Tehran, Iran – Prominent Iranian director Nasser Taqavi, known for his anti-censorship stances, has died at the age of 84.
His wife, actress Marzieh Wafa Mehr, wrote on her Instagram account, “Nasser Taqwa, the artist who chose the difficulty of living freely, has finally achieved his liberation”.
Taqavi was born on July 13, 1941 in the Iranian city of Abadan.
He gained wide fame after the screening of his first film in 1972, entitled “Tranquility in the Presence of Others”.
Which provided a frank depiction of the conflict between tradition and modernity in Iran.
Taqavi was known throughout his career for his opposition to censorship. This was both before the 1979 revolution and after the overthrow of the Western-backed Shah of Iran.
In 2013, he denounced the “horrific censorship” imposed on cinematic and literary works in his country.
He announced that he would not direct any more films due to the state’s control over the sector.
During his career, he directed 6 films, a television series, and a number of documentaries.
His satirical series “My Uncle Napoleon” is considered one of his most prominent works.
It dealt with the decline of the life of a former officer in the imperial army. He lives in a world of doubt and does not acknowledge that his time is over.
Taqwa won several national and international film awards. Notably, he won “The Bronze Leopard” at the Locarno Film Festival in 1988 for his film “Captain Khorshid”.
In 2002, he was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Fajr State Film Festival in Iran. However, he refused to receive it.
