Airstrike in Tehran Damages Abbas Kiarostami’s Family Home

The residence of celebrated Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, a Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival, has been damaged following an airstrike in Tehran’s Chizar district.

His son, Ahmad Kiarostami, confirmed the incident, stating: “Last night, the Chizar neighborhood was bombed, where both my mother's and my father's houses are located. Last night, my mother called and, in a shaky and broken voice, gave me news of her well-being, but this morning I learned that my father's house was damaged.”

Reflecting on the home’s personal significance, Kiarostami’s eldest son added: “I was 6 or 7 years old when we moved to this house, just a few months before the revolution in 1979, a house that my father always said was the most peaceful place in the world.”

Kiarostami, who passed away in 2016, remains one of Iran’s most distinguished filmmakers, earning global recognition and numerous awards. He won the Palme d’Or in 1997 for Taste of Cherry. His work also competed at Cannes with Through the Olive Trees, Certified Copy, and Like Someone in Love. In addition, he received the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Wind Will Carry Us (1999). His international projects included Certified Copy, featuring Juliette Binoche.

The strike is part of a broader escalation, as sites of cultural and historical significance across Iran have been affected since the United States and Israel began coordinated air operations in late February. According to PBS, the attacks have already caused damage to palaces and an ancient mosque, “raising alarms about the impact of the widening war on protected landmarks that are important to Iranian identity and world history.”