Best in Cinema, TV Receive Hafez Awards
TEHRAN –(Iranart)- he 17th Hafez Cinema and TV Ceremony was held at the Ministry of Interior auditorium in Tehran, August 12, in the presence of cineastes, artists and cultural figures.
The ceremony, however, was the first without its founder and 16-time organizer, Ali Moallem, film producer and editor-in-chief of Donya-e-Tasvir (Picture World magazine), who passed away in March, Honaronline reported.
A graduate of cinema, Moallem, 54, launched the magazine 25 years ago which soon became popular among film fans.
Besides his journalistic activities, he produced several films including ‘Hemlock’ (2000), ‘The River’s End’ (2004), ‘Marriage, Iranian Style’ (2006) and ‘Aal’ (2010). He also served as jury member in several local and international film festivals.
In Moallem’s absence, this year’s event was organized by his wife Azar Memarian and his son Omid.
As the first private cinematic celebration in the country, the annual event presented the best of Iran cinema and TV during the past year with the Hafez Award and honored veteran actor Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, 87.
All the winners of various categories paid tribute to Moallem for his efforts in organizing the program for 16 years and appreciated his family for continuing his endeavors.
Ali Moallem Turquoise Statuette
In memory of the late organizer, a new prize was added in his name, Ali Moallem Turquoise Statuette. “It is awarded to a filmmaker this year, but in next editions it may be presented to any Iranian who contributes to Iranian honor and success,” Memarian said.
Renowned film director Asghar Farhadi was the recipient of the first Moallem Prize. Since he is currently involved in a new film project in Spain, actress Sareh Bayat received the award in his absence.
Veteran Actor Keshavarz Honored
In commending Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, veteran actor Jamshid Mashayekhi, 82, took to the stage. As Keshavarz had difficulty walking up on the stage due to age-related illness, comedian Mehran Modiri, host of the ceremony, suggested the anchorman and those on the stage go to his seat out of respect.
“In his magazine, Ali Moallem did not just pay attention to cinema but talked about theater as well. If we really want our cinema to shine in the world, we must have strong theater,” Keshavarz said.
Mashayekhi awarded the Hafez Statuette to Keshavarz for a lifetime of artistic achievements and playing in dozens of films and TV series.
Abbas Kiarostami Statuette
After the death of the globally renowned filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami last year, a special prize was added to the ceremony awards in his honor. It was given to a young innovative filmmaker since Kiarostami was known as an auteur for his creative works.
The Abbas Kiarostami Statuette was given to filmmaker Reza Dormishian for his film ‘Lantouri’. The film received three more awards including the best artistic achievement for Abdollah Eskandari, best score for Keyhan Kalhor and best actor for Navid Mohammadzadeh. The best actor award was also presented to two more actors: Shahab Hosseini for ‘The Salesman’ and Javad Ezzati for ‘Midday Adventure’.
Other Cinema Winners
The best actress award went to two actresses from two generations: Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, 55, received the award for the film ‘Abajan’ and Elnaz Shakerdoust, 33, won it for her role in the live action-animated film ‘Mobarak’.
Two winners of the best script award included Reza Attaran for ‘Dracula’ and Narges Abyar for ‘Breath’.
Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian was the winner of the best director award for ‘Midday Adventure’ and the best film award went to ‘The salesman’ produced by Asghar Farhadi and Alexander Mallet-Guy.
TV Section Awardees
In the TV section, Mehran Modiri and Ehsan Alikhani were selected as the most popular TV figures for their shows ‘Get-Together’ and ‘Honey Moon’ respectively.
The comedy series ‘Lisanseha’ (Bachelor Degree Holders) received three awards including the best TV series for producer Reza Judi, best male comedian for Hootan Shakiba and best script for Soroush Sehat and Iman Safaei.
Home-video series ‘Asheghaneh’ won three awards of best director Manouchehr Hadi, best drama actor for Houman Seyedi and best drama actress for Sareh Bayat.
Actress Sima Tirandaz also won the best female comedian award for her role in the comedy series ‘Padari’ (Doormat).
Actor Mohammadreza Golzar received the jury special award for playing in popular works. Last year he had ‘Salaam Mumbai’ on screen across Iran. He also appeared in the series Asheghaneh (Romantic), released on DVD in the market on a weekly basis, which has become popular.
Hafez Ceremony is the first private cinematic ceremony in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The annual event presents the best in Iran cinema and TV.