Dariush Mehrjui

{{Short description|Iranian filmmaker (1939–2023)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Dariush Mehrjui | image = Dariush Mehrjui 13970603000056636707603751724475 86306 (cropped).jpg | caption = Mehrjui in 2018 | native_name = داریوش مهرجویی | native_name_lang = Fa | image_size = 220px | birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|12|08|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Tehran]], [[Pahlavi Iran|Iran]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|10|14|1939|12|08|df=yes}} | death_cause = [[Murder of Dariush Mehrjui|Murder]] (stab wounds) | death_place = [[Karaj]], Iran | occupation = Filmmaker, screenwriter | years_active = 1966–2023 | alma_mater = [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA) | spouse = {{Unbulleted_list|{{Marriage|Faryar Javaherian|||end=divorced}}|{{Marriage|Vahideh Mohammadifar||2023|end=died}}}} | children = 3 }} '''Dariush Mehrjui''' ({{langx|fa|داریوش مهرجویی}}&lrm;; 8 December 1939 – 14 October 2023) was an Iranian filmmaker, screenwriter, and a member of the [[Iranian Academy of the Arts]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.miff.org/1999schedule.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323084409/http://www.miff.org/1999schedule.html|url-status=dead|title=MIFF 1999 Schedule (MIFF 2)<!-- Bot generated title -->|archivedate=23 March 2007|accessdate=15 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Namava|url=https://www.namava.ir/person-14582-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B4_%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C|access-date=19 November 2021|website=www.namava.ir}}</ref>

Mehrjui was a founding member of the [[Iranian New Wave]] movement of the early 1970s, which also included directors [[Masoud Kimiai]] and [[Nasser Taqvai]]. His second film, [[The Cow (1969 film)|''The Cow'']] (1969), is considered to be the first film of this movement. Most of his films are inspired by literature and adapted from Iranian and foreign novels and plays.<ref>{{Cite web|title=داریوش مهرجویی نشان‌دار شد + فیلم - ایسنا|url=https://www.isna.ir/news/1400022316259/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B4-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D8%AF-%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D9%85/|access-date=19 November 2021|website=isna.ir}}</ref>

On 14 October 2023, Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar, were found stabbed to death in their home in the city of [[Karaj]], near Tehran.<ref name="cafehdanesh_the-murder-of-daryush-mehrjui-and-his-wife">{{Cite news |last=Farhadi |first=Parastoo |date=2023-10-14 |title=the murder of Daryush Mehrjui and his wife |language=fa |work=CafehDanesh |url=https://cafehdanesh.com/en/the-murder-of-daryush-mehrjui-and-his-wife/ |access-date=2023-10-14 |archive-date=20 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020113123/https://cafehdanesh.com/en/the-murder-of-daryush-mehrjui-and-his-wife/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Early life and education == Dariush Mehrjui was born on 8 December 1939{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} to a middle-class family in [[Tehran]]. He showed interest in painting [[Persian miniature|miniatures]], music, and playing [[Santoor (Persian instrument)|santoor]] and piano. He spent a lot of time going to the movies, particularly American films which were un-dubbed and inter-spliced with explanatory title cards that explained the plot throughout the films. At this time Mehrjui started to learn English so as to better enjoy the films. The film that had the strongest impact on him as a child was [[Vittorio De Sica]]'s ''[[Bicycle Thieves]]''. At the age of 12, Mehrjui built a 35&nbsp;mm projector, rented two-reel films and began selling tickets to his neighborhood friends.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988">Wakeman, John. World Film Directors, Volume 2. The H. W. Wilson Company. 1988. 663-669.</ref> Although raised in a religious household, Mehrjui said that, at the age of 15, "The face of God gradually became a little hazy for me, and I lost my faith."<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

In 1959, Mehrjui moved to the United States to study at [[University of California, Los Angeles]]' (UCLA) [[UCLA School of Theater Film and Television|Department of Cinema]]. One of his teachers there was [[Jean Renoir]], whom Mehrjui credited with teaching him how to work with actors. Mehrjui was dissatisfied with the film program due to its emphasis on the technical aspects of film and the quality of most of the teachers. Mehrjui said of his educators, "They wouldn't teach you anything very significant... because the teachers were the kind of people who had not been able to make it in Hollywood themselves... [and would] bring the rotten atmosphere of Hollywood to the class and impose it on us."<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> He switched his major to [[philosophy]] and graduated from UCLA in 1964.<ref name="Iran Chamber">{{Cite web|url=https://www.iranchamber.com/cinema/dmehrjui/dariush_mehrjui.php|title=Iran Chamber Society: Iranian Cinema: Dariush Mehrjui|website=www.iranchamber.com|accessdate=15 October 2023}}</ref>

Mehrjui started his own literary magazine in 1964, ''Pars Review''. The magazine's intention was to bring contemporary Persian literature to western readers. During this time he wrote his first script with the intention of filming it in Iran. He moved back to Tehran in 1965, and found employment as a journalist and screenwriter.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

From 1966 to 1968 he was a teacher at Tehran's Center for Foreign Language Studies, where he taught classes in literature and English language. He also gave lectures on films and literature at the Center for Audiovisual Studies through the [[University of Tehran]].<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

==Career== === Early film career 1966–1972 === [[File:Postchi (film).jpg|thumb|Mehrjui on set of ''The Postman'' (1971)]]

Mehrjui made his debut in 1966 with ''Diamond 33'', a big budget parody of the [[James Bond]] film series. The film was not financially successful.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> But his second feature film, ''[[Gaav]]'' (''The Cow''), brought him national and international recognition.<ref name="Iran Chamber" /> The film ''Gaav'', a symbolic drama, is about a simple villager and his nearly mythical attachment to his cow.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nikounazar |first=Leily |date=2023-10-15 |title=Famed Iranian Filmmaker Is Killed in His Home |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/15/world/middleeast/dariush-mehrjui-iran-filmmaker-killed.html |access-date=2023-10-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The film is adapted from a short story by renowned Iranian literary figure [[Gholam Hossein Saedi|Gholamhossein Sa'edi]]. Sa'edi was a friend of Mehrjui and suggested the idea to him when Mehrjui was looking for a suitable second film, and they collaborated on the script. Through Sa'edi, Mehrjui met the actors [[Ezzatolah Entezami]] and [[Ali Nassirian]], who were performing in one of Sa'edi's plays. Mehrjui would work with Entezami and Nassirian throughout his career.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> The film's score was composed by musician [[Hormoz Farhat]].<ref name="Fujiwara–1999">{{cite web|last= Fujiwara|first=Chris|url=http://72.166.46.24/archive/movies/99/04/22/THE_FILMS_OF_DARIUSH_MEHRJ.html |title=The Films of Darius Mehrjui|publisher=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)]] |access-date=26 February 2007|date=April 22, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824053709/http://72.166.46.24/archive/movies/99/04/22/THE_FILMS_OF_DARIUSH_MEHRJ.html |archive-date=24 August 2007}}</ref> The film was completed in 1969.

In the film, Entezami stars as Masht Hassan, a peasant in an isolated village in southern Iran. Hassan has a close relationship with his cow, which is his only possession (Mehrjui said that Entezami even resembled a cow in the film).<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> When other people from Hassan's village discover that the cow has been mysteriously killed, they decide to bury the cow and tell Hassan that it has run away. While in mourning for the cow, Hassan goes to the barn where it was kept and begins to assume the cow's identity. When his friends attempt to take him to a hospital, Hassan commits suicide.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

''Gaav'' was banned for over a year by the [[Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (Iran)|Ministry of Culture and Arts]], despite being one of the first two films in Iran to receive government funding. This was most likely due to Sa'edi being a controversial figure in Iran. His work was highly critical of the [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavi government]], and he had been arrested sixteen times.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> When it was finally released in 1970, it was highly praised and won an award at the Ministry of Culture's film festival, but it was still denied an export permit.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> In 1971, the film was smuggled out of Iran and submitted to the [[Venice Film Festival]] where, without programming or subtitles, it became the largest event of that year's festival.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/iranian_cinema_2595jsp/|title="The Cow", Dariush Mehrjui|website=openDemocracy|accessdate=15 October 2023}}</ref> It won the International Critics Award at Venice, and later that year, Entezami won the Best Actor Award at the [[Chicago International Film Festival]].<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

Along with [[Masoud Kimiai]]'s ''[[Qeysar (film)|Qeysar]]'' and [[Nasser Taqvai]]'s ''Tranquility in the Presence of Others'', the film ''Gaav'' initiated the [[Iranian New Wave]] movement and is considered a turning point in the history of Iranian cinema. The public received it with great enthusiasm, despite the fact that it had ignored all the traditional elements of box office attraction. It was screened internationally and received high praise from many film critics.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> Several of Iran's prominent actors (Entezami, Nassirian, [[Jamshid Mashayekhi]], and Jafar Vali) played roles in the film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.massoudmehrabi.com/articles.asp?id=-845561736|title=Massoud Mehrabi - Articles|website=www.massoudmehrabi.com|accessdate=15 October 2023}}</ref>

While waiting for ''Gaav'' to be released and gaining international recognition, Mehrjui was busy directing two more films. In 1970 he shot ''Agha-ye Hallou'' (''Mr. Naive''), a comedy which starred and was written by Ali Nassirian. Mehrjui had said that, "After all the censorship problems with ''Gaav'', [he] wanted to do a no-problem film."<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> The film also starred [[Fakhri Khorvash]] and Entezami.

In the film, Nassirian plays a simple, naive villager who goes to Tehran to find a wife. While in the big city he is treated roughly and constantly fooled by local hustlers and con artists. When he goes into a dress shop to purchase a wedding gown, he meets a beautiful young woman (Fakhri Khorvash) and proposes to her. The young woman turns out to be a prostitute who rejects him and takes his money, spending him back to his village empty handed but more world-wise.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

''[[Mr. Naive|Agha-ye Hallou]]'' was screened at the Sepas Film Festival in Tehran in 1971 where it won awards for Best Film and Best Director. Later that year it was screened at the [[7th Moscow International Film Festival]].<ref name="Moscow1971">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1971 |title=7th Moscow International Film Festival (1971) |access-date=24 December 2012 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403094201/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1971 |archive-date=3 April 2014}}</ref> It was a commercial success in Iran.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

After finishing ''Agha-ye Hallou'' in 1970, Mehrjui traveled to [[Berkeley, California]] and began writing an adaptation of [[Georg Büchner]]'s ''[[Woyzeck]]'' for a modern-day Iranian setting. He went back to Iran later in 1970 to shoot ''Postchi'' (''The Postman''), which starred Nassirian, Entezami and Jaleh Sam.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

In the film, Nassirian plays Taghi, a miserable civil servant whose life spirals into chaos. He spends his days as an unhappy mail carrier and has two night jobs in order to pay his debts. His misery has caused impotence and he is experimented upon by an amateur herbalist who is one of his employers. His only naive hope is that he will win the national lottery. When he discovers that his wife is the mistress of his town's wealthiest landowner, Taghi escapes to the local forest where he experiences a brief moment of peace and harmony. His wife comes looking for him, and in a fit of rage Taghi murders her and is eventually caught for his crime.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

''Postchi'' (''The Postman'') faced the same censorship issues as ''Gaav'', but was eventually released in 1972. It was screened in Iran at the inaugural [[Tehran International Film Festival]] and at the Sepas Film festival. Internationally it was screened at the [[Venice Film Festival]], where it received a special mention, the [[22nd Berlin International Film Festival]], where it received the Interfilm Award, and the [[1972 Cannes Film Festival]], where it was screened as part of the [[Directors' Fortnight]].<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

=== ''The Cycle'' 1973–1978 === In 1973 Mehrjui began directing what was to be his most acclaimed film, ''[[The Cycle (1975 film)|The Cycle]]''.<ref name="Thomas-1979">{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |date=June 13, 1979 |title=An Indictment of Iran Under Shah |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-an-indictment-of-i/195105607/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=114 |type=review |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> Mehrjui got the idea for the film when a friend suggest that he investigate the black market and illicit blood traffic in Iran. Horrified with what he found, Mehrjui took the idea to Gholamhossein Sa'edi, who had written a play on the subject, "Aashghaal-duni". The play became the basis for the script, which then had to be approved by the Ministry of Culture before production could begin. With pressure from the Iranian medical community, approval was delayed for a year until Mehrjui began shooting the film in 1974.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> The film stars Saeed Kangarani, Esmail Mohammadi, [[Ezzatollah Entezami]], [[Ali Nassirian]], and Fourouzan.

In the film, Kangarani plays Ali, a teenager who has brought his dying father (Mohammadi) to Tehran in order to find medical treatment. They are too poor to afford any help from the local hospital, but Dr. Sameri (Entezami) offers them money in exchange for giving illegal and unsafe blood donations at a local blood bank. Ali begins giving blood and eventually works for Dr. Sameri in luring blood donors, despite spreading diseases in the process. Ali meets another doctor (Nassirian) who is attempting to establish a legitimate blood bank, and helps Dr. Sameri in sabotaging his plans. Ali also meets and becomes the lover of a young nurse, played by Fourouzan. As Ali becomes more and more involved in the illegal blood trafficking, his father's health worsens until he finally dies and Ali must decide what path his life will take. The film's title, ''Dayereh mina'', refers to a line from a poem by [[Hafiz Shirazi]]: "''Because of the cycle of the universe, my heart is bleeding.''"<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

The film was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture but encountered opposition from the Iranian medical establishment and was banned for three years.<ref name="Fujiwara–1999" /> It was finally released in 1977, with help from pressure from the [[Carter administration]] to increase human rights and intellectual freedoms in Iran.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> Because of a crowded film marketplace, the film premiered in Paris, and then was released internationally where it received rave reviews and was compared to [[Luis Buñuel]]'s ''[[Los Olvidados]]'' and [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]]'s ''[[Accattone]]''.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> The film won the [[FIPRESCI|Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique]] Prize at the [[Berlin Film Festival]] in 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077403/awards/|title=The Cycle (1977) - Awards - IMDb|accessdate=15 October 2023|via=www.imdb.com}}</ref>

During this time, Iran was going through great political changes. The [[Iranian revolution#Outbreak|events leading up to]] the [[Iranian Revolution]] of 1979 were causing a gradual loosening of strict censorship laws, which Mehrjui and other artists had great hopes for.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

While waiting for ''The Cycle'' to be released, Mehrjui worked on several documentaries. ''Alamut'', a documentary on the Isamailis, was commissioned by [[National Iranian Radio and Television|Iranian National Television]] in 1974. He was also commissioned by the Iranian Blood Transfusion Center to create three short documentaries about safe and healthy blood donations. The films were used by the [[World Health Organization]] in several countries for years. In 1978, the Iranian Ministry of Health commissioned Mehrjui to make the documentary ''Peyvast kolieh'', about kidney transplants.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

=== Film career after the 1979 Iranian Revolution === The [[Iranian Revolution]] had been ongoing since 1978 through strikes and demonstrations. The [[Pahlavi dynasty|Iranian monarchy]] collapsed on 11 February 1979 when [[guerrilla]]s and rebel troops overwhelmed troops loyal to the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]] in armed street fighting. Iran voted by national [[March 1979 Iranian Islamic Republic referendum|referendum]] to become an Islamic Republic on 1 April 1979,<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-202892 Iran Islamic Republic], Encyclopædia Britannica.</ref> and to approve a new [[constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran|theocratic constitution]] whereby [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Khomeini]] became [[Supreme Leader of Iran|Supreme Leader]] of the country, in December 1979.

Mehrjui stated that he, "enthusiastically took part in the revolution, shooting miles of reels of its daily events".<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> After the revolution, the censorship of the Pahlavi regime was lifted, and for a time, artistic freedom seemed to flourish in the country. It was reported that the [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]] saw ''[[Gaav]]'' on Iranian television and liked it, calling it "very instructive" and commissioning new prints to be made for distribution.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" /> However the Khomeini government would go on to impose its own rules for censorship in Iran, specifically laws that were in accordance to [[Islamic law]]. It was also required that a government official be present during the shooting of all films.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

Mehrjui then directed ''Hayat-e Poshti Madrese-ye Adl-e Afagh'' (''The School We Went to'') in 1980. The film stars [[Ezzatollah Entezami]] and [[Ali Nassirian]] and is from a story by Fereydoon Doostdar. The film was sponsored by the Iranian Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, whose filmmaking department was co-founded by [[Abbas Kiarostami]]. The film, seen as an allegory for the recent revolution, is about a group of high school students who join forces and rebel against their authoritative and abusive school principal. Film critic Hagir Daryoush criticized both the film and Mehrjui as propaganda and a work of the new regime more than Mehrjui himself.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

In 1981, Mehrjui and his family traveled to [[Paris]] and remained there for several years, along with several other Iranian refugees in France. During this time he made a feature-length semi-documentary about the poet [[Arthur Rimbaud]] for French TV, ''Voyage au Pays de Rimbaud'' in 1983. It was shown at the 1983 [[Venice Film Festival]] and at the 1983 [[London Film Festival]].<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

In 1985, Mehrjui and his family returned to Iran and Mehrjui resumed his film career under the new regime.<ref name="Wakeman, John 1988" />

In ''[[Hamoun (film)|''Hamoun'']]'' (1989), a portrait of an intellectual whose life is falling apart, Mehrjui sought to depict his generation's post-revolutionary turn from politics to mysticism. ''Hamoon'' was voted the best Iranian film ever by readers and contributors to the Iranian journal Film Monthly.<ref name="Business Wire-1999">{{cite news | url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_June_16/ai_54893394 | work=Business Wire | title=UCLA Film and Television Archive Presents Dariush Mehrjui: Trapeze Without a Net, July 15 to Aug. 1 | date=16 June 1999 | access-date=26 February 2007 | archive-date=24 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924033843/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1999_June_16/ai_54893394 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1995, Mehrjui made ''[[Pari (1995 film)|Pari]]'', an unauthorized loose film adaptation of [[J. D. Salinger]]'s book ''[[Franny and Zooey]]''. Though the film could be distributed legally in Iran since the country has no official copyright relations with the United States,<ref>[http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.html Circular 38a] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328192739/http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.html |date=28 March 2007 }} of the ''U.S. Copyright Office''</ref> Salinger had his lawyers block a planned screening of the film at [[Lincoln Center]] in 1998.<ref name="mehr">{{cite news |last=Mckinley |first=Jesse |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0DE2DD1330F932A15752C1A96E958260 |title=Iranian Film Is Canceled After Protest By Salinger |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=21 November 1998 |access-date=5 April 2007}}</ref> Mehrjui called Salinger's action "bewildering", explaining that he saw his film as "a kind of cultural exchange".<ref>{{cite news |last=Mckinley |first=Jesse |url=https://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00713FC38540C728EDDA80994D0494D81 |title=Iranian Film Is Canceled After Protest By Salinger |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=21 November 1998 |access-date=5 April 2007 |format= fee required}}</ref> His follow-up film, 1997's ''[[Leila (1996 film)|Leila]]'', is a melodrama about an urban, upper-middle-class couple who learn that the wife is unable to bear children.

His last film, titled ''Laminor,'' was released in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TABNAK |first=تابناک {{!}} |date=2023-10-14 |title=همه آنچه باید درباره داریوش مهرجویی بدانید / مرور ویدیوییِ آثار مهرجویی |url=http://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/1198611 |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=fa |language=fa}}</ref>

== Cinematic style and legacy == Modern Iranian cinema begins with Mehrjui. Mehrjui introduced realism, symbolism, and the sensibilities of art cinema. His films have some resemblance with those of [[Rosselini]], [[Vittorio De Sica|De Sica]], and [[Satyajit Ray]], but he also added something distinctively Iranian, in the process starting one of the greatest modern film waves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thecontext.com/docs/2362.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231031105/http://www.thecontext.com/docs/2362.html|url-status=dead|title=Dariush Mehrjui<!-- Bot generated title -->|archivedate=31 December 2006|accessdate=15 October 2023}}</ref>

The one constant in Mehrjui's work was his attention to the discontents of contemporary, primarily urban, Iran. His film ''[[The Pear Tree]]'' (1999) has been hailed as the apotheosis of the director's examination of the Iranian [[bourgeoisie]].<ref name="Business Wire-1999" />

Since his film ''[[The Cow (1969 film)|The Cow]]'' in 1969, Mehrjui, along with [[Nasser Taqvai]], and [[Masoud Kimiai]], was instrumental in paving the way for the Iranian cinematic renaissance, the so-called "[[Iranian New Wave]]".

==2022 'Kill me' speech== In March 2022, Mehrjui publicly denounced the state censorship. In front of a filled cinema crowd, Mehrjui announced, {{Blockquote|"Listen to me, I can't take it anymore," he said. "I want to fight [back]. Kill me, do whatever you want with me...destroy me, but I want my right.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-director-mehrjui-film-censorship/31741759.html | title='I Can't Stand It Anymore': Prominent Iranian Filmmaker Blasts State Censorship | newspaper=Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty | last1=Esfandiari | first1=Golnaz }}</ref>}}

== Murder and aftermath == {{Main|Murder of Dariush Mehrjui}} Daryoush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar, were found [[Murder of Dariush Mehrjui|stabbed to death]] on 14 October 2023, in their villa in [[Meshkin Dasht]], [[Karaj]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-14 |title=فوری/ داریوش مهرجویی و همسرش به قتل رسیدند! |url=https://donya-e-eqtesad.com/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-62/4010747-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B4-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%87%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D8%B1%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%AF |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=روزنامه دنیای اقتصاد |language=fa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=داریوش مهرجویی درگذشت |url=https://www.irna.ir/news/85258541/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%B4-%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%88%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1%DA%AF%D8%B0%D8%B4%D8%AA |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=www.irna.ir|date=14 October 2023 }}</ref> Prior to this incident, Vahideh had posted on her social media page about anonymous personal threats, including threats from a non-Iranian individual with a knife.<ref>{{Cite web |title=جزئیات جدید از قتل داریوش مهرجویی و همسرش/ سرنخی که همسر مهرجویی داد |url=https://www.alef.ir/news/4020723012.html |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=www.alef.ir}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/global/iranian-auteur-dariush-mehrjui-and-wife-stabbed-to-death-outside-tehran-1235756547/|title=Revered Iranian Auteur Dariush Mehrjui and Wife Stabbed to Death at Home Outside Tehran, State Media Reports|date=15 October 2023 |publisher=Variety}}</ref>

On 17 October, Iranian police arrested ten individuals suspected of being involved in the murders, including "the main killer".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-police-arrest-main-killer-of-director-report-f769fe78 |title=Iran Police Arrest 'Main Killer' Of Director: Report |publisher=Dow Jones & Company, Inc. |date=October 18, 2023 |accessdate=October 19, 2023}}</ref> Four people were arrested by police days after the killing for their alleged involvement. One of them later confessed to being the killer, saying that he was a former employee of Mehrjui who harbored a grudge against him "due to financial issues". He was subsequently sentenced to death in February 2024 while the three others received prison terms ranging from eight to 36 years for being accomplices to the crime.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 February 2024 |title=Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadifar: Man sentenced to death for murders of Iranian director and his wife |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68274112 |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref>

Their funeral was held at Roudaki Performance Hall in Tehran, with tributes from [[Jafar Panahi]], [[Masoud Kimiai]], [[Mohammad Rasoulof]] and [[Bahman Farmanara]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2393506/middle-east |title=Iranians pay tribute to slain director Mehrjui |publisher=Arab News |date=October 18, 2023 |accessdate=October 18, 2023}}</ref>

== Filmography == * ''Diamond 33'' (1967) * ''[[The Cow (1969 film)|The Cow]]'' (1969)<ref name="LA Weekly-1999">{{Cite news |date=August 5, 1999 |title=Dariush Mehrjui: Trapeze Without a Net |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/la-weekly-dariush-mehrjui-trapeze-witho/195105450/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=[[LA Weekly]] |pages=76 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name="The Los Angeles Times-1999">{{Cite news |date=July 15, 1999 |title=A Poetic Outpouring |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-a-poetic-outpourin/195105868/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=413 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cheshire |first=Godfrey |date=November 8, 1998 |title=FILM; Revealing an Iran Where the Chadors Are Most Chic |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/08/arts/film-revealing-an-iran-where-the-chadors-are-most-chic.html |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> * ''[[Mr. Naive]]'' (1970) *''The Postman'' (1971) * ''[[The Cycle (1975 film)|The Cycle]]'' (1975)<ref name="Thomas-1979" /><ref name="LA Weekly-1999" /><ref name="The Los Angeles Times-1999" /> * ''The School We Used to Go'' (1981)<ref name="LA Weekly-1999" /> * ''Journey to the Land of Rimbaud'' (1983); documentary in [[France]] * [[The Tenants (1987 film)|''The Tenants'' (1987 film)]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Desmond |date=October 30, 1991 |title=From Iran, a humorous view of landlord-tenant relations |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-from-iran-a-h/195106487/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |pages=37 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> * ''The Wild Bafti'' (1988) * [[Hamoun (film)|''Hamoun'']] (1990)<ref name="LA Weekly-1999" /> * ''The Lady'' (1991) * [[Sara (1992 film)|''Sara'']] (1993) * [[Pari (1995 film)|''Pari'']] (1995)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |date=August 5, 1996 |title=Powerful Offerings Open Iranian Cinema Fest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-powerful-offerings/195106017/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=118 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> * ''[[Leila (1997 film)|Leila]]'' (1997)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |date=August 13, 1999 |title='Leila' Tells Tale of Lives Bound by Tradition |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-leila-tells-tale/195105785/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |pages=48 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> * ''[[The Pear Tree]]'' (1998)<ref name="LA Weekly-1999" /><ref name="The Los Angeles Times-1999" /> * ''[[The Mix (film)|The Mix]]'' (2000) * ''[[To Stay Alive]]'' (2002) * ''[[Mum's Guest]]'' (2004) * ''[[Santouri (film)|Santouri]]'' (2007)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Kevin |date=January 25, 2008 |title=Tough view of addiction in Iran |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-tough-view-of-addi/195105682/ |access-date=2026-04-08 |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=72 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> * ''[[Beloved Sky]]'' (2010) * ''[[The Orange Suit]]'' (2012) * ''[[Good to Be Back (2013 film)|Good To Be Back]]'' (2013) * ''[[Ghosts (2014 film)|Ghosts]]'' (2014) * ''[[La minor (2020 film)|La minor]]'' (2020)

== Awards == Mehrjui has received 49 national and international awards, including: *[[Golden Seashell]], [[San Sebastián International Film Festival]] 1993 *[[Hugo Award|Silver Hugo]], [[Chicago International Film Festival]] 1998 *[[Crystal Simorgh]], [[Fajr Film Festival]] 2004<ref name="Iran Chamber" /> * Lifetime Achievement Award, 1st Diorama International Film Festival & Market (2019)

== Literature == *[[Hamid Dabashi]], ''Masters & Masterpieces of Iranian Cinema'', 451 p. (Mage Publishers, Washington, DC, 2007); Chapter IV, pp.&nbsp;107–134: ''Dariush Mehrjui; The Cow''. {{ISBN|0-934211-85-X}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category-inline}} *{{IMDb name|0576529|Darius Mehrjui}} *[http://www.firouzanfilms.com/HallOfFame/Inductees/DariushMehrjui.html Firouzan Films Iranian Movie Hall of Fame Inductee Dariush Mehrjui] * {{YouTube|Gbf9r3KJuxM|''Dariush Mehrjui discusses The Cow''}}, FirouzanFilms, 25 November 2008: (4 min 37 sec).

{{Dariush Mehrjui}} {{Crystal Simorgh Best Screenplay}} {{Crystal Simorgh Best Director}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehrjui, Darius}} [[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:2023 deaths]] [[Category:Iranian film directors]] [[Category:Iranian screenwriters]] [[Category:Persian-language film directors]] [[Category:Film people from Tehran]] [[Category:UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television alumni]] [[Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni]] [[Category:People murdered in Iran]] [[Category:Iranian documentary filmmakers]] [[Category:Crystal Simorgh for Best Director winners]] [[Category:Producers who won the Best Film Crystal Simorgh]] [[Category:Producers who won the Audience Choice of Best Film Crystal Simorgh]] [[Category:Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay winners]] [[Category:2020s murders in Iran]] [[Category:2023 crimes in Iran]] [[Category:2023 in Iran]] [[Category:2023 murders in Asia]] [[Category:Iranian murder victims]] [[Category:Deaths by stabbing in Iran]] [[Category:People murdered in 2023]]