Kiarostami, Giant of Iran Cinema, Dies in France at 76

Tributes poured in on Tuesday for Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami, acclaimed as a "towering figure" in world cinema, following his death in France at the age of 76.

Kiarostami, who won the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 for "Taste of Cherry", emerged from the Iranian New Wave of the late 1960s to become one of the world's most revered directors.

Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese praised his "extraordinary body of work."

"He was a true gentleman, and, truly, one of our great artists," Scorsese told The Hollywood Reporter.

Kiarostami's poetic parables of ordinary lives won him international acclaim, with French director Jean-Luc Godard once declaring that "film begins with D.W. Griffith and ends with Abbas Kiarostami."

News of his death broke late on Monday, with Iranian media reporting that he died from a blood clot in the brain following months of treatment for intestinal problems.

The ISNA news agency said he had returned to Iran from his home in Paris to undergo several operations between February and April, before traveling back to France last week for further treatment.

"Kiarostami's different and deep outlook on life, and his invitation to peace and friendship, will be an everlasting achievement," tweeted President Hassan Rouhani.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif added: "Iran has lost a towering figure in international cinema."

Just last week, Kiarostami had been invited to join the Academy in Hollywood as part of its efforts to increase the diversity of its Oscar judges.

"He wasn't just a film-maker. He was a modern mystic, both in his cinema and his private life," Asghar Farhadi, another of Iran's renowned directors, told Britain's The Guardian.

Iranian cinemas were due to pause showings on Tuesday evening for a prayer in Kiarostami's memory, ISNA reported.

- Cultural ambassador -

Deciding to stay on after the Islamic revolution of 1979, Kiarostami was able to skirt the difficulties faced by other directors since his films were never overtly political, preferring to tell philosophical tales about the lives of ordinary people.

Although some of his films were banned in Iran, he became an ambassador for the country's continued cultural riches.

"On the one hand, there is the state cinema, financed by the authorities... then there is an independent sector that is flourishing," he told reporters at Cannes in May.

In a statement on Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande praised the director for forging "close artistic ties and deep friendships" with France.

Born in the Iranian capital on June 22, 1940, Kiarostami studied painting at the University of Tehran before finding work as a graphic designer and director of commercials.

He joined the Center for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in 1969 as head of the film department, freeing him to make his own films.

Two years later, he released his first work, a short film called "Bread and Alley", followed by the feature-length "The Traveler" in 1973, which confirmed his position as a pioneer of the "realism" school.

Kiarostami was launched on to the international stage by his "Koker" trilogy, named after the town in which they were set and starting with 1987's "Where is the Friend's Home?".

His films were known for their modest style, dark realism and sly humor. They were almost always shot in real locations, often featuring non-actors.

"Some refer to his pictures as 'minimal' or 'minimalist', but it’s actually the opposite," Scorsese told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Every scene in 'Taste of Cherry' or 'Where Is the Friend’s House?' is overflowing with beauty and surprise, patiently and exquisitely captured."

Kiarostami's Palme d'Or victory in 1997 led to some difficulties in his home country after French actress Catherine Deneuve gave him a kiss while presenting the award -- enough to garner the fury of conservatives in Iran.

He went on to win the Special Jury Prize at the Venice film festival two years later for "The Wind Will Carry Us".

He traveled the world in his later years, making films such as "Certified Copy" in Italy and "Like Someone in Love" in Japan.

Although this afforded him greater freedom from Iran's censors, the globe-trotting was also an attempt, he said, to tell stories about "universal characters, that can be accessible to everyone."