Akbar Alemi (; July 4, 1945 – October 12, 2020) was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

and

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

director. He was also a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

Tarbiat Modares University Tarbiat Modares University (: ''Dāneshgāh-e Tarbiyat Modarres'', lit. "Professor Training University") is a graduate public university located in Tehran, Iran. Faculties Tarbiat Modares University (TMU) was established in 1982 and is a comp ...

Life

Akbar Alemi was born in

Ahvaz Ahvaz (; ) is a city in the Central District of Ahvaz County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is home to Persians, Arabs and other groups such as Qashqai and Kurds. Languages spok ...

in 1945. Because of his interest in cinema, he moved to

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

to study television and cinema studies at the

College of Fine Arts (University of Tehran) College of Fine Arts, previously known as the Faculty of Fine Arts, is one of the campuses of University of Tehran where various art disciplines are taught. This faculty is one of the oldest art higher education centers in Iran. People like And ...

. He received a master's degree in cinema from

. Then, he got a doctorate in cinema studies from England and returned to Iran. He was the head of the laboratory of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

and Higher Education and the head of the laboratories of the Broadcasting Organization. In the 1980s, Alemi prepared and performed his program on Thursday nights on the

IRIB TV1 IRIB TV1 () is one of the 40 national television channels in Iran. IRIB TV1 was the first national television channel in Iran, and is now the oldest Iranian television channel having been established in 1958. The channel is referred to by some ...

, which was a very attractive program on the subject of the cinema of his time. In the 1990s, Alemi was the presenter and expert of Seventh Art, an influential Iranian television program about cinema. He made nearly 30 documentaries for the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, textile and wood industries in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Arabic. Alemi was a member of

Iranian Academy of the Arts Iranian Academy of Arts (IAA) (; formally Academy of Arts of the Islamic Republic of Iran) was established in March 2000. It is one of the four academies of the Islamic Republic of Iran; the other three academies are the Iranian Academy of Medical ...

and

Academy of Persian Language and Literature The Academy of Persian Language and Literature (APLL) (, ''Farhangestân-e Zabân-o Adab-e Fârsi'') is the regulatory body for the Persian language, headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Formerly known as the Academy of Iran (, ''Farhangestân-e Iran'' ...

from 2000 to 2007. On March 5, 2017, Alemi's efforts in the fields of photography and cinema were honored at the House of Iranian Artists.

Death and legacy

Alemi contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

after visiting a hospital to make a documentary; despite following health protocols, he and three of his colleagues were infected. He was admitted to the hospital for several weeks before dying in October 2020. He was buried on October 13, 2020, in the artists' plot of

Behesht-e Zahra Behesht-e Zahra ( ; ) is the largest cemetery in Iran. Located in the southern part of metropolitan Tehran, it is connected to the city by Tehran Metro Line 1. History In the early 1950s, all the cemeteries in Tehran were supposed to be replac ...

, Tehran, next to the graves of Massoud Mehrabi and Khosrow Sinai. Cinéma Vérité, an Iranian film festival, posthumously awarded Alemi a Lifetime Achievement Award in December 2020.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alemi, Akbar Academic staff of Tarbiat Modares University Members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature People from Ahvaz 1945 births 2020 deaths Iranian photographers Iranian cinematographers Iranian film directors Iranian documentary filmmakers Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran