TEHRAN – Khosro Sinai, director of acclaimed Iranian drama “Bride of Fire” and several documentary films, succumbed in his battle with COVID-19 and died at Tehran’s Amir Alam Hospital on Saturday. He was 79. 

Sinai’s death was announced by his close friend Habib Ahmadzadeh, the author of the acclaimed novel “Chess with the Doomsday Machine”, who had reported his hospital admission last Wednesday.

Sinai had an operation in the hospital last month and afterwards was released. 

“The Melody Which an Antique Hears”, “Beyond the Clamor”, “The Coldness of Iron”, “Haj Mosavvar al-Maleki” and “Hossein Yavari” are among his credits.

He was also the director of the documentary “Talking with a Shadow” about Iran’s foremost short story writer, Sadeq Hedayat, who was influenced by world literature, especially European literature, and had read the works of Kafka, Poe and Dostoyevsky.

In 2008, Poland decorated Sinai with the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit for his documentary “The Lost Requiem” (1970-1983) about the story of the wartime exodus to Iran of thousands of Polish citizens after being released from the Soviet labor camps of Siberia during World War II.

“Bride of Fire”, his feature drama starring Hamid Farrokhnejad, won the Crystal Simorgh for best screenplay at the 18th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran.

Sinai is survived by his widows Farah Osuli and Gizella Varga Sinai, two top painters, and his son Sam and daughters Alma, Yasmin and Samira.

Photo: Director Khosro Sinai in an undated photo.

MMS/YAW