The 16th Picture World Cinema and TV Ceremony was held at Tehran's Vahdat Hall on July 23, in the presence of a large number of cineastes, artists and cultural figures where the movie 'Life+1Day' and the series 'Shahrzad' were top winners.
Organized by Ali Moallem, film producer and editor-in-chief of Picture World Magazine, as the first private cinematic celebration in the country, the annual event presented the best of Iran cinema and national TV during the past year with the Hafez Award, Mehr News Agency reported.
After the death of the globally renowned filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami two weeks ago, Moallem announced that a special prize would be added to the ceremony awards in honor of the late film director, and given to a young innovative filmmaker since Kiarostami was known as an auteur for his creative works in the world.
The veteran movie director Masoud Kimiai awarded the first Abbas Kiarostami Prize to Shahram Mokri, who gained acclaim in the world with his second feature film 'Fish and Cat'. "I am delighted to receive this prize as Kiarostami's name has always been a credit for Iran cinema… It bestows credibility on me and this ceremony," Mokri said.
Award for a lifetime of artistic career was given to the veteran actor Jamshid Hashempour, 72, by two other veteran actors Saeed Rad and Faramarz Qaribian.
"Hashempur has been acting in movies for over half a century and is one of the greatest in Iranian cinema," Qaribian said.
Creators of Cinema
Pointing to actors who become widely popular for a specific role, Rad said, "Hashempour has undoubtedly made a part of Iran cinema". He was referring to the several action movies Hashempour starred in during the 1980s and 1990s. Further, in the past two decades, the actor has appeared in over 30 more movies in many of which he has tried to show other aspects of his acting prowess.
Receiving his award, Hashempour referred to film directors as the main creators of Iran cinema and read a list of famous Iranian filmmakers.
The best actress award was presented to Mahtab Keramati for 'The Ice Age' and she received her Hafez statuette from actors Homayoun Ershadi and Ana Nemati.
Actors Pooria Pursporkh and Linda Kiani presented the Hafez Award for the best actor which was shared by Farhad Aslani for 'Binam Alley' and 'A Time to Love' and Navid Mohammadzadeh for 'Life+1Day'.
Alireza Reisian won the best director award for 'A Time to Love' and the movie 'Life+1Day' was selected as the best film while its director/screenwriter Saeed Rustai received the best screenplay award. He dedicated it to Kiarostami. The movie also won the best artistic achievement award for Bahram Dehqani.
The prominent French-Iranian composer Christophe Rezai won the award for the best film score for 'What Is the Time in Your World?'
Loqman Khaledi and Arash Lahuti won the awards for the best documentary and received their Hafez trophies from filmmakers Behruz Afkhami and Fereydoun Jeyrani.
Actors Reza Attaran and Danial Hakimi presented the special jury award to Saman Moqdam for producing the comedy 'The Whale' which was the second bestseller movie in Iran last year. Attaran who played the lead role in the film said, "Wait for 'The Whale 2'," as the second episode of the film is currently being shot.
TV Section Winners
Veteran actors Iraj Rad and Dariush Arjmand went on the stage to present the award for the best TV actor in the drama category to Ali Nassirian, 81, for his excellent performance in the series 'Shahrzad'.
"All the art events like a good movie happen because of the people. Cultural and artistic issues are related to the people and not governments," Nassirian said and added that art and culture flow like water and nothing can block it.
Setareh Eskandari won the best TV actress in the same category for her role in 'Golden Tooth'. Ahmad Mehranfar and Nasrin Nosrati received the best TV actor and actress awards in the comedy category both for 'The Capital 4'.
'Shahrzad' was selected as the best TV series and its director Hassan Fathi received the best TV director award from Hesam Navab Safavi and Sara Monjazi. The award for the best script of a TV series was given to Masoud Behbahani for 'Kimia'. Hafez Award for best song in a TV series was given to the traditional vocalist Salar Aqili for 'The Enigma of Shah'.
Comedian Mehran Modiri was selected as the most popular TV figure for his comedy show ‘Get-Together’. Receiving his award from actors Jamshid Gorgin and Sorush Sehat, he apologized to the audience for not being able to stand and speak much “due to a severe cold” and sufficed to appreciate and thank the organizers.
