Hengameh Panahi, the renowned Franco-Iranian producer who founded the international sales structure Celluloid Dreams and forged lasting ties with auteurs from around the world such as Jafar Panahi, Jacques Audiard, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, and Jia Zhang-Ke, est décédée à l'âge de 67 ans. has passed away at the age of 67. Daniela Elstner, Executive Director of Unifrance, pays tribute to her.
"Hengameh Panahi was an outstanding figure in the export and production of world and French cinema. She trained and inspired a whole generation of exporters, with her exacting standards, her precision, her unfailing taste, and her unconditional passion for works and artists. Hengameh was always trying to push the boundaries, so every film naturally had to travel far and wide into the international sphere. She cared about detail – without losing her vision. She knew how to look and strived to think of the world of tomorrow, with her ambitious, often precursory ideas.
You've introduced us to so many artists and supported them. You gave new directions to the export business. For all this and more, thank you."
