The Nations’ Diplomacy Think Tank, marking the official launch of its Department of Artistic Diplomacy, held a special commemorative event in collaboration with the Cinema Museum of Iran on Thursday evening (July 16) to honor the late Abbas Kiarostami, the celebrated filmmaker and one of Iran's most enduring cultural and artistic figures. The ceremony took place at Ferdows Hall of the Cinema Museum of Iran.
The event was attended by cultural attachés from the embassies of Japan, Italy, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Romania, alongside artists, filmmakers, members of the diplomatic community, academics, media representatives, and cultural figures. The program was moderated by Behnaz Shirbani.
Guests began the evening with a guided tour of the Cinema Museum of Iran, followed by a screening of Through the Olive Trees. A video presentation was then shown featuring Abbas Kiarostami's international recognition for the film, together with remarks by prominent international artists reflecting on the acclaimed director of Where Is the Friend's House?
Opening the ceremony, Fatemeh Mohammadi, Director of the Cinema Museum of Iran, welcomed the audience and described Abbas Kiarostami as the master of Iran's poetic cinema.
"It is a great honor for the Cinema Museum of Iran to host a program dedicated to the master of Iran's poetic cinema," she said. "He was an artist who transcended borders and whose work flourished internationally, leaving a lasting mark on audiences around the world."
Mohammadi added that the purpose of the gathering was to provide an open and professional forum for discussing Kiarostami's artistic legacy through the perspectives of distinguished veteran artists.
"No matter how many programs, discussions, or film screenings we dedicate to Abbas Kiarostami," she said, "we will still have more to say about him. His legacy is far too profound to be fully captured in a single event."
The keynote address was then delivered by Sayed Mohammad Ali Sayedhanaee, President of the Nations’ Diplomacy Think Tank, who described the inauguration of the Department of Artistic Diplomacy as the beginning of a new path at a time when political divisions, security crises, cultural misunderstandings, and declining trust among nations continue to challenge international relations.
Expressing his appreciation to the guests for their presence, Sayedhanaee said the Think Tank had established the department with the belief that culture and the arts could create meaningful dialogue where political channels often face limitations.
Reflecting on recent global developments, he emphasized that peace, trust, and dialogue should never be taken for granted but require continuous commitment, investment, and determination.
"If politics cannot bridge every divide," he asked, "what still has the power to bring people closer together? Our answer is clear: culture, art, and human dialogue."
Highlighting the importance of official diplomacy as the cornerstone of relations between states, Sayedhanaee argued that enduring relationships among nations cannot be built solely upon political agreements.
"Trust is formed first in the hearts and minds of people before it is established in negotiating rooms," he said. "That is where art becomes indispensable. Art is a universal language that requires no translation. Before it persuades, it connects; before it emphasizes differences, it reminds us of our shared humanity."
Referring to the growing role of cultural diplomacy worldwide, he noted that many countries now regard artistic diplomacy not as a peripheral activity but as an integral part of their foreign policy and soft power—one founded on inspiration, mutual respect, and understanding rather than coercion or sanctions.
Describing the launch of the Department of Artistic Diplomacy as a milestone for the Think Tank, Sayedhanaee explained that its mission extends far beyond organizing cultural events.
"Our goal is to establish a lasting platform where diplomats, artists, scholars, academics, and cultural practitioners from different countries can engage in meaningful dialogue," he said. "Every exhibition, every film, every piece of music, every literary work, and every artistic experience can contribute to reducing distances and building trust just as effectively as diplomatic negotiations."
Explaining why Abbas Kiarostami was chosen as the inaugural figure of the department's activities, Sayedhanaee said the answer extends far beyond the filmmaker's cinematic achievements.
"From our perspective, Kiarostami was not merely a great filmmaker," he said. "He was a global storyteller whose works enabled people—regardless of nationality, language, or political borders—to connect with one another. His films reached audiences across the world not because of official promotion, but because of their sincerity and profound humanism."
He continued:
"If diplomacy is the art of building connections, then Abbas Kiarostami was one of Iran's most successful cultural diplomats—a diplomat without a diplomatic passport or an official mission, yet someone who introduced a humane, profound, and enduring image of Iran to millions around the world. That is why we honor him tonight as an 'Ambassador Without a Passport.'"
Turning to today's international media environment, Sayedhanaee argued that artistic diplomacy is more essential than ever.
"In a world where negative narratives about Iran spread with remarkable speed, art has the ability to offer different stories—stories rooted in human dignity, creativity, beauty, and hope," he said. "The more cultures understand one another, the fewer misunderstandings remain. And as misunderstandings diminish, dialogue becomes possible once again. Art may not replace politics, but it can rescue dialogue from deadlock."
Addressing ambassadors and representatives of foreign missions in Tehran, he thanked them for attending and described their presence as a symbol of the belief that dialogue is not confined to negotiating tables.
He reaffirmed the Nations’ Diplomacy Think Tank's commitment to working closely with embassies, cultural institutions, universities, artists, and international partners interested in strengthening ties with Iran.
"We hope this department will become a platform for designing joint cultural projects, expanding cultural exchange, promoting intercultural dialogue, and strengthening relations among nations," he said.
Concluding his remarks, Sayedhanaee stated:
"Sometimes politics brings dialogue to a halt, but art allows dialogue to begin again. Sometimes borders separate people, but culture has the power to bridge those distances. Abbas Kiarostami traveled to the hearts of people around the world without a passport. Inspired by his legacy, we hope the Department of Artistic Diplomacy of the Nations’ Diplomacy Think Tank, together with all of you, will make even a modest contribution to bringing nations closer together, strengthening mutual understanding, and helping build a world shaped by dialogue."
Following the keynote address, the program continued with a commemorative panel discussion featuring Seyed Mohammad Beheshti, Ebrahim Haghighi, Seifollah Samadian, and Shadmehr Rastin, who reflected on different dimensions of Abbas Kiarostami's artistic vision, cinematic language, and enduring cultural legacy.
Seyed Mohammad Beheshti: Cultural Diplomacy in Practice
Seyed Mohammad Beheshti, former Managing Director of the Farabi Cinema Foundation, shared a personal account from a 1999 cultural delegation to Saudi Arabia to illustrate the extraordinary diplomatic influence of Iranian cinema.
Recalling the visit, Beheshti explained that he had traveled to Saudi Arabia as part of a 60-member Iranian cultural delegation, where the group met with the late Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal.
According to Beheshti, what had originally been scheduled as a twenty-minute courtesy meeting unexpectedly evolved into a four-hour conversation after the minister began discussing Abbas Kiarostami's internationally acclaimed film Taste of Cherry.
"For four hours," Beheshti recalled, "our discussion centered on Iranian cinema, and Abbas Kiarostami became the bridge for that dialogue. If we are looking for a genuine example of cultural or artistic diplomacy, this experience illustrates it perfectly."
He also recalled that Prince Saud Al Faisal expressed a strong interest in Iranian cinema and repeatedly requested copies of Iranian films following the meeting. Even after the delegation had returned to Tehran, the request continued through diplomatic channels, eventually leading to the delivery of a collection of Iranian films.
Reflecting on the experience, Beheshti said the story demonstrated how Iranian cinema naturally inspires curiosity and respect abroad.
He argued that cinema does not necessarily require vast financial resources or sophisticated technology to achieve international impact, pointing instead to Kiarostami's simple yet profoundly human filmmaking style.
Beheshti also revealed what he described as a long-kept management principle from his years at the Farabi Cinema Foundation.
"There is something I have never shared publicly before," he said. "During the years when we were expanding the international presence of Iranian cinema, I instructed my colleagues not to keep two groups informed about our activities because I feared they might unintentionally hinder our work: cultural attachés and embassies."
Concluding his remarks, Beheshti paid tribute to Kiarostami's unique personality.
"He was not only a remarkable storyteller," he said. "His entire life was filled with stories deeply rooted in reality. Losing him was profoundly painful. May he rest in peace."
Ebrahim Haghighi: The Language of Compassion in Kiarostami's Cinema
Photographer and filmmaker Ebrahim Haghighi explored the humanistic and visual language that characterizes Kiarostami's films.
He described Through the Olive Trees as one of the milestones in the director's artistic journey while identifying Where Is the Friend's House? as the film that first introduced Kiarostami to a global audience.
Referring to the iconic winding roads that recur throughout the Koker Trilogy and later works such as Taste of Cherry, Haghighi argued that the road in Kiarostami's cinema is far more than a landscape—it symbolizes humanity's continuous search for meaning, connection, and transcendence.
"In Kiarostami's films," he noted, "every road ultimately leads to compassion."
He highlighted the child's determination in Where Is the Friend's House? to return a classmate's notebook as a subtle yet powerful expression of empathy, emphasizing that Kiarostami consistently transformed ordinary human gestures into universal cinematic experiences.
Haghighi also pointed to the recurring presence of elderly characters in films such as Taste of Cherry, The Wind Will Carry Us, and And Life Goes On, observing that their conversations contain profound philosophical reflections presented with remarkable subtlety.
He concluded that Kiarostami's cinema demonstrates how visual imagery, silence, landscapes, and everyday moments become meaningful without ever appearing forced or overly symbolic.
Seifollah Samadian: Learning to See
Filmmaker and photographer Seifollah Samadian reflected on what he described as Kiarostami's greatest artistic gift—the ability not merely to look at the world, but to truly see it.
According to Samadian, Kiarostami preserved the curiosity and sense of wonder of a child throughout his life, approaching every subject as though discovering it for the very first time.
"He saw the world with the amazement of a child," Samadian said. "That sense of discovery shaped everything he created."
He also described Iranian cinema as a newly discovered spring whose greatest potential has yet to be fully realized despite the country's rich history and cultural experience.
Shadmehr Rastin: A Cinema That Connects Viewers with Themselves
Closing the discussion, screenwriter Shadmehr Rastin described Abbas Kiarostami as a lasting artistic benchmark whose influence continues to inspire younger generations of filmmakers.
He noted that Kiarostami's workshops established enduring principles rooted in poetic expression, simplicity, and authentic human connection.
Rastin concluded by highlighting what he regarded as Kiarostami's most distinctive contribution to cinematic language.
"Traditional film theory suggests that audiences connect with characters on screen," he said. "But in Kiarostami's cinema, viewers ultimately establish a dialogue with themselves."
The event concluded with a renewed emphasis on the role of artistic diplomacy in fostering dialogue across cultures. Bringing together diplomats, artists, filmmakers, scholars, media representatives, and cultural figures, "Abbas Kiarostami Night" underscored the enduring power of cinema to transcend borders and strengthen mutual understanding among nations.