Renowned Iranian Film Director Dariush Mehrjui Murdered At Home

Renowned Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui, known for works like “The Cow” and “The Pear Tree”, and his wife fell victim to a fatal stabbing incident in their residence, as announced by Iranian state media this Sunday.

Hossein Fazeli, a judiciary representative cited by the IRNA news agency, reported the tragic finding of Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar, with lethal knife injuries in their home. The grim discovery was made by the couple’s daughter, Mona Mehrjui, in their suburban home near Tehran.

At the age of 83, Mehrjui was recognized for his contributions to the neo-realistic film genre in the early 1970s, propelling a transformative era in Iranian cinema. His film, “The Cow”, bagged the FIPRESCI International Film Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival in 1971, marking his prominence in international film circuits. He also garnered other prestigious awards, such as the Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 2002 for “To Stay Alive”, the Silver Hugo in 1998 at the Chicago Film Festival for “The Pear Tree”, and the primary award at the 1993 San Sebastian Film Festival for “Sara”.

Throughout his career, Mehrjui ardently challenged state censorship, standing as a vocal critic of Tehran’s Islamic regime. Just last year, he voiced his criticism in a video against the government for suppressing his possibly last film, “A Minor”.

While the IRNA confirms ongoing investigations into the tragic incident, they refrained from suggesting potential motives. Notably, Mehrjui’s wife had previously expressed concerns about a knife threat on social media.