A portrait of Iranian sound designer Yadollah Najafi

Yadollah Najafi (February 15, 1956 – January 23, 2016) was a prominent sound designer in Iranian cinema.

He graduated with a degree in Sound Recording from Iran Broadcasting University (IRIBU) in 1976 and soon began his career in television the same year.

Najafi’s transition to the film industry came in 1990 with ‘For the Sake of Everything’, where he collaborated with director Rajab Mohammadin.

Najafi's work earned him a distinguished place in the Iranian film industry, contributing to numerous acclaimed projects. One of his career highlights was his sound design for ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’, directed by Majid Majidi, a challenging project that showed his exceptional skills.

Other notable works he worked on, such as ‘Willow Tree’, ‘The Rule of the Game’, and ‘The Song of Sparrows’, were later screened on iFilm English TV, bringing his talent to a global audience.

Najafi was also highly regarded for his long-standing contributions to the Fajr International Film Festival, where he was nominated for an award 12 times throughout his career.

He won the Crystal Simorgh five times, a testament to his mastery in sound design. His first win came at the 19th edition of the festival for ‘Baran’, followed by another for ‘The Exam’ at the 20th edition.

Over the years, he continued to impress, winning for ‘Willow Tree’ and ‘It's Winter’ in the 23rd and 24th editions, respectively. His final Simorgh was awarded in the 31st edition for ‘The Rule of the Game’.

Despite these accolades, Najafi was remembered for his humble and collaborative spirit. His nickname, "Yadi", was affectionately used by colleagues in the industry.

His final project was on Asghar Farhadi's ‘The Salesman’, which later won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Najafi passed away at the age of 59 due to cardiac arrest. His legacy, however, lives on through the films he worked on and the inspiration he left for future generations of sound designers in Iran.

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