Kiarostami, giant of Iran cinema, dies in France at 76

Tehran : 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 travelling 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.