Narrator of Polish refugees in Iran during World War II dies from coronavirus

Veteran Iranian director Khosrow Sinai, best known for his documentary on wartime exodus of Polish citizens to Iran, has died from coronavirus.  

The director of well-acclaimed doc 'The Lost Requiem' themed on polish citizens taking refugee in Iran during World War II lost his battle with the COVID-19 and died at Tehran’s Amir-Alam Hospital on Saturday.

In 2008, Poland awarded Sinai the prestigious Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit for his documentary 'The Lost Requiem'. The doc follows a group of Polish refugees hosted by Iran in 1942 as they released from scattered camps in and around the former Soviet Union. The group mostly including women and young children had come to Iran by boat and land.

His feature 'Bride of Fire' also won the Crystal Simorgh awards for best screenplay and Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 18th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran.

Born in 1941, Sinai went to Austria where he studied architecture, music composition, cinema and TV directing, as well as screenplay writing.

While Sinai is mostly known for his films, he is also a skillful composer and accordion virtuoso who has made the soundtracks for many of his films. 

AG/AG