Iran urban fest honors 4 artists

Upcoming International Urban Film Festival in Iran is set to celebrate four Iranian artists in sixth year of the event.

The soon-to-be honored figures include Zhaleh Olov, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Mahmoud Kalari and departed artist Habibollah Kasehsaz.

Mahmoud Kalari, is an Iranian cinematographer, screenwriter, film director and photographer, who has worked with a number of renowned Iranian directors such as Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi.

Born in 1962, Habibollah Kasehsaz produced several films and series including ‘Deportees 1’, ‘Deportees 2’, ‘Carnival of Death’, ‘Butterfly in the Mist’ and ‘Prisoner 707’.

was nominated for Fajr Festival Crystal Simorghs for Best Actress for ‘Robab’s Dowry’ (1987), ‘Reyhaneh’ (1989), ‘Blue Scarf’ (1994), ‘Love +2’ (1999) and ‘Gilaneh’ (2003).

Motamed-Arya, the actress on the honoring list of the fest, has received Best Actress Crystal Simorgh noms at Fajr Film Festival for ‘Robab’s Dowry’ (1987), ‘Reyhaneh’ (1989), ‘Blue Scarf’ (1994), ‘Love +2’ (1999) and ‘Gilaneh’ (2003).

Iran veteran actress Olov has acted in movies such as 'Storm of Life' (1948), 'Enchanter' (1952), 'Dash Akol' (1971), 'Retribution' (1973), 'The Tanker Wars' (1993), 'Snowman' (1994), 'The Fateful Day' (1994), 'Soltan' (1996) and 'The Visitor of Rey' (2001). Her last cinema appearance was in 'Mom's Guests' in 2003.

She has also appeared in series, including 'Amir Kabir' (1984-1985), 'The Wolves' (1986-1987), 'Once Upon a Time' (1991-1992), 'The Cherry Orchard' (1993), 'The Cuckoo's Song' (1994), 'Under the Umbrella of the Sun' (1996), 'Loaded Gun' (1998-2002), 'Lighter Than Darkness' (1999-2002), 'Love's Homework' (2004-2005), 'Day of Departure' (2006), 'Hourglass' (2006), 'Sheikh Bahaee' (2003-2008) and 'Mokhtarnameh' (2010-2011).

Organized by the Art and Culture Organization of Tehran Municipality, Iran urban festival’s film categories include Iranian Cinema (competition), International Cinema (competition) and Neighborhood section.

The event's main focus is on the significance of city and urbanism in human life. The fest seeks to promote empathy and moral values in cinematic works, offering a platform for exchange of ideas and experiences among the cities of the world.

The 6th International Urban Film Festival will run July31-August 5.

AG/AG