Hundreds of Iranians attended a candlelit ceremony to mourn the death of film director Abbas Kiarostami, who died at the age of 76 after a career spanning more than four decades.
President Hassan Rohani said on Twitter on July 5 that the director's "deep attitude toward life and invitation to peace and friendship" will be a "lasting achievement."
Iranian artists and other celebrities expressed condolences, including fellow director Asghar Farhadi , who won Iran's first Oscar for "A Separation" in 2012.
Kiarostami "wasn't just a film-maker. He was a modern mystic, both in his cinema and his private life," Farhadi said.
Legendary Hollywood director Martin Scorsese praised his "extraordinary body of work".
"He was...truly one of our great artists," Scorsese told The Hollywood Reporter.
On July 5, hundreds of Iranians, including many artists, gathered in Tehran Cinema Museum to light candles beneath large portraits of him.
Kiarostami wrote and directed dozens of films. His 1997 film "Taste of Cherry" won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He died in Paris, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer.
Kiarostami's body will be flown back to Iran next week for the funeral.