The death of the French-Iranian producer and distributor Hengameh Panahi

The President, the Director General, and the Artistic Director of the Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia remember with esteem and affection the great French-Iranian producer and distributor Hengameh Panahi, founder of Celluloid Dreams and unparalleled scout, supporter and friend of arthouse film talents such as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Takeshi Kitano and Jacques Audiard, among many others.

Hengameh Panahi distributed globally three films that won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, with the unique passion she cultivated for the films that she loved: Hana-bi by Takeshi Kitano in 1997, The Circle by Jafar Panahi in 2000, From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas 2015, and more recently the Special Jury Prize No Bears by Jafar Panahi in 2022.

“Hengameh Panahi was an almost legendary figure – stated the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera – a person endowed with remarkable human qualities and an outstanding professional. For the filmmakers that she helped launch she was far more than a simple sales agent or co-producer: she could become their friend and counsellor, a mentor who could guide them through the most difficult choices and support them in moments of uncertainty. For the festival directors and distributors, she guaranteed a quality based on her sophisticated taste and infallible eye for new auteurs. Working with her since the 1990s, when I first met her in Teheran, and until very recently, has been an immense pleasure, to enjoy her respect and friendship an absolute privilege. She leaves behind a void that will be very hard to fill”.

In her long and award-winning career Hengameh Panahi has distributed many other acclaimed films that participated in the Venice Film Festival, such as Zatôichi (2004) by Takeshi Kitano, Silver Lion Award for Best Director, The World (2004) by Jia Zhangke, Bella addormentata (2012) by Marco Bellocchio, Jusqu’à la garde (2017) by Xavier Legrand, Silver Lion Award for Best Director and Debut Film Award, Nico, 1988 (2017) by Susanna Nicchiarelli, Orizzonti Award for Best Film, The Painted Bird (2019) by Václav Marhoul, Babyteeth (2019) by Shannon Murphy, Mastroianni Award to Toby Wallace and Sun Children (2020) by Majid Majidi, Mastroianni Award to Rouhollah Zamani.