In 1959, Karimi married an actress from the Saadi Theater and moved to Italy with her to further his education. With the help of the Iranian ambassador, he secured a position as Vittorio De Sica’s third assistant. His time in Italy exposed him to European cinema techniques and deepened his understanding of film direction. Later, he moved to Prague to study puppetry and obtained a master’s degree after completing a five-year course in film and television directing. He also took a one-year technical course specializing in puppet films.
Contribution to Puppetry and Animation
In May 1964, Karimi returned to Iran, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise in theater and puppetry. He collaborated with Hossein Sarshar and Fahimeh Rastkar to establish the puppetry department at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the University of Tehran. Recognizing his talent, the Ministry of Culture and Arts invited him to lead the animation painting workshop. Under his guidance, numerous animated and puppet films were produced, many of which are preserved in the archives of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.