Ahmad Ahmadpour, Actor of “Mohammad Reza Nemat-zadeh,” Passes Away at 44; The Eternal Silence of the Enduring Face of Where Is the Friend’s Home

 Ahmad Ahmadpour, Actor of “Mohammad Reza Nemat-zadeh,” Passes Away at 44; The Eternal Silence of the Enduring Face of Where Is the Friend’s Home

The Premature Fading of a Familiar Face in Kiarostami’s Cinema

Iranian cinema today has lost one of the figures whose brief presence on screen created lasting memories for several generations. Ahmad Ahmadpour, the child actor in the famous and globally recognized film “Where Is the Friend’s Home?” (1986) directed by the late Abbas Kiarostami, has suddenly passed away at the age of 44

According to published reports, the late artist suffered a cardiac arrest while asleep on Thursday afternoon, the 1st of Aban (October 23rd/24th), and passed away

A Short but Lasting Role in Film History

In “Where Is the Friend’s Home?”, Ahmad Ahmadpour played the role of Mohammad Reza Nemat-zadeh, a student from Koker village; the same child whose notebook was mistakenly taken by his classmate (Ahmad, played by Babak Ahmadpour). The story’s hero embarks on an arduous journey to return the notebook to him

This film, which is the first part of Kiarostami’s Koker Trilogy and winner of the Bronze Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, is not only one of the most important works of Iranian poetic cinema but also an inspiration for many filmmakers worldwide. His role, despite the short dialogues, symbolized the innocence, defenselessness, and simplicity of village life that Kiarostami was a master at portraying

An Army Retiree Instead of a Film Actor

Ahmad Ahmadpour, the younger brother of Babak Ahmadpour (the film’s lead actor), did not pursue an artistic career after his short but brilliant acting experience in childhood. He chose a different profession. His main occupation after his childhood years was a nurse (medic), and he was ultimately known as a retiree of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran

His passing in middle age once again recalls Kiarostami’s art and the simple lives he brought out of the villages of Gilan and immortalized. May the memory of this artist be cherished

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