Financial Tribune- A tree was named after the late world-renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic.

He was honored on the occasion of his first death anniversary, on July 4; also the documentary ‘76 Minutes and 15 Seconds’ made by Kiarostami’s close friend and collaborator Seifollah Samadian and Kiarostami’s last short film ‘Take Me Home’ were screened during the event, ISNA reported.

The tree is located in the middle of a park, near the festival palace. According to Kiarostami’s friends and family, he loved the tree which is very tall, green and whenever he attended the festival, he took time resting in its shade.

“Coming to the festival, Kiarostami often sat under the tree and enjoyed its beauty. Actually, he loved nature,” film distributor Mohammad Atebaei said.

Iranian feature film ‘Lerd’ by Mohammad Rasoulof is also present at this year’s KVIFF, June 30-July 8.

The event is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic and the most prestigious in Central and Eastern Europe.

It is one of the oldest A-list film festivals, a category it shares with the festivals of Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian, Moscow, Montreal, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

Intended for both film professionals and the general public, the festival annually presents some 200 films from around the world, and regularly hosts famous and important filmmakers.