TEHRAN -- Iran’s first action photo exhibit entitled “Eternal Frames” opened at the Beethoven Gallery of the Iranian Artists Forum here on Saturday.

The exhibition by Maziar Farzaneh displays photos of Iranian stuntman Payman Abadi, who was killed in the course of shooting a scene in May 2009.
The accident occurred while filming a scene that involved a bus falling into a valley. Abadi, 37 was to jump out of the bus when apparently, the bus overturned on him and burst into flames.
The exhibit coinciding the first anniversary of Abadi’s death was opened in the presence of his family members, several of his friends, and his students.
The ceremony opened with screening a short music video of Abadi, followed by a brief speech delivered by Arsha Qodsi, one of Abadi’s students.
“Although stuntmen do not need to be remembered in this manner, a photo exhibit is a great way for people to learn how hard they actually work. And this is also a great tribute that photographer Farzaneh has provided to stuntmen,” he said.
Journalist Mohammad Saleh Hojjatoleslami, also a friend of Abadi, continued, “The question is why, after all these years of cinematic activities in the country, we are just now holding the first action photo exhibit?”
“I believe Payman Abadi was a turning point in this field, and has helped bring about a very desirable outcome for Iran’s cinema,” he stressed.
He emphasized that Abadi could be called the father of modern stunts in Iranian cinema and said, “Abadi made Iran’s cinema more appealing. He also trained many stuntmen and left an artistic heritage for us upon which now several of his students are continuing to build.”
He continued, “I hereby request that the filmmaking groups accept action photographers beside them and help them in their careers.
“I hope there will be more interaction between film photographers and action photographers to help make cinema increasingly attractive,” He added.
Hojjatoleslami expressed hopes of holding a festival of action photography in the country every year.
Photo: In an undated photo by Maziar Farzaneh, Iranian stuntman Peyman Abadi appears in a scene of an Iranian action film.