Sep 16, 2008, 6:45 PM

“Child of the Earth” stands first at Iran Cinema Celebration

TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (MNA) -- “Child of the Earth” garnered the most awards at the 12th Iran Cinema Celebration ceremony that was held on September 15 at Tehran’s Milad Tower.

The evening event was held outdoors at the Milad Tower and was attended by a galaxy of film stars.

“Child of the Earth”, the debut film of Mohammad-Ali Basheh-Ahangar picked up six awards, overtaking “Know Your Country” and “The Invitation”.

Bahman Farmanara holds the Best Director Award he received for “Know Your Country” during the 12th Iran Cinema Celebration, held outdoors at the foot of Tehran’s Milad Tower on September 15. (Mehr/Sajjad Safari)

Producer Ahmad Mir-Alaii (L) accepts the Best Film Award for “Child of the Earth” from House of Cinema Managing Director Mohammad-Mehdi Asgarpur (R) and former deputy culture minister Fakhreddin Anvaar (C). (Mehr/Sajjad Safari)

The festival is held annually to celebrate Iran’s National Cinema Day (Sep. 12) and is sponsored by the House of Cinema. However, this year’s celebration was held on September 15 due to its coincidence with a religious occasion.

“The House of Cinema needs to be motivated to move much faster in order to achieve its goals more easily,” gala secretary Amin Tarokh said before the award presentation.

The festival’s entries were evaluated by a jury comprised of over 100 Iranian cineastes.

“Child of the Earth” producer Ahmad Mir-Alaii won the best film award while the best director award went to Bahman Farmanara for “Know Your Country”.

The Best Makeup Award was presented by veteran makeup artist Abdollah Eskandari and actress Roya Teimurian to Mahin Navidi for “A Hundred Years Better than These Years”.

The Best Sound Recorder Award was also presented by actor Pejman Bazeghi and film dubber Ahmad Rasulzadeh to Abbas Rastegar for “Child of the Earth”.

The ceremony continued with a live music performance conducted by vocalist Alireza Qorbani, which was warmly received by the audience.

Following is a list of the other winners at the 12th edition of the celebration:

Best Actor: the late Khosro Shakibaii (“She Was a Star”)

Best Actress: Gohar Kheirandish (“The Invitation”)

Best Supporting Actor: Babak Hamidian (“Loose Rope”)

Best Supporting Actress: Mahtab Nasirpur (“Child of the Earth”)

Best Cinematographer: Alireza Zarrindast (“Child of the Earth”)

Best Editor: Abbas Ganjavi (“Know Your Country”)

Best Sound Effects: Reza Delpak and Reza Narimizadeh (“Know Your Country”)

Best Costume and Stage Designer: Jila Mehrjuii and Sholeh Navvab-Tehrani (“Green Fire”)

Best Composer: Karan Homayunfar (“Know Your Country”)