CINEMA Dariush Mehrjoui Director Writer

DARIUSH MEHRJUI BIOGRAPHY

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Dariush Mehrjui was an Iranian filmmaker and writer, born on December 8, 1939

Dariush Mehrjui was an Iranian filmmaker and writer. He was one of Iran’s most prominent filmmakers and a key figure in the Iranian New Wave cinema

In addition to his work in cinema, Mehrjui also wrote novels and translated works. In 2014, he was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French ambassador. He was a graduate of philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

A part of Dariush Mehrjui’s biography

Dariush Mehrjui was born on December 8, 1939, in Tehran, into a lower-class family. He was influenced by his devout Muslim grandmother during his childhood. In a 1972 interview, Mehrjui said: My grandmother was a fervent prayer; and under her spiritual influence, I became a true Muslim from the age of seven to fifteen. My prayers and fasting were never abandoned. […] But after the age of fifteen, just when my prayers and fasting were taken into account, doubt settled in my heart

In his youth, he became interested in music and briefly attended Mr. Zandi’s music class. He learned to play the santur from his father, who knew Iranian music well, and later became acquainted with Western classical music, learning to play the piano and writing pieces for it

Education

At the age of seventeen, he became interested in cinema and began learning English to better understand contemporary films. He completed his preliminary education in Tehran and worked as a manager at the Atlantic Hotel for a year. Then, at the age of twenty, he went to California to continue his education. He initially pursued cinema but soon abandoned it for philosophy, earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from UCLA in 1965

In the same year, he became the editor of “Pars Review” magazine in Los Angeles, and the following year, he returned to Tehran. In 1967, he made his first film, “Diamond 33,” which was a very costly production

The film premiered in Tehran on January 25, 1968, and had moderate sales. Given its high production costs, it was considered a commercial failure and did not garner much critical acclaim

In 1969, in collaboration with Gholamhossein Saedi, he wrote and directed the film “The Cow,” based on one of the short stories from Saedi’s collection “The Mourners of Bayel.” This film won numerous awards at international festivals. “The Cow” was both a commercial and artistic success and opened a new chapter in Iranian cinema. Since then, with the exception of a few years’ hiatus after the 1979 revolution and the subsequent events that led to his emigration to France, Mehrjui has been one of the most prominent and prolific Iranian filmmakers. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

Marriages

Mehrjui first married Faryar Javaherian (architect and set designer). The result of this marriage was two children named Maryam and Safa. He then married Vahideh Mohammadi Far, and the result of this marriage is a daughter named Mona

Horrific Murder at Home

Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, were murdered on October 14, 2023, at their villa in Karaj. This news was confirmed on October 15 by Mohammad Mehdi Asgarpour, chairman of the board of directors of the Cinema House, and also by a filmmaker present at the scene of the incident. The incident took place in Mashkin Dasht, Karaj, and Dariush Mehrjui’s daughter reported the incident to the police. Law enforcement investigations into the perpetrators and motives of these murders have not yet been officially released, and further details are not available. Prior to this incident, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, a writer and Dariush Mehrjui’s wife, had reported threats from an “unknown person with a non-Iranian accent” with a knife on her personal social media page

Awards and Honors

Mehrjui’s awards and honors include the following

This section lists the awards won by Dariush Mehrjui as a director, screenwriter, or producer, categorized by film. Some films have won numerous other awards, which are mentioned in their respective articles

(The Cow)
- 1970 – Won Best Screenplay at the 2nd Sepas Film Festival
- 1970 – Won Second Best Film at the Tehran International Film Festival
- 1971 – Won FIPRESCI Prize at the 32nd Venice International Film Festival, Italy
- 1971 – Nominated for the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, USA
- 1972 – Won the New Look section at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
- 1974 – Won Best Film at the La Rochelle International Film Festival, France
- Voted Best Film in the history of Iranian cinema by Iranian film critics in 1972, 1988, and 1999
(Mr. Simpleton)
- 971 – Won Best Director, Best Screenplay, and First Prize for Best Film at the Sepas Film Festival
- 1971 – Nominated for the Golden Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival, Russia
(The Postman)
- 1972 – Won the New Look section at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
- 1972 – Ranked 7th among the 10 best films of the world by English critics in the Film Bulletin Yearbook
- 1973 – Nominated for the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, USA
- 1975 – Won the Special Jury Prize at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Netherlands
(The Cycle)
- 1977 – Won the Grand Antenna 2 Prize at the Paris Film Festival, France
- 1978 – Won the Special International Catholic Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
- 1978 – Won the FIPRESCI Prize for New Cinema at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
- 1978 – Nominated for the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, USA
- 1980 – Won Best Film at the Prades Film Festival, France
(The School We Went To)
- 1984 – Won the Special Jury Prize and was screened in the non-competitive section at the Three Continents Festival, France
(Hamoun)
- 1990 – Won the Crystal Simorgh for Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Fajr Film Festival
- 1991 – Won the Bronze Prize for Best Film at the 24th Houston International Film Festival, USA
- 1991 – Nominated for the Grand Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Japan
- Voted Best Film in the history of Iranian cinema by readers of the Film Cinema Monthly magazine in its 100th and 200th issues
(Banoo)
- 1999 – Won Special Mention and Don Quixote Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Germany
- 1999 – Nominated for the Golden Pheasant at the Kerala Film Festival, India
- 1999 – Nominated for Best Film in the international section at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, Argentina
(Sara)
- 1993 – Won the Golden Shell for Best Film at the 41st San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain
- 1993 – Won the Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay at the Fajr Film Festival
- 1993 – Won the Silver Balloon for Best Film at the Three Continents Festival, France
- 1993 – Won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Three Continents Festival, France
- 1993 – Nominated for the Golden Balloon for Best Film at the Three Continents Festival, France
- 1994 – Won Second Best Film in the Audience Choice category at the Rennes Film Festival, France
- 1994 – Won an award at the 18th São Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil
- 1995 – Won the Most Artistic Film award at the 12th Harare International Film Festival, Zimbabwe
(Pari)
- 1995 – Won the Crystal Simorgh for Best Director at the Fajr Film Festival
(Leila)
- 1995 – Won Best Director at the 1st Iran Cinema Celebration
- 1995 – Won Best Screenplay at the 1st Iran Cinema Celebration
(The Pear Tree)
- 1997 – Won Best Film at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, Tanzania
- 1997 – Nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2nd Iran Cinema Celebration
- 1997 – Nominated for Best Film at the 16th Fajr Film Festival
- 1998 – Won the Silver Hugo at the 34th Chicago International Film Festival, USA
(Bemani)
- 2003 – Won the Special Jury Prize at the Brussels Film Festival, Belgium
- 2002 – Nominated for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival
(Mom’s Guest)
- 2004 – Won Best Film at the 22nd Fajr Film Festival
- 2004 – Won the Golden Plaque for Best Film from Critics’ Viewpoint at the 25th Fajr Film Festival
- 2005 – Nominated for Best Film and Best Director at the 8th Iran Cinema Celebration
- 2005 – Nominated for Best Film at the 13th Fukuoka International Film Festival, Japan
(Santouri)
- 2007 – Won the Audience Award for Best Film at the 25th Fajr Film Festival
(Orange Suit)
- 2012 – Won the Special Jury Prize at the 30th Fajr Film Festival
(Personal Awards)
- 2006 – Won the Yalda Award for a Lifetime of Cultural Achievement, presented by Karvan Publications and Jashn-e Ketab Monthly Magazine
- 2007 – Received the Handprint Award at the Busan Film Festival
- 2008 – Honored for a Lifetime of Artistic Achievement at the Yerevan Golden Apricot International Film Festival
- 2014 – Received the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor from the French Ambassador