Iranian cineastes receive Davoud Rashidi Awards

Family of the late actor Davoud Rashidi has presented the award to 3 veteran cineastes in honor of their outstanding achievements in the Iranian cinema.

Actor Ali Nasiriyan, actress Mahtab Nasirpour, and writer Ahmad-Reza Ahmadi received the awards during a ceremony held at Abbas Kiarostami Hall of the Farabi Cinema Foundation.

The ceremony started with paying tributes to the first manager of Tehran’s City Theater Complex Hossein-Ali Tabatabaee and the recently-deceased actor Daryoush Asadzadeh.

Then, actor Sirous Ebrahimzadeh and actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya praised Rashidi who died in 2016.

“Davoud Rashidi didn’t reach the position he deserved. He had to play in films he didn’t like, but he always read at night and was always helpful,” New York-based Iranian director, Amir Naderi, said via a video message screened during the event.

“I didn’t have the chance to work with him. Many people didn’t know him, but I had the chance to know him,” he added.

The 79-year-old Persian poet, playwright and children’s book author, Ahmad-Reza Ahmadi also walked onstage to receive the first award.

Ahmadi expressed his thanks to his wife and doctor for the efforts they made to help him recover from a severe heart condition.

“As a result, I could write several books and I have recently begun to do paintings,” he noted.

Presenting the award to Nasiriyan, actress Taraneh Alidousti said, “Davoud Rashidi made a major impact on Iran’s theater and his directorial career was very different from the regular programs others pursued. I learned a lot from him and I’m very proud of meeting him and being his colleague.”

“I co-starred with Mr. Nasirian [in ‘Shahrzad’ series], but I never had the courage to ask him if I could take a photo with him. Tonight, I want to do this,” Alidousti added.

Receiving the award from her husband, Mohammad Rahmanian, Nasirpour thanked Rahmanian for giving her a beautiful life.

“I have worked with Mahtab Nasirpour for three decades and we have lived together for more than two decades. She has been the motivation behind my works,” Rahmanian said.

MG/AG