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Iranian born film director Milad Alami has used the sport of wrestling to highlight the challenges encountered by refugees across Europe.

Alami moved to Sweden as a child refugee and his film – called Opponent – draws on some of his own experiences. Opponent tells the story of an Iranian wrestler who, worn down by the asylum application process, seeks out the sport he loves and starts to train with the Swedish wrestling team.

The film, first released in 2023, was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Image: Payman Maadi starring in the Swedish-Norwegian drama film as Iman, an Iranian man who has moved to Sweden as a refugee with his family. (Credit: MetFilm Distribution)