TEHRAN -- Iran’s House of Cinema honored actor Reza Naji for his success at last February’s Berlinale during a ceremony on Thursday.

Naji won the Silver Bear prize for best actor at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival for his role in Majid Majidi’s “The Song of Sparrows”, a bittersweet parable about the struggles of a family living in a rural area outside Tehran.
The House of Cinema awarded him a plaque of honor at the ceremony, which several Iranian cineastes attended.
“When I left for Berlin, I didn’t think about winning a prize,” Naji said during his acceptance speech.
“Basically, I believe in God’s will. Everything happens according to His will,” he added.
“In this event, I competed with 19 world superstars and one of them was Daniel Day-Lewis,” he noted.
Naji’s debut film was “The Children of Heaven”, a Majidi film which was nominated for an Academy Award.
“I was a local actor in Tabriz when I was discovered in 1997 by Majidi, who introduced me to Iran and the world. I think this was my fate,” he explained.
Naji also thanked actors Ebrahim Abadi, Ali Nasirian, Jamshid Mashayekhi, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, and Ezzatollah Entezami for the messages they sent congratulating him on winning the Silver Bear.
Photo: Actor Reza Naji (C) thanks the audience during a ceremony held by the House of Cinema on March 13 to celebrate his success at last February’s Berlinale. Actors Amin Tarokh (R) and Davud Rashidi are seen clapping. (ISNA/Amir Purmand)