Khosrow Sinai ( fa, خسرو سینایی , 19 January 1941 – 1 August, 2020) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, composer, poet and scholar.
Sinai's work was influenced by documentaries and focused on social and artistic subjects. "Bride of Fire" is among his best known movies, and has won multiple awards in both domestic and international film festivals. He was the first Iranian film director to win an international prize after the
1979 revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
and has been awarded the
Knight's Cross
Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...
of the
Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident ab ...
.
Biography
Khosrow Sinai was born on 19 January 1941 in
Sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
,
Mazandaran Province in north of Iran. He graduated in 1958 from
Alborz High School
Mandegar Alborz High School ( fa, دبیرستان ماندگار البرز) is a college-preparatory high school located in the heart of Tehran, Iran. It is one of the first modern high schools in Asia and the Middle East, named after the Alborz ...
in Tehran, and then went to Austria for further education. He spent four years studying Architecture at the
Vienna University of Technology
TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...
and three years study in music composition at the
Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He graduated in music education from the Vienna Music Conservatory. Finally he graduated as cinema and television director (main study) and screenplay writing (subsidiary study) from Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (with honors).
After these years of study he returned to Iran in 1967 and worked in the Ministry of Culture and Arts (till 1972), and as instructor in various universities in the fields of screenplay writing and documentary film until 1992.
He also worked in National Iranian Television (now called ''Seda o Sima'') as producer, screenplay writer, director, and editor making about 100 short films, documentaries, and features. He is best known for his Avant-garde documentaries and also his unique style in docu-drama. He has been a juror in several national and foreign film festivals.
Though Sinai is mostly known for his films, he was also a skilful composer and accordion virtuoso, and had composed soundtracks for some of his own films.
Filmography
"Arus-e Atash", (The Bride of Fire) was one of his most successful films in box office and won the people's choice award, and best screenplay at the 18th
Fajr Film Festival
Iran's annual Fajr International Film Festival ( fa, جشنواره بینالمللی فیلم فجر), or Fajr Film Festival (little: FIFF; fa, جشنواره فیلم فجر), has been held every February and April in Tehran since 1982. T ...
. In addition, Sinai won a
Crystal Globe at the
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...
.
Published books and screenplays
*''The Man in White''
*''The Artists of a Bloodshedding Era''
*''The Bride of Fire'' (Film Script)
*''The Post-communist Cinema'' (translated from English).
*''The Lost Requiem''
*''Muds Blisters,'' poetry collection (1963)
*Translation from German: ''My Journey and Adventures in Iran'', a book by
Ármin Vámbéry
Ármin Vámbéry (born Hermann Wamberger; 19 March 183215 September 1913), also known as Arminius Vámbéry, was a Hungarian Turkologist and traveller.
Early life
Vámbéry was born in Szent-György, Kingdom of Hungary (now Svätý Jur, Slov ...
(1863).
He has also written and translated numerous essays about cinema and other fine arts.
Personal life
Sinai married the Hungarian painter, Gizella Varga Sinai, and Iranian painter
Farah Ossouli
Farah Ossouli ( fa, فرح اصولی, born 10 August 1953 in Zanjan, Iran) is an Iranian painter, based in Tehran. She is known for her modern interpretation of Persian miniature. Often her work draws on issues related to women's life, Persian ...
.
His three daughters are artists, and his one son is a scientist.
On 1 August 2020, Sinai died at the age of 79 from
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Iran
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
.
خسرو سینایی درگذشت
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See also
* Cinema of Iran
The Cinema of Iran (Persian: سینمای ایران), also known as the Cinema of Persia, refers to the cinema and film industries in Iran which produce a variety of commercial films annually. Iranian art films have garnered international fame a ...
References
External links
*
*Michaël Abescassis, ''Impressions of an Auteur, Tehran Today: Talking with Iranian Director Khosrow Sinai'', Bright Lights Film Journal, May 2009
* Ryszard Antolak, ''The Lost Requiem of Khosrow Sinai'', Persian Journal, 25 November 2007
''The Lost Requiem: Khosrow Sinai's priceless Iranian and Polish historical document'', The Iranian, 26 November 2007
* Khosrow Sinai, ''The passing of the Polish through Iran'' (''Gozar-e Lahestāni-hā az Iran''), in Persian, Jadid Online, 28 May 2009
(Persian)
(English)
An audio slideshow by Shokā Sahrā'i (with English subtitles)
(7 min 46 sec).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinai, Khosrow
1941 births
2020 deaths
Iranian film directors
Alborz High School alumni
TU Wien alumni
People from Mazandaran Province
People from Sari, Iran
Crystal Simorgh for Best Director winners
Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay winners
Iranian expatriates in Austria
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran