TEHRAN – Elites of Iranian cinema gathered for a ceremony organized by the Iranian House of Cinema at the Film Museum of Iran on Friday to celebrate filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s win at the 89th Annual Academy Awards.

Farhadi’s “The Salesman” received the Oscar for best foreign-language film at the Academy Awards last Sunday.

Cinema Organization of Iran director Hojatollah Ayyubi, director of Iran’s Research Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism (RICHT) Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti, and vocalist Shahram Nazeri were also among the people attending the ceremony.

Addressing the participants, Ayyubi said that he would never forget the face of Farhadi after he saw his film for the first time (at Cannes). “I was truly exited after I saw the film and expressed my admiration to Farhadi, and he told me the people of Iran would like the film. I am telling you this so you understand that Farhadi makes films for people first and foremost. He is the filmmaker of people of Iran. He loves his country and that is why the people of the world like him, too.”

He also pointed to the late Abbas Kiarostami and said, “Kiarostami was also like this (loved his country). Once I asked him about Iran and he replied that he would not exchange Imamzadeh Chizar (in northern Tehran) for any other place in the world.” 

He continued that he was in Cannes when Farhdai and his crew entered the hall and were warmly welcomed by the audience, and the festival director introduced the team and said “Asghar Farhadi from Iran, the country of cinema.” 

“The country of cinema means talking with the language of cinema, color and music; a country which has nothing to do with violence and this is the value of the cinema of Iran,” he asserted.

For his part Farhadi was overwhelmed to see the warm welcome of his people and asked them to pray for him that he would be able to continue his career.

“Two years ago during Noruz, I had decided to leave but the empty city of Tehran during Noruz encouraged me to stay and I am happy I stayed and made the film. When I am in Iran I make films with a heart and when I am in the west I make films with my wisdom. And where is there a better place to make films than in my own country?” he added.

Farhadi also remembered late sound engineer Yadollah Najafi, who had cooperated with Farhadi in his projects before he died of heart failure at the age of 60 in early 2016.

“It is a pity that we lost Abbas Kiarostami, the one to whom not only is the cinema of Iran indebted but also the cinema of the world,” he concluded.

Farhadi left the country on Saturday to begin his new project.

Photo: Director Asghar Farhadi waves his hands to the people gathered in the courtyard of the Film Museum of Iran in Tehran on March 3, 2017 to celebrate his win at the 89th Annual Academy Awards. (Mehr/Majid Asgaripur)

RM/YAW