TEHRAN- The organizers of the first edition of Energy Film and Photo Festival plan to pay homage to the late legendary Iranian actor Davoud Rashidi with a ceremony in Tehran. 

The memorial ceremony for Rashidi, a prominent and influential figure in Iranian art, will take place on July 7 at the festival venue, honoring his lifetime of artistic contributions, ISNA reported on Monday. 

The Energy Film and Photo Festival aims to promote energy conservation and raise awareness about the importance of smart energy consumption and its positive impact on society and the environment. The three-day event will take place from August 17 to 19 in Tehran.

The festival, supported by the With Energy campaign and its slogan "With You, Iran Shines", provides a unique opportunity for young artists to showcase their work in two categories - short films and photography - and participate in promoting energy conservation culture.

A jury consisting of 10 prominent artists in the fields of photography and cinema will evaluate the submitted works and award prizes to the top 10 selected entries.

The submission deadline for the festival will continue until July 31. The event aims to create a platform for healthy competition and discovery of young talents in filmmaking and photography.

Veteran actor Davud Rashidi, renowned for his memorable performances in films such as Kiumars Purahamd's "Bibi Chelcheleh" and Ali Hatami's "Kamalolmolk", as well as his roles in acclaimed TV series like "Hezardastan" and "Mokhtarnameh", passed away in 2016 at the age of 83.

Rashidi was one of the five legends of Iranian cinema in acting, alongside Ezzatollah Entezami, Mohammad-Ali Keshvarz, Jamshid Mashayekhi, and Ali Nasirian, who were all pillars of the industry.

Due to his father’s diplomatic mission, Rashidi finished high school in Paris. He studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, a music school in Geneva, Switzerland. He also studied music, theater and political science at the University of Geneva.

In 1964, he returned home and was employed at the Theater Office of the Ministry of Culture. Shortly thereafter, he gathered actors Parviz Fannizadeh, Dariush Farhand, Mehdi Hashemi, Fahimeh Rastkar, Siavash Tahmures, Marzieh Borumand and Susan Taslaimi to establish the Emruz Theater Troupe, which performed many plays that were acclaimed by critics.

Rashidi left the Theater Office in 1973 to work as the director of the Theater and Entertainment Department of Iran National Television. 

He costarred with Behruz Vosuqi in his acting debut movie “Escape the Trap” by Jalal Moqaddam in 1971.

“Many people warned me about Behruz, saying that he will degrade my role in that film… but we became friends. What they told me about him was not true,” he said one in an interview.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, he chose to remain in Iran despite the fact that many of his colleagues left the country.

Playing the role of Javad Aqa in Purahamd’s drama “Bibi Chelcheleh” developed his reputation.

However, he was previously hired by Ali Hatami to play the role of an inspector, one of the leading roles in the acclaimed TV series “Hezardastan”, which was produced between 1981 and 1986.

“I really liked ‘Hezardastan’ and also my part as Reza Shah in ‘Kamalolmolk’,” he once said.

For the last time, he made a cameo appearance in “Ekbatan” directed by Mehrshad Karkhani in 2011.  

SAB/