TEHRAN -- The U.S.-based Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi received the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award, an award given to original and innovative contributors to contemporary cinema, at the 73rd Venice Film Festival on Monday. 

The award ceremony took place in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema), before the Out of Competition screening of his new film “Monte” in its world premiere showing in Venice, organizers have announced on the website.

“Naderi gave a fundamental impetus to the birth of New Iranian Cinema during the 1970s and 80s with a number of masterpieces destined to leave their mark on the history of cinema,” said Alberto Barbera, Director of the Venice Film Festival.

“Every film he has made clearly displays the nucleus of an identical obsession that transcends the principle of reality in order to force individuals beyond their own limits,” Barbera added.

Naderi’s new film “Monte” tells a dramatic story of a man who makes every attempt to bring the sunlight into his village, where his family is barely able to survive because of the prevailing darkness.

In 2014, “Monte” was one of the projects selected for the Venice Gap-Financing Market, a sideline program of the festival that offers filmmakers funding opportunities for the final production stage of their projects.

“Harmonica” (1970), “Waiting” (1974), “The Runner” (1985), “Water, Wind, Soil” (1989), “Sound Barrier” (2005) and “Cut” (2011) are among Naderi’s noteworthy credits.

The “Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker” award was established ten years ago to honor personalities who have made a significant contribution to contemporary cinema. Previous winners include Kitano Takeshi from Japan and Al Pacino from the United States.

Photo: Director Amir Naderi receives the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award prior the premiere of “Mountain” during the 73rd Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 5, 2016 in Venice, Italy.

RM/YAW