June 04, 2018
Vida Qahremani, the celebrated actress from the golden age of Iranian movies, died on June 2 in San Francisco, California, aged 82.
Qahremani and her fellow actor, the late Naser Malek Motiei (1930-2018), delivered Iran’s first-ever on-screen kiss in Samuel Khachikian’s 1955 thriller “The Crossroad of Events.”
The controversial scene was a watershed moment in the history of Iranian cinema, and it shocked and angered audiences at the time.
“Right after the film was released, I was expelled from school,” Qahremani recalled in an interview. “My father, on the other hand, thought that I had dispelled a taboo and broken through a barrier.”
Qahremani was also the owner of the trendy “Koochini” restaurant-cafe in Tehran which was a favorite hangout of artists in the 1960s and 70s. She allowed young painters, sculptures, and musicians to showcase their talents at her cafe. Farhad, one of the most popular singers of the 60s and 70s, got his big break singing at Koochini. And Iranian pop sensation band “Black Cats” regularly performed there.
Qahremani and Malek Motiei died within ten days of each other. Their deaths marked the end of a remarkable era in Iranian movies.
Qahremani and many other prominent actors and performers were forced to live in exile after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The regime banned Malek Motiei and many others who remained in Iran from working in films or having any public performances. Yet their works will endure, and people will forever cherish their immense contribution to Iranian culture.
Qahremani’s early works include:
“Storm in Our Town” (۱۹۵۸)
“The Desert Wolf” (۱۹۶۱)
“The Midnight Terror” (!۹۶۱)
“Fire and Ashes” (۱۹۶۱)
“The Mailman” (۱۹۶۲)
“The Hundred Kilo Bridegroom” (۱۹۶۲)
“Hunters of the Salt Desert” (۱۹۶۵)
“Love and Revenge” (۱۹۶۵)
Qahremani left the industry for a few decades, but returned to film in the 1980s. She appeared in many movies, mostly made in the U.S., including:
“Guests of Hotel Astoria” (۱۹۸۹)
“Hysteria” (۲۰۰۲)
“A Thousand Years Ago” (۲۰۰۷)
“The Stoning of Soraya M” (۲۰۰۸)
“Desert Lullabies” (۲۰۱۴)
“Ablution” (۲۰۱۵)
“Shah Bob” (۲۰۱۵)
