Fajr Film Festival poster unveiled featuring veteran actor Ali Nassirian
The poster for Iran’s annual Fajr Film Festival, the country’s most important cinematic event, was unveiled on Saturday, drawing on an image of veteran actor Ali Nassirian from the Iranian film Stone Lion.
The film, directed and written by Masoud Jafari Jozani and starring Ali Nassirian and Ezzatollah Entezami, was released in 1986 and is considered one of the notable works of Iranian cinema.
The poster was designed by Mehdi Davaei, according to IRNA.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, festival secretary Manouchehr Shahsavari said he was pleased that the festival poster once again featured an image from a landmark Iranian film and one of the country’s leading cultural figures.
Shahsavari described Nassirian as someone who “could perhaps be considered the equivalent of Persepolis” in the history of the country’s culture and art.
“A phenomenon who is a role model for all of us. Nassirian represents ethics and artistry for all of us, and the combination of the two, along with his approach and feelings toward this land, and the fact that the name of Iran never leaves his lips,” he added.
Now 90, Nassirian is regarded as one of the legends of acting in Iranian cinema, theatre and television.
He first appeared on screen in The Cow, directed by Dariush Mehrjui in 1969, and has since won the Fajr Film Festival’s Crystal Simorgh award twice for best actor in a leading role and once for best supporting actor.
The 44th edition of the Fajr Film Festival will be held in Tehran from Feb. 1 to February 11. According to the festival’s official call, more than 127 films applied to take part, with around 22 Iranian films expected to be selected for the final competition.