May 3, 2009, 6:14 PM

Theater giants add perfect ending to Iranian students’ festival

TEHRAN, May 3 (MNA) -- Honoring the giants of Iranian theater inspired a lovely night for the closing ceremony of the 12th International University Theater Festival at Tehran’s City Theater Complex on Saturday.

Comedian Alireza Khamseh, the ceremony’s host, said that the students planned to pay tribute to Iranian theater veterans as their teachers on that day, which coincided with Iran’s national Teachers’ Day.

Organizers of the festival presented lifetime achievement awards to several veteran theater figures, including Nosrat Karimi, Hamid Samandarian, and Bahram Beizaii during the ceremony.

Director Hamid Samandarian shakes hands with his actress wife Homa Rusta, who presented him a prize during the closing ceremony of the 12th International University Theater Festival at Tehran’s City Theater Complex on May 2. 2009. Host Alireza Khamseh (1st from right) and actor Payam Dehkordi are also seen in the photo. (Mehr/Mohammadreza Abbasi)

Retired Iranian multimedia artist Karimi, 84, was absent due to his illness so his daughter Mandana accepted the prize on his behalf from veteran stage director Javad Zolfaqari.

Director and playwright Samandarian received his award from his actress wife Homa Rusta and actor Payam Dehkordi.

“There are many powerful and more capable than me among my colleagues, for example: Bahram Beizaii, Abbas Javanmard, Saeid Pursamimi, and Parviz Purhosseini,” Samandarian said.

“I lose my self-confidence before these people whom I consider as my masters,” he added.

Beizaii was awarded by actor Hamid Amjad and director Mohammad Rahmanian.

Rahmanian said that Beizaii has been away from teaching for years but many artists consider themselves as his students today.

“I was surprised by this prize,” said Beizaii.

He also commemorated the late Iranian playwright Akbar Radi.

“We are in the students’ festival and one teacher is now absent here; I present all these feelings to Akbar Radi,” he noted.

Davud Rashidi, Abbas Javanmard, Khosro Hakim-Rabet, Khosro Khorshidi, and Saeid Pursamimi were also among the honorees.

Afterward, the winners of the festival were presented with awards by the veterans.

Following is a list of the winners of the festival’s main section:

Best Director: Reza Servati for “Macbeth”

Best Play Text: “The Black Skin and the White Masks” written by Azadeh Shahmiri

Best Actor: Ali Baqeri for (“From Around Milad”)