Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Mohsen Makhmalbaf is an international director, writer, and film producer. He is known as one of the most influential filmmakers and founders of the new wave of Iranian cinema. Having made films in more than 10 countries, Makhmalbaf continues to address important social issues of the 21st century.

During his career, Makhmalbaf has made more than 30 films, including the critically acclaimed The Nights of Zayandeh-Rood (1990), Hello Cinema (1995), Nobat e Asheghi (1995), Gabbeh (1996), A Moment of Innocence (1996), The Silence (1998), Kandahar (2001), Scream of the Ants (2006), and The President (2014), which have shown at such occasions as the Festival de Cannes, the Locarno Film Festival, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Venice International Film Festival. Kandahar, shot before 9/11, won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at Cannes and was chosen for Time magazine’s All-TIME 100 Movies. The present project is Makhmalbaf’s new narrative about Afghanistan, set during the 20 years that began with the arrival of the United States forces and ended with the withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan.

Makhmalbaf is the recipient of more than 70 awards from prestigious film festivals across the world. As a writer, Makhmalbaf has published more than 30 books, some of which have been translated and published in a number of languages worldwide. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate of literature from the University of St Andrews, in Scotland, and a doctorates of cinema from Université Paris Nanterre, in France.