Iranian cinema giant Kiarostami dies

Tributes poured in on Tuesday for Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami, acclaimed as a “towering figure” in world cinema, following his death in France at the age of 76.

Kiarostami, who won the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for Taste of Cherry, was linked to the Iranian New Wave of the late 1960s and went on to become one of the world’s most revered directors.

His poetic parables of ordinary people’s lives won him international acclaim, with legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard once declaring that “film begins with D.W. Griffith and ends with Abbas Kiarostami.”

Following reports of his death late on Monday, there were conflicting reports about Kiarostami’s illness, with some Iranian media reporting that he had suffered from cancer, while others said he had an intestinal disease. ISNA reported that he had returned to Iran from his home in Paris to undergo several operations between February and April, before travelling back to France last week for further treatment.

Several well-known figures in Iran’s art scene, including director Reza Mirkarimi, were travelling to Paris to help repatriate the body, ISNA reported.

The Iranian social media was awash with messages of condolence. Just last week, Kiarostami had been invited to join the Academy in Hollywood as part of its efforts to increase the diversity of its Oscar judges.

Born in the Iranian capital on June 22, 1940, Kiarostami studied painting at the University of Tehran before finding work as a graphic designer and director of commercials. He joined the Centre for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in 1969 as head of the film department, freeing him to make his own films.