Fajr film festival to pay tribute to eminent Iran cineastes

The 32nd edition of Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival is planning to pay tribute to several eminent Iranian cineastes for their lifetime achievements.

Iranian actor Mehdi Hashemi and the celebrated actress and stage director Homa Rousta are among those names that will be honored at this year’s festival.

The selected cineastes are slated to be awarded with the festival’s Golden Simorgh, organizers announced.

Mehdi Hashemi who starred in many celebrated movies such as Mr. Yusef by Ali Rafiei and Alzheimer’s by Ahmad Reza Motamedi began his career in art in 1969.

Hashemi’s reputation was cemented by his role in the 1984 TV series titled The Sultan and the Shepherd directed by Dariush Farhang.

The late Iranian stage director and playwright Hamid Samandarian’s wife Homa Rousta has been nominated for best actress awards at a number of Iranian and international events.

A short documentary on the artistic life of Rousta and Samandarian is scheduled to be screened at the award ceremony.

This year’s edition of Iran’s most important film presentation and competition festival – the International Fajr Film Festival – is set to take place in the country’s capital of Tehran from February 5 through 15, 2014.

Ali Mosaffa, Nasser Onsori, Hossein Moezinia, Ahmad Amini and Mansour Zabetian are to serve at the selection panel for international section of the festival.

Supervised by Iran’s Ministry of Culture, the annual event is comprised of two competitive sections as well as two non-competitive categories.

Established in 1982, the 2014 festival is also to host the 17th International Iranian Film Market (IFM) while a large number of reputed Iranian and international film distributors and buyers are slated to flock to the event.

Iran holds the international Fajr film, theater, music, visual arts and poetry festivals every year to mark the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.