Iran’s 9th Cinema Photography Awards Announced Winners

The 9th Iranian Cinema Photography Awards Ceremony was held on October 4 at the Cinema Museum in Tehran, celebrating the country’s leading film photographers.

The ceremony, hosted by Nima Raissi with live music by Sina Zakaei’s ensemble, recognized outstanding contributions to Iranian cinema photography. Mohammad Foghani, festival secretary, emphasized the central role of film photography in preserving Iran’s cinematic history, while Fatemeh Mohammadi, Director of the Cinema Museum, welcomed guests and underlined the museum’s support for the art form.

Special tributes were paid to renowned filmmaker Alireza Davoodnejad, as well as acclaimed photographers Mitra Mohasseni, Aziz Sa’ati, and Hassan Tavakolnia for their lifelong contributions to Iranian cinema.

The jury, including Mitra Mohasseni and Saed Nikzat, highlighted the creative role of photographers as independent storytellers before announcing this year’s winners:

Fattah Zeynouri – Honorary Diploma, Home Video (2023), Mortal Wound

Omid Salehi – Honorary Diploma, Home Video (2023–24), Aban & At the End of the Night

Mehrdad Amini – Best Cinematic Photography (2024), God of War

Ahmadreza Shojaei – Honorary Diploma, Home Video (2023), Killer of the Faithful

Amirhossein Ghazanfari – Honorary Diploma, Cinema (2023), Ahmad

Pouya Shahjahani – Honorary Diploma, Cinema (2023–24), Refinery & Pishmerga

Majid Talebi – Honorary Diploma, Cinema (2024), Call Me Ziba

Samira Bakhtiari – Honorary Diploma & Special Jury Award (2024), Beheading

The event drew a wide array of cinema figures, from veteran directors and actors to emerging talents, reaffirming the enduring importance of photography in Iranian film culture.