ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Celebrated Kurdish tenor Shahram Nazeri won this year’s Hafez Film Award in Iran for best original song.
His ballad, “The Excuse,” appeared in the movie “Iran Berger” (Iran Burger), a film by veteran filmmaker Masoud Jaafari, who is from Iran’s minority Lor community.
The award was presented to Nazeri by Iranian movie icon Jamshid Mashayekhi, who praised the Kurdish artist as a “great literary figure. ”
“This artist is a master not just in the field of traditional music but also in literature and poetry,” Mashayekhi said.
Nazeri, who was recently named Best Singer of Classical Persian and Sufi Music by Iran’s culture ministry, said the Hafez Award was “a genuine recognition for my work as an artist who loves films.”
“I am humbled and honored to receive this award inside Iran, particularly as it is an award from the House of Cinema,” Nazeri said. referring to the Iranian film body that picks the winners.
Produced by Iranian composer Arashk Rafiei, “the Excuse” is originally a famous poem by the late Iranian lyricist Siavash Kasrayi, a controversial Communist who Nazeri had met in his early career.
“Kasrayi has portrayed the most romantic feelings in this poem,” Nazeri said.
The Hafez Awards are an annual film festival which previews new movies of all genres, including documentaries. The festival presents awards in several categories, including best picture and best performances. Founded in 2000, it is considered a prestigious film festival in Iran and is one of the most publicized.
A recipient of the French Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal for his achievements in traditional Persian music, Nazeri, 63, stirred controversy last year when he performed a popular Kurdish song in his native Kermanshah.
The song, “Xom Kermashanai, Farsi Niyezanim,” meaning “I am from Kermanshah, I don’t speak Farsi,” was condemned by authorities as advocating separatism and Kurdish nationalism against the Persians in Iran.
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