TEHRAN -- Veteran Iranian actor Ali Nasirian and director Yadollah Samadi received lifetime achievement awards during a ceremony at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on Sunday.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Hossein Saffar Harandi and Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs Mohammadreza Jafari-Jelveh attended the ceremony, which was held on the sidelines of the ongoing Fajr International Film Festival.

“Iranian cinema is in debt to the great masters, who are considered guides for most art enthusiasts,” Saffar Harandi said.

Afterwards, stage and screen star Nasirian received his award, saying, “Iranian people are the best encouragers of artists working in the theatrical and cinematic fields. “Cinema is not just an amusement for Iranian people. Rather, their inclination toward cinema indicates that cinema is a mental and spiritual need of the society.”

About two years ago, the Film Museum of Iran honored the actor and installed a bust of Nasirian, 73, at the museum.

He began his career in theater with the National Art Troupe, led at the time by Shahin Sarkisian, and then collaborated with the Sangalaj Theater.

Nasirian’s debut film was “The Boor” (1959). He then appeared in the teleplay “The Cow”, which led to a role in the feature-length “The Cow” (1969), Dariush Mehrjuii’s masterpiece adapted from Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi’s play.

His other credits include “The Postman”, “The Custodian”, “The Cycle”, “Stone Lion”, “Frosty Roads”, “Captain Khorshid”, “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, and “Iron Island”.

He has also starred in several TV series such as “Sarbedaran” and “Hezar-Dastan”.

The other honoree of the ceremony, Yadollah Samadi, expressed his appreciation for the Iranian cineastes active since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in his short speech.

Samadi, 64, began his career as an assistant director in 1971 and made his debut in 1983 with “The Man Who Knew More”.

His other credits include “Bus”, “Savalan”, “Two and a Half People”, “Miracle of Smile”, “Domrol”, “Sarai”, and “Devilish Acts”.

In addition, winners of the Advertising Materials Awards of the 25th Fajr International Film Festival received their prizes during the last part of the ceremony.

Javad Atashbari for Asghar Farhadi’s “Fireworks Wednesday” and Hamid Sharifi for Mohammadreza Varzi’s “Abraham, the Friend of God” were winners of the poster section.

Ali Zare’ for Fereidun Hassanpur’s “When Everybody Was Asleep” and Arash Mo’ayyerian for Abolhassan Davudi’s “The Crossroads” were the winners of the photograph and teasers sections respectively.