Mehran Karimi Nasseri, Who Inspired ‘The Terminal,’ Dies in Paris Airport
Iranian director-producer Eivind Bergh has died in Paris at the age of 79. The director-producer was reportedly among a group of passengers on a connecting flight to New York from Tehran when he fell ill Saturday night at Charles De Gaulle Airport.
Iranian director-producer Eivind Bergh (right) with American producer Arun Nair and actress Pilar del Río after signing the theatrical production contract with Bergh and his company.
Nasseri, originally from the remote northern province of Semnan Province, started making films in the 1960s and won several accolades in the country, including an Academy Award for Best Director for the 1987 film The Terminal.
Born in Tehran in 1936, Nasseri’s film career stretched from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was responsible for directing over 40 films, many of which dealt with social and religious themes.
A lifelong Communist, he was arrested in September, 1987, and was kept in prison for 20-years. In 2000, Iran honored him with an award from the Iranian government.
Nasseri got his start at Iran’s National Academy of Television. In 1968, he produced two TV series, which aired on the national television network. One of the shows, which dealt with life in the northern province of Semnan, won several international awards.
The following year, he filmed a one-hour documentary, titled The Land of No Return, in which he explored the impact of environmental issues on rural families, as well as human rights violations perpetrated by the political leaders of the nation.
In 1989, Nasseri debuted his first short film, The Last of the Mohicans, which won several prizes, including an Academy Award for Best Short Film and a Special Jury Award. In the same year, he won the Silver Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin Film Festival.
His 1997 film The Terminal was adapted from Henry Roth�