Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami dies of cancer at age 76

Acclaimed Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami has died at the age of 76, according to Iran’s official news agency.

He died in Paris, where he had gone for cancer treatment last week after undergoing surgery in Iran earlier this year, the IRNA agency said.

Kiarostami wrote and directed dozens of films over a career spanning more than 40 years, including 1997’s Taste Of Cherry, the story of an Iranian man looking for someone to bury him after he takes his own life, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

He also wrote and directed Certified Copy, a 2010 film starring Juliette Binoche.

He is survived by two sons, Ahmad and Bahman Kiarostami, who work in multimedia and documentary film.

Press Association