The 83-year-old Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his daughter, Vahideh Mohammadifar, were found with stab injuries in their home near Tehran on a Saturday evening, according to Iranian authorities.
Mehrjui was one of the pioneers of Iranian new wave cinema. Iran’s judiciary has announced that seven individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder.
Police spokesperson Saeed Montazer-Mehdi stated that detectives had collected convincing evidence related to the case. According to Chief Justice Hossein Fazeli, Mehrjui had invited his daughter to his home in Karaj for dinner that night, where she discovered the bodies of her parents.
Mehrjui, who studied in the US and lived in France, gained national and international recognition with his 1969 film “The Cow,” which revolves around a villager’s fixation with the titular animal. His notable works include “Hamoun,” “The Pear Tree,” and “Leila,” the latter of which explores the story of an infertile woman who encourages her husband to marry again.
The Iranian new wave movement primarily focused on realism, although Mehrjui often drew inspiration from literature. Despite receiving numerous awards, some of his films faced censorship in Iran, where they barely saw the light of day.
