Farajollah Selahshoor, Director of 'Joseph the Prophet', Passes Away

Farajollah Selahshoor, an Iranian actor and director in cinema and television, passed away on Saturday, March 8, in Tehran. According to ISNA, Mr. Selahshoor, who had been suffering from lung cancer for some time, died at the age of 63 in a hospital in Tehran. Farajollah Selahshoor, whose main activity was dedicated to producing religious series for television, began his acting career in 1982 with the film 'Tobe Nasuh' directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. He also worked in dubbing for a while and acted in films such as 'Flight at Night' directed by Rasoul Molagholipour, 'Man and Weapon' directed by Mojtaba Raei, and 'The Upside Down World' directed by Shahriar Bahrani. Mr. Selahshoor began directing with the film series 'Job the Prophet' and then brought two series, 'Men of Angels' and 'Joseph the Prophet', to the screen. This director intended to produce another grand project titled 'Prophet Moses' and was busy writing the screenplay and securing funding for it before falling ill. However, perhaps the main notoriety of Farajollah Selahshoor in recent years was not due to his artistic activities but rather his controversial statements. Farajollah Selahshoor, who was considered a supporter of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of Iran, referred to Mr. Ahmadinejad as 'the Malik Ashtar of the time' during his speeches in the elections. Additionally, Mr. Selahshoor made another controversial remark after a producer's attempt to invite American actress Angelina Jolie to Iran, stating that 'Angelina Jolie's coming to Iran is a good event for a cinema that is a brothel.' He also commented on female actors in Iranian cinema, saying that 'Iranian actresses are themselves a kind of Angelina Jolie, and this cinema needs to bring in international prostitutes to continue its activities.' These remarks led to protests from some actors who called for Farajollah Selahshoor's resignation from cinema. Earlier reports indicated that this cinema and television director lost his normal speaking ability and became 'paralyzed' due to a 'medical error' during his treatment for 'lung cancer.' Mr. Selahshoor was born in 1952 in Qazvin.