Pouria Rahimi Sam Awarded With Silver Peacock Best Actor (Male) For Endless Borders’

Actor Pouria Rahimi Sam has been unanimously chosen as the Best Actor for role in the Persian film Endless Borders, directed by Abbas Amini.

The Jury has chosen the actor “for the richness of acting and interacting with his partners, children and adults in challenging shooting conditions.” His nuanced performance as Ahmad, the exiled Iranian teacher navigating ethnic tensions and forbidden love, resonated deeply with the jury, commended for its richness and authenticity in challenging shooting conditions.

Endless Borders chronicles the journey of Ahmad, an exiled Iranian teacher in a poor village of Iran close to the Afghan border. The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan has reignited the fire of ethnic and tribal wars. The Hazara Afghans, who are under immediate threat from the Taliban, enter Iran illegally. When Ahmad gets acquainted with a Hazara family from Afghanistan, he sees the real face of prejudice and dogmatism in the region. A forbidden love makes him act and discover the lack of love and bravery in his own life.

The award is conferred upon the Best Male Actor selected by International Jury from among the male actors of around 15 films of International Competition in IFFI. The award consists of Rs 10 Lacs, a Certificate and Silver Peacock medal.

The jury for this year comprised of veterans in the cinema industry such as Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, the Chairperson of the Jury, Spanish Cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine, French film producers Jerome Paillard and Catherine Dussart and Australian film producer Helen Leake.