Hafez Awards
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| Hafez Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Excellence in cinematic achievements |
| Country | Iran |
| Presented by | Picture world |
| First award | 1997 |
| Final award | 21 November 2024 |
| Most awards | "Asghar Farhadi" & "Mehran Modiri" |
| Website | Hafez Awards Official website |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Produced by | "Omid Moallem" |
Hafez Awards (Persian: جایزه حافظ) is an annual awards ceremony that honors achievements in Iranian cinema. The awards, first presented in 1997, are presented by Picture World Magazine (Aka. Donyaye Tassvir in Persian) which is why they are also known as Donyaye Tassvir Awards. It is the only non-governmental ceremony among the cinematic festivals and awards held in Iran.[1] Mehran Modiri and Asghar Farhadi with 9 Hafez statues each have jointly been the most frequent recipients of this award.[2][3]
The 20th Hafez Awards were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
Ali Moallem, Picture World founder and previous editor, established the awards in mid-'90s when Iranian cinema was under heavy governmental dominance. Watching Iranian cinema developing presence and success in international film festivals, he thought over creating an independent film award in order to honor filmmakers without political considerations and also to make a connection between film stars and the people.[5] First ceremony was held in 1997 under the title "Hafez" after Iranian great poet Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzi.[6] The award is a typographical statue resembling Persian written form of the word "Hafez". as of 2016, sixteen Hafez Awards ceremonies has been held through the years.[7]