TEHRAN – Iranian director Narges Abyar has been named an honorary professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China.

Director of the acclaimed Iranian dramas “Track 143” and “When the Moon Was Full” attended a meeting with a number of theater and film students at the university, answering their questions on various fields of cinema and theater, some Persian news websites announced on Tuesday.

She also held a master class on breaking new ground in filmmaking at the university and visited different departments of the university.  

Earlier in July, Abyar was invited by the Chinese ambassador to Tehran, Chang Hua, to China to collaborate on a joint film project about the Silk Road.

The title of honorary professor of the Xi’an Jiaotong University was also conferred upon Iranian cultural activist Hossein Khalifi at the same time. 

Recent recipients of the title included Professor Farhad Rachidi, Nobel Prize laureates Martin J. Evans, David J. Gross and Robert C. Richardson.

Abyar’s achievements have also been acknowledged by several other organizations across the world.

The Governor’s House in the Pakistani city of Karachi honored Abyar with the HUM Women Leaders Award in 2020.

The HUM Women Leaders Award is presented to female achievers from Pakistan and abroad by the HUM Network Limited, a global entertainment and news network, and one of the largest broadcasting brands with a strong following among the South Asia diaspora around the world.

She has been a jury member for several international film festivals, including the 6th Herat International Women’s Film Festival organized in the Afghan city last November.

Her 2019 drama “When the Moon Was Full” was screened at many international festivals and won awards, including the grand prize of the 2nd Carcassonne International Political Film Festival in France and the audience award at the 23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.

Photo: Director Narges Abyar (L) and cultural activist Hossein Khalifi (R) pose with an unidentified person after being decorated with the title of honorary professor of the Xi’an Jiaotong University. 

MMS/YAW