The Body of Abbas Kiarostami Transferred from Paris to Tehran

Simultaneously with the transfer of Abbas Kiarostami's body to Imam Airport and the holding of a reception ceremony attended by several filmmakers, the Minister of Health called for an investigation into the medical file of this renowned Iranian filmmaker and the identification of potential culprits to the judiciary. According to ILNA news agency, at 21:40 on Friday, July 18, Kiarostami's body was transferred to Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport, and a large number of filmmakers attended the reception ceremony. Among those present were Asghar Farhadi, Dariush Mehrjui, Jafar Panahi, Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami, Masoud Kimiai, Mahtab Keramati, Shahab Hosseini, Bahman Farmanara, Mojtaba Mir-Tahmasb, Homayoun Assadian, Hamed Behdad, Fereshteh Taerpour, and Abolhasan Davoodi. During the ceremony, Hojjatollah Ayubi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and Reza Mirkarimi, head of the House of Cinema, spoke about the filmmaker. In a call issued by artists, Kiarostami's funeral is set to take place on Sunday, July 20, in front of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults on Hojjat Street in Tehran, after which he will be buried in Lavasan. The call emphasized that people, alongside artists, should accompany Abbas Kiarostami with utmost respect to his final resting place without mobile cameras, selfies with famous faces, and in complete tranquility. Several filmmakers have released video messages inviting the public to participate in this ceremony. Abbas Kiarostami, who went to France for treatment due to the worsening of his illness, passed away on July 14 at the age of 76 in Paris. In recent days, reports have emerged regarding the possibility of 'medical negligence' during the treatment of this Iranian filmmaker, and following these reports, a campaign about medical errors has been launched on Facebook. For this reason, the Minister of Health, in a letter published on Friday, requested the head of the Medical System Organization to examine Kiarostami's medical file in Tehran and Paris 'with precision, speed, and transparency' and to publish a report on it. Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi also called for any person or persons who 'have been negligent in their duties to be referred to the judicial authorities.' Alireza Zali, head of the Medical System Organization, has also instructed his deputy, Ali Fattahi, to form an 'expert team' to provide a report on Mr. Kiarostami's death. Abbas Kiarostami is the creator of films such as 'Taste of Cherry,' 'Report,' 'Where Is the Friend's Home?', 'Homework,' 'The Wind Will Carry Us,' 'Life, and Nothing More,' 'Close-Up,' and 'Through the Olive Trees,' which have won numerous awards at international festivals.