The murder of Iranian director Dariush Mehrjoo and his wife in their home

He was one of the leading figures of Iranian cinema, largely helped to gain recognition on the international stage with his film Cow in 1969. Film director Dariush Mehrjui was murdered this Saturday, October 14, along with his wife, actor and screenwriter Wahide. Mohammadifar while they were at their home near Tehran. Their daughter came to dinner and found their mutilated bodies. The film director was 83 years old; His wife is 54 years old.

“During the preliminary investigation, it was established that Dariush Mehrjui and his wife were killed by multiple wounds in the neck. The head of justice of Alborz province, Hossein Fazeli-Harikandi, commented, citing the news agency Mizan Online. According to reports, four suspects have been identified, two of whom have been arrested. The circumstances of this double murder are still very unclear.

In an interview on Sunday by the Etemaad newspaper, one of the few reformist and independent newspapers that still exist in Iran, the director’s wife revealed that she had recently received threats from an individual and was the victim of a break-in. at home. “Our investigation did not reveal any official statement regarding the illegal entry into the residence of the Mehrjub family and the theft of their belongings. Hossein Fazeli-Harikandi said.

Pioneering figure of Iranian cinema

Born in Tehran on December 8, 1939, Dariush Mehrjui was a pioneer of the new wave of Iranian cinema, who often faced censorship from his peers not only during the reign of the Shah of Iran, but also after the Islamic Revolution. 1979

After going to the United States to study philosophy, he returned to Iran, where he launched a literary magazine before releasing his first film, Diamant 33, in 1966; A parody of James Bond movies. It was presented at the Venice Film Festival in 1971. Ძrokhawhich narrates the painful loss of an animal by a farmer’s owner, will leave the jury with a prize.

We also owe Monsieur le naïf (1970) and cycle (1974). Between 1980 and 1985 he lived in France, he signed a documentary fiction Journey to the land of Rambo. Returning to Iran, he won cinemas in 1987 with his film The Tenants, which tells the story of eccentric tenants installed in an apartment building on the outskirts of Tehran.

Released in 1990, Hamoun was a dramatic comedy that tells the story of 24 hours in the life of an Iranian intellectual struggling with his divorce and his existential questions, in a country then invaded by big foreign technology groups like Sony or Toshiba.

Filming regularly despite the ups and downs of Iran’s political life, Dariush Mohrjui has signed on to film in 2022. LA Minor. The story – written by a filmmaker’s wife – sees a young woman (played by Pardis Ahmadieh) find her musical calling thwarted by her father, who doesn’t see it that way. In 2014, most of his films were a retrospective organized by the Image Forum, a tribute to his presence.

“I don’t make straight political films to support a particular ideology or point of view. But everything is political (…) cinema is like poetry, which cannot take anyone’s side. Art should not become a tool of propaganda. Dariush Mehrjui told the Iranian media about this recently.