scotland with support from Creative Scotland, support which Mr Nazer said has allowed him to “feel British”. 

The Herald: A still from WinnersA still from Winners (Image: Hassan Nazer)

It’s also the culmination of over a decade of hard work by Mr Nazer, having made his first feature film in 2011 with the help of local Aberdeen-based filmmakers after initially beginning his film studies at Glasgow College of Commerce in 2002 before enrolling at the University of Aberdeen to study Film & Visual Culture in 2006. 

He told The Herald: “I have lived half of my life in the UK, I originally come from Iran. Making a Farsi language film in the UK and being recognised by filmmakers makes me feel British. I’ve got two home countries and it’s a real honour to be recognised in my other home country here. 

“Making a film here in the language from where I was born was a real pleasure. It’s really hard to believe that my movie has got this far in terms of recognition in the UK. 

“My intention was always to make a movie that mixes two different cultures. Half of my life was in Iran and half has been here. I grew up here so for me it was about introducing a culture from a different part of the world through a British lens to a British public and other publics around the world.”

Set in a small Iranian village, Winners tells the story of a young boy who seeks to return an Oscar statue to its rightful owner - which Mr Nazer says makes for a welcome ‘coincidence’ in the wake of the film’s selection for Best International Feature Oscar by BAFTA.

The Herald: Hassan Nazer at the Raindance Film Festival AwardsHassan Nazer at the Raindance Film Festival Awards (Image: Hassan Nazer)

He said: “Maybe you can call it coincidence? Everybody is telling me that I made the film for this purpose. The story of Winners is kind of related to my childhood life in Iran. I was a child who loved cinema. It is also a tribute to the iconic Iranian film directors I loved as a child like Jaffar Panahi and Abbas Kiarostami. 

“Winners is all about loving cinema and iconic directors of my childhood. This part of my life was very special to me. But its not an Iranian movie, its a kind of international movie about loving cinema. A kind of Cinema Paradiso-style movie. It’s really special for me.”

Mr Nazer says it would be “mind-blowing” should Winners find itself among the five nominees for the  Best International Feature Oscar come January, while joking, with more than a hint of modesty, that to see his film win the Oscar would allow him “to make another movie”. 

And while reflecting on his incredible journey so far that started when he directed his first theatre show in his native Garmsar in Iran aged just 12, he couldn’t help but mention the Glasgow kebab shop which helped fund his initial dream of becoming a filmmaker after arriving he arrived in Scotland. 

He added: “When I arrived in Glasgow and started studying I had a part time job at a takeaway kebab shop on Pitt Street, in front of where Trash and The Shack nightclubs were. I worked there for almost two-and-a-half years until I moved to Aberdeen. 

“You know every time I am in Glasgow to visit the film studio or do post-production I always go to that place. It still exists but under another name. I have good memories of it because it helped me at the time to work and study and fund my way to get me to this stage and I always appreciate it.”

Winners plays GFT Glasgow 18th to 24th November.  Friday 18th 3.30pm, Saturday 19th 4pm, Sunday 20th 7.50pm, Monday 21st 6.10pm (Pay What You Decide!), Tuesday 22nd 3.45pm, Wednesday 23rd 1.20pm, Thursday 24th 12.50pm