Veteran film critics and writers were honored at the “Cinema Through the Pen” ceremony held at the Seifollah Dad Hall of the Iranian Cinema Organization, where speakers emphasized the essential role of criticism and writing in preserving the historical and intellectual memory of cinema.
The event, organized by the Iranian Cinema Organization in cooperation with the Iranian Film Critics and Writers Association, honored Parviz Jahed, Azizollah Haji-Mashhadi, Tahmasb Solhjou, Kamran Maleki, and Abbas Yari for their decades of work in film criticism and cinema. A special tribute was also held in memory of the late journalist, writer, critic, and film historian Massoud Mehrabi.
Nima Hassani-Nasab reflected on Mehrabi’s central role in Film magazine and his extensive work documenting the history of Iranian cinema, describing him as a figure who devoted much of his professional life to preserving the publication and producing reference works in areas that had received little attention.
Jafar Goudarzi, chairman of the Iranian Film Critics and Writers Association, described criticism as “an honest dialogue between human beings and art.”
“Films are born on the screen, but they do not enter cultural memory unless an honest pen brings them from the darkness of the theater into the light of history,” he said. “Cinema matures through criticism.”
In a recorded message, Parviz Jahed described film criticism as an extension of one’s love for cinema and emphasized the ethical responsibility of writers and critics.
“We live in difficult and turbulent times,” Jahed said. “A writer’s or critic’s pen should not serve oppression, colonialism, or aggression, nor should it refrain from defending the rights of the oppressed.”
Azizollah Haji-Mashhadi called for stronger institutional support for film criticism, research, and publishing, arguing that written scholarship remains one of the most neglected areas of Iranian cinema.
“Cinema stays alive through films, but it endures through criticism, thought, and books,” he said, urging greater support for publishing the work of veteran critics and researchers and transferring their knowledge to younger generations.
Tahmasb Solhjou recalled his lifelong attachment to cinema, saying that his “childlike love” for the medium had remained with him throughout his career. Kamran Maleki reflected on his roots in journalism and dedicated the recognition he received to his mother, while Abbas Yari recalled his decades at Film magazine and paid tribute to Mehrabi’s independence and commitment to cinema.
In the closing remarks, Raed Faridzadeh, President of the Iranian Cinema Organization, emphasized that criticism is not separate from artistic creation but rather completes it.
“Criticism helps us understand a work today, while also building a bridge for understanding it in the future,” Faridzadeh said. He noted that future generations may watch the films of filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, but contemporary criticism enables them to better understand the intellectual and cultural environment in which those works were created.
He also called for greater attention to books, writing, and cultural research, acknowledging the gap that often exists between recognizing culture as a foundation for development and providing practical funding and support.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Faridzadeh, Jafar Goudarzi, Houshang Hosseini, Mohsen Beik-Agha, Ali Alaei, and Masoud Najafi presented commemorative honors to Jahed, Haji-Mashhadi, Solhjou, Maleki, and Yari.
The ceremony ended with a performance of the patriotic song Ey Iran by one of the students of the late Mohammad Nouri, followed by a group photograph.
Other attendees included Habib Ilbeigi, Alireza Esmaeili, Mohammad Reza Faraji, Hojjat Tabatabaei, Mohammad Tayyeb, Hossein Yazdanshenas, Saeed Elahi, Akbar Abdolalizadeh, Mohammad Hossein Farahbakhsh, Ali Roointan, Zabihollah Rahmani, Omid Najvan, Mohammad Tajik, Peyman Shoghi, and other members of Iran’s film and cultural community.