Austria to honor Iran’s Kiarostami

Leading Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami has been selected to be honored with the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer is slated to present the award to Iran’s acclaimed auteur Kiarostami.

The number of recipients of the Decoration for Science and Art is limited to a maximum of 72 at any one time including 36 recipients for science and 36 for arts.

In each of the two groups there are 18 Austrian citizens and 18 foreign nationals.

Kiarostami was recently honored with the Life Achievement Prize in Art at the 2014 International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in Turkey.

Born in 1940, Kiarostami has received highly positive reviews and acclaim from international critics for his diverse works of art such as painting, photography, poetry and filmmaking.

He has also garnered many prestigious awards, including the 1997 Cannes Golden Palm award and the 2008 Glory to the Filmmaker award of the Venice Film Festival.

The veteran filmmaker was also hailed by the Japanese government for his valuable works and activities in promoting Japanese culture in the world and developing cultural relations between two countries of Iran and Japan.

“One of the most admired contemporary auteurs of cinema, Abbas Kiarostami is an inspiration for emerging as well as established filmmakers. His approach to filmmaking, which often defies conventional techniques, is much discussed and often emulated,” the head of Film Programming at Doha Film Institute Ludmila Cvikova had earlier commented.

Taste of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us, And Life goes On,Through the Olive Trees, Like Someone in Love  and Where is the Friend’s Home are some of his better known films.

FGP/HMV/HRB