Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an Iranian director, writer, producer. He is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema in the world today.
During his career Makhmalbaf has made numerous critically-acclaimed films including: Salam Cinema (Cannes 1995),Time of love (Cannes 1995) Gabbeh (Cannes 1996), A Moment of Innocence (Locarno1996), The Silence (Venice 1998), Tales of Kish (Cannes 1999), Testing democracy (Venice 1999), Kandahar (Cannes 2001), Scream of the Ants (Montreal 2007) ,The President (Venice 2014) and The Night of Zayandeh-Rood (Venice 2017) ….
He is the recipient of more than 60 international award from some of the the most prestigious film festivals across the world.
His film Kandahar has been chosen as one of the top 100 best movies of history of cinema by Times Magazine. And his film A Moment of Innocence has been selected as one of the top ten best films of the 90’s amongst the director of world international film festivals.
As a writer- director Makhmalbaf has also published more than 30 books, many of which have been translated and published in many languages.
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Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema in the world today.
During his career Makhmalbaf has made numerous critically-acclaimed films including Salam Cinema, A Moment Of Innocence, Gabbeh, Kandahar and The President.
Over the years his films have been presented at some of the the most prestigious film festivals across the world and have brought him more than 50 international awards from festivals like Cannes, Venice, Locarno…
His film Kandahar has been chosen as one of the top 100 best movies of history of cinema by Times Magazine.
As a writer/director Makhmalbaf has also published more than 30 books, some of which have been translated and published in various languages.
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Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Iran
Mohsen Makhmalbaf is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema in the world today.
Many of his films like Salam Cinema, A Moment Of Innocence, Gabbeh, Kandahar and The President have been widely well received across the globe and have brought him over 60 international awards from the prestigious film festivals like Cannes, Venice, Locarno…
His film Kandahar has been chosen as one of the top 100 best movies of history of cinema by Times Magazine.
His fame as the most prominent filmmaker of Iran made him the subject of an identity theft by someone who wished to become a filmmaker. This incident turned to a famous film called Close up by Abbas Kiarostami.
Makhmalbaf has also taught his three children about the art of cinema. His older daughter Samira holds the record for the youngest filmmaker who have been selected for the official section of Cannes at the age of 17 with her first debut titled The Apple. Samira has also won the Grand Jury Prize of Cannes twice with her second and and third film titled The Blackboards and At Five In The Afternoon. Hana, Makhmalbaf’s younger daughter, won the Crystal Bear of Berlin and the Grand Jury Prize of San Sebastian Film Festival with her first feature film.
At the age of 17 as a political activist Mohsen was shot by the police and spent 5 years in prison as a political prisoner. His fight and human right activities against dictatorship in Iran has continued till today.
With his film Afghan Alphabet he managed to change a law in Iran which resulted in opening the door of schools and universities for education of over half million Afghan children refugee in his country.
Makhmalbaf, the prestigious Manhae Peace Award winner, had also established his own NGO in Iran in which he executed 82 different human right projects for helping women and children of Afghanistan.
Since 2009, all 40 films of Makhmalbaf family alongside Mohsen’s 30 published book are banned in his homeland. The Iranian government has also levied a ban on Makhmalbaf’s name in the media. In 2013, the Iranian government also removed over 130 international awards of Makhmalbaf family from the museum of cinema in Iran.
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Mohsen Makhmalbaf,
Born on 1957 in Tehran
Fighting for democracy he faced imprisonment at the age of 17 and spent nearly 5 years in prison. After his release he continued his struggle in search of democracy and equality through his activities in literature and in his films. He is the writer of 30 literary and story books and directed 30 feature, short and documentaries in 10 different countries. He has received over 60 reputable international awards from prestigious film festival across the world including Cannes, Venice, Locarno... He has been granted two honorary doctorate in cinema and literature for his eminent works.
Over the years his film has appeared several time on the list of top one hundred films in history of cinema by critics and experts in the industry across the world.
Besides films and literature, he has always been active as a human right activist in Iran and Afghanistan.
More information on www.makhmalbaf.com
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Long Version of Biography:
Biography:
Mohsen Makhmalbaf: (1957.Iran)
Filmmaker, writer, producer, human right activist...
In his teen years, he fought against the dictatorship in Iran and was injured by bullet shots by the police and spent some five years in prison as a political prisoner. He lost the use of his legs as a result of torture and underwent numerous operations before he could manage to walk again.
He started story writing whilst in prison and turned to filmmaking following his release. He, however, still continues his fight for human rights. In 2007 the Iranian secret police planted a bomb which exploded at the scene where he was filming in a bid to kill him, but he managed to survive. Those claiming responsibility for the explosion sent him a message: ‘This bomb was in retaliation for taboo-breaking in the two films titled “Sex and philosophy” (Tajikstan2005) and “Scream of the ants” (India2006)’.
Makhmalbaf has written 27 literary and story books and directed 20 feature films, 4 documentaries and 5 short films in ten countries: Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, Tajikistan, India, south Korea, Israel, Georgia and England. The subject of Makhmalbaf’s works is man and his dreams and agonies.
Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Manhae Peace Award winner in 2014, is also the recipient of the Honorary Doctorate in Literature by St Andrews University in Scotland 2010, Honorary Degree of Doctorate of Cinema from Nanterre University in France 2010 as well as more than 60 international awards including Marshall of Art and Literature from France in 1998, Sergei Parajanov Awards from Armenia in 2006, Francois Truffaut prize from Italy in 2002, Federico Fillini Honour from UNESCO in 2001, Freedom to Create Prize for artistic creation from England in 2009, Alhambra Award from Spain in 2007, Grand Human Right award from Nuremberg in Germany in 2009 and Rome Courage & Bravery Award in 2006. Pusan Film Festival, the most important Asian film festival, acclaimed him as the best Asian film director in 2003 and he was elected as the Dean of Asian Film Academy in 2007.
Kandahar (Afghanistan), the winner of the Grand Prize from Society of Churches of the World in Cannes film festival 2001, was chosen as one of the best 100 films in the history of world cinema in 2001 by Times magazine and broke the record for the best selling Asian film in the history of cinema in Italy and was simultaneously screened in 107 Italian cinemas in 2001.
The Cyclist (Pakistan – Iran) won the best film award in Rimini – Italy in 1989 and the best Hawaii – America film in 1991, which is amongst the most adored films of Makhmalbaf in the world cinema.
Salam Cinema (Iran) as a critic of authority was praised in Cannes Film Festival 1995, winner of the best film in Munich International Film Festival, Germany 1996 is now taught globally at schools of cinematic arts as a novel technique in documentary & social cinema filmmaking.
Gabbeh (Iran), poetical film in official section of Cannes film festival 1996, was elected by Times magazine as one of the best ten movies of the 90’s. It was also chosen as the best Asian film in Singapore Film Festival in 1997 and the best Tokyo Artistic Film (Japan 1996), and the winner of the International Critics Award and the best director at Sitguess Festival in Spain, 1996.
Silence (Tajikistan), poetical film screened in Venice 1997, the winner of Human, Art and Nature Award and also the winner of Golden Prize of Italian Parliament at Venice Film Festival.
A Moment Of Innocence (Iran), praise for non-violence, is one of the ten best films of the 90’s as chosen by the heads of the world Film Festivals in 2000 and the winner of Special Jury Award and the Locarno Festival Youth Golden Award in 1997.
Time of Love (Turkey), Screened in uncertain regards section of Cannes film festival 1995, is the story of a married woman’s love, a film that caused months of conflict between right wing papers and Makhmalbaf in Iran. This film has been banned in Iran since then. The Iranian enthusiast audiences who only had one chance for watching the film at the festival had to queue for two days and nights. With the banning of the film, the book titled ‘Time of Love’ was reprinted thirteen times and more than 100,000 copies were sold. This was in a country where a book is published in no more than 3000 copies.
The Afghan Alphabet (Iran – Afghanistan), documentary, was the winner of the best film at Document Art Film Festival in Germany as well as the winner of the Thessaloniki Honorary Humanitarian Award in Greece. This film succeeded to change the law in favour of Afghan children refugees in Iran who were banned from attending schools and finally following the release of this film during the presidency of Khatami, the democratic president of Iran, school doors were opened to half a million Afghan children after eight years and some 1200 young Afghan refugees were accepted in Iranian universities. Makhmalbaf explains: “The movie, Afghan Alphabet, proved that the cinema can lead to great social upheavals and had I been born to make just this one film, it would have been worth it.”
Makhmalbaf in addition to filmmaking lived in Afghanistan for a period of two years and succeeded in carrying out 82 human rights projects. This included the building of schools in the towns of Herat and Zaranj and the teaching of cinema, as well as helping to set up the Afghan cinema, which had been totally destroyed during the Taliban regime.
Makhmalbaf’s books are written in Persian, and some of them have been published in various languages, such as ‘The Crystal Garden’, which is a critic of the post revolutionary state of Iranian women, in English, French, Italian, Greek and Persian...and ‘Buddha was not demolished in Afghanistan, it collapsed out of shame’ about the tragic events in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime in Japanese, French, Portuguese, Korean, Hindi, Italian, Greek, English and Persian…
Makhmalbaf taught cinema to his family. Boston University awarded him with the prize of the Museum of Fine Arts for his novel technique. He was also awarded the Prize of The Golden Cycle at Vesoul Film Festival in France. The top festivals in the world such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin endorsed what he had taught.
Samira Makhmalbaf at the age 17 broke the record in the history of cinema as the youngest director in the world participating in the official section of Cannes Film Festival with her film titled ‘The Apple’ (Iran, 1998). She received the Special Jury Award of the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival twice successively at the ages of 20 and 22 for her films titled ‘The Black Board’ (Iran, 2000) and ‘At Five in the afternoon’ (Afghanistan, 2002). In 2003 Samira was selected as one of the forty best directors of the world by Guardian newspaper.
Hana Makhmalbaf dazzled at the age of 13 with her documentary titled ‘Joy of Madness’ in Venice Film Festival in 2003. At the age of 18 she was awarded the “Crystal Bear” from Berlin and San Sebastian’s “Grand Jury Award” for her film titled ‘Buddha Collapsed out of Shame’ in 2007.
Marziyeh, Makhmalbaf’s wife, stood out at Venice Film Festival with her two feature films tilted ‘The day I became a woman’ in 2000 and ‘Stray Dogs’ in 2003.
Films by the Makhmalbaf family have been screened in all over the globe and have taken some 130 international awards. Since 2009, all films and books of Makhmalbaf family are banned in Iran.
In 2005 when Ahmadinejad came into power, Mohsen Makhmalbaf left Iran as a protest against the Iranian dictatorship and at present lives in exile with his family. He has been living in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, India and France in recent years.
More information on www.makhmalbaf.com
