The epilogue to this year’s festival unfolded on Tuesday, hours after millions of Iranians took to the streets to mark the 41st anniversary of the historic 1979 national victory that deposed the repressive US-backed Pahlavi regime.
A video clip featuring the turning points of the Islamic Revolution and the popular participation in it was displayed at the beginning of the ceremony.
Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi, Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi, Head of the country’s House of Cinema Hossein Entezami, and veteran cinematographer and cinema expert Fereydoun Jeyrani were among the guests of honor to attend the event at Tehran’s iconic Milad Tower’s convention center.
Addressing the attendees, Salehi said, “Cinema may not be capable of changing the world, but can change the atmosphere and circumstances by [contributing to] dialog.”
“The Festival is an opportunity to engage in discussion over social, cultural, and other subjects, and cinema’s camera creates the chance for farther and deeper expansion of our views,” he added.
The high point of this year’s closure featured awarding of a special accolade in honor and memory of senior Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated by the US in Baghdad in early January. The award went to “Abadan 1160,” which depicted Iranians’ struggle during Iraq’s war of 1980-88 on Iran.
A picture provided by the Tasnim news agency shows a frame grab taken from “Abadan 1160.” The movie was honored during the closing ceremony of Iran’s 38th Fajr Film Festival in Tehran on February 11, 2020, with the special accolade named after Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, senior Iranian anti-terror commander, who was assassinated by the US in Iraq on January 3, 2020.
The following is a list of the recipients of the other main accolades, which go to the winners each year in the form of the Festival’s trademark Simorq (Phoenix) Award:
Best motion picture: Majid Majidi/Amir Banan, Khorshid (Sun)
Best leading actor: Peyman Ma’adi, Derakht-e Gerdou (Walnut Tree)
Best leading actress: Nazanin Ahmadi, Abr Baranash Gerefteh (The Cloud is about to Burst with Rain)
Best supporting actor: Amir Aghaei, Shenay-e Parvaneh (Breaststroke)
Best supporting actress: Tannaz Tabatabai, Shenay-e Parvaneh
Best documentary feature: Sam Kalantari, Jayi Baray-e Fereshteha Nist (No Place for Angels)
Best score: Bamdad Afshar, Poust (Skin)
Best visual effects: Mohammad Baradaran, Khorouj (Exit)
Best editing: Esmail Ali-Zadeh, Shenay-e Parvaneh
Best videography: Morteza Najafi, Toman