MOSCOW, October 15 Famous Iranian film director, screenwriter, producer Dariyush Mehrjui and his wife were found dead in their home in northern Iran, Tasnim agency reports.
«On Saturday evening, the bodies of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife were found in the house by their daughter, who immediately contacted the police after discovering her dead parents,» the statement said.
The director lived with his family in a private house in Alborz province. According to the agency, the bodies had beatings and cuts. According to the preliminary conclusion of forensic experts, death was caused by strangulation combined with strong blows and stab wounds; doctors will determine the exact cause of death. The police have already interviewed all the witnesses to build a picture of the crime.
Law enforcement representative Montazer Almahdi assured that the criminal will soon be found and brought to justice.
Dariyush Mehrjui was born in 1939. He studied at the University of California, his teacher was the famous French film director Jean Renoir. He also received a diploma in philosophy. He published the literary magazine Pars Review in Los Angeles, in which he introduced Persian literature to Americans. Returning to Tehran, he worked as a journalist, teacher of foreign languages and cinema at the University of Tehran.
In 1971, Mehrjui was nominated for the «Golden Prize» at the Moscow International Film Festival for the film «Mr. Naivety.» In addition, he received the International Evangelical Jury Award for The Postman, the International Catholic Film Organization Award for Cow, the Don Quixote Award for Sarah and Madame at the Berlin Film Festival, and a Golden sink» in San Sebastian.