A ceremony to commemorate artists who passed away during the current Persian calendar year (ends March 19) was held on Wednesday at Nazerzadeh Hall of Iranshahr Theater Complex in Tehran.
Organized by the Iranian Artists’ Forum (IAF), the ceremony was attended by numerous cultural and art figures, including deputy culture minister for artistic affairs Ali Moradkhani, veteran musician and composer Mohammad Sarir, IAF director Majid Rajabi-Me’mar, veteran Persian calligrapher Gholam Hossein Amirkhani and celebrated cinema and TV actors Reza Kianian and Iraj Raad, Honaronline reported.
Family members of the late artists were conferred commendation plaques at the ceremony titled ‘Lights Can’t Be Switched Off,’ taken from a famous dialogue from a 1982 comedy drama film ‘Hajji Washington’ by Ali Hatami.
Rajabi-Me’mar welcoming the gathering said, this is the fourth such ceremony to venerate the departed artists and provides an opportunity “to remember and honor Iran’s shining stars of culture and art.”
A video clip on the late artists was screened.
Sarir, who is also head of IAF’s supreme council, said: “Those who have gone have left a huge void in the art society that will be difficult to fill. Their contribution to art and culture opened new horizons in the field for the next generations and their legacy should be exalted by the world of art.”
In Our Hearts
Loris Tjeknavorian, acclaimed Iranian-Armenian composer and conductor, said: “They live in our hearts. They devoted their lifetime to Iran’s culture, the results of which will enlighten the future generations. It’s a pity some of the art personalities had somewhat been ignored during their lifetime.”
Songwriter and composer Fereydun Shahbazian gave a short speech on the late poet Nasrin Jaferi, saying her language and poetry gave her an exalted position among female poets. Her literary works had that “energetic wave which captured the vivid meaning of the words.”
Film director Arash Talebi, prominent poet Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou, poet and lyricist Rahim Moeini Kermanshahi, painter Sirous Zaboli, theater artist Khosrow Farrokhzadi, film director Hossein Qasemi-Vand, cinema artist Azizollah Honar-Amouz, dubbing artists Reza Sajjadi, radio and TV presenter Mehran Dousti, photographer Hadi Meshkat, theater and cinema artist Houshang Dibaian, screenwriter Iraj Karimi, cinema actors Mostafa Abdollahi, Fariborz Saleh, Karim Pourzarei, veteran cinema artist Yadollah Najafi, TV actor Ali Tabatabaei, radio and TV presenter Farzad Mo’ayyadi, TV artist Yaqoub Khabir, radio presenter Ne’mat Ra’oufi, actor and dubbing artist Valiollah Momeni, contemporary poet Amir Bakhtiari, theater artists Ali-Asghar Mazhab Yousefi, Ahmad Allameh-Dahr and Forough Fouzadi, Ta’zieh artist Firouz Rostami, musicians Mohammad Ebrahim Tahmasebi and Mansour Ebrahimi-Zanjani, music artist Rasoul Qorbani, documentary makers Morteza Nedaei and Mohammad-Reza Moqaddasian, cinema and theater artists Massoud Pour-Akbari, Sorayya Shirzadi and Damak Nik, puppeteer Hassan Lou’ian, Kurdish music artist Abdollah Qorbami and vocalist and musician Nour-Mohammad Darpour were listed among the departed during the current year.
Pictures of Homa Rousta, the late Iranian film and stage actress, Mohammad Ali Inanloo, naturalist, TV presenter, actor and voice actor, and some other veteran artists were displayed in the hall.
Furthermore, a book of biographies of the late artists was also unveiled and signed by Sarir, Rajabi-Memar, Moradkhani and Kianian and other artists present at the event.
Musician Salar Aghili performed the famous patriotic song ‘Iran’ dedicating it to the late artists.
