The stunt group ‘13’ from Iran won the first prize in the ‘jumping by car’ section in the international festival of professional stuntmen, Prometheus 2014, in Russia.
Teams from the Russian Federation, Iran, Spain, France, Ukraine, Germany, Serbia, Belarus and others competed, performing daring and breathtaking stunts that are usually seen only in films.
The stunt festival, held in September, took things to the extreme. Car explosions, jumps from great heights, ‘burning bodies’ and fist-fights were just a few of the dizzying sights at the festival, which was held in the city of Sevastopol.
Group ‘13’ from Iran including two stuntmen and a stuntwoman took part in the event. Mahsa Ahmadi in the ‘burning bodies’ section, Amir Badri in ‘jumping from a 60-meter height’ section, and Arsha Aghdasi in the ‘jumping by car’ section, competed against their rivals, ISNA reported.
In the finale, by overturning the car in a breathtaking stunt, Aghdasi took home the first prize in this section.
Flag High
The three-member group introduced Iran’s talent to both contestants as well as the audience. They held the national flag high in whatever action they performed and had the flag painted on their car, generating wide publicity for the team as well as their nation.
All the three performers are professionals in their field. Ahmadi has performed stunts in several local movies and TV series as well as foreign productions such as James Bond’s latest movie Skyfall. She won the title of the first woman sky diver in Iran after 35 years as well as the first woman bungee coach. Besides, she is the first Iranian stunt woman to perform abroad.
Speaking on the honors received at the festival, Ahmadi said: “We couldn’t help crying when we were given the award. It was the best we could do to spread the name of our glorious country.”
She also cherished the memory of the late stunt master Peyman Abadi, and said, “I wish he were with us here.” Abadi was a famous Iranian stuntman who worked in tough projects such as ‘Alarm for Cobra 11.’
The main purpose of the international festival is to allow viewers to see with their own eyes and not from the TV screen, the variety of stunts performed by professionals. The event allows one to see ‘live’ stunts in detail. Prometheus has been held in Russia for 16 years and over 20 world records have been achieved in that time.
