Iran’s Cinema in Grief over Death of Influential Figure

Ali Moallem, an influential and educated film producer, critic, publisher and managing director and editor-in-chief of Donya-ye Tasvir (Picture World) magazine, passed away on Monday at the age of 54.

Moallem died of cardiac arrest in his office in Tehran, according to a report by ILNA

A graduate of cinema, Moallem, 54, started Donya-ye Tasvir magazine 25 years ago which soon became popular among film fans.

Besides his journalistic activities, he produced several films including ‘Hemlock’ (2000), ‘The River’s End’ (2004), ‘Marriage, Iranian Style’ (2006) and ‘Aal’ (2010). He also served as jury member in several local and international film festivals, Financial Tribune reported.

Moallem was the organiser of ‘Hafez Awards’, Iran’s only private ceremony to award the best of TV and cinema, and held it for dozens of editions in an annual basis.

For years he strived to produce a film on Cyrus the Great (580-529 BC), king of Persia and the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. The script was written by Iranian screenwriter and filmmaker Masoud Jafari-Jozani who was set to direct the movie as well. However, their efforts did not bear fruit and a book on the film script was published last year.

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