His debut feature film debut "Bodkin Ras" had it's world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2016 and Hossein Amini was born in Iran, and when he was 11 years old, he and his family moved to England. Many Iranian-Americans have founded, invested in, or reached the top ranks of some of the most prominent Silicon Valley companies. In 2017 she moved to Boston to finish her Holistic Psychology Degree. WebNIAC is steered by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of leaders from across our community. She is a writer and director, known for Last Night (2010), The Jacket (2005) and The Adults. She was on stage at the age of 14 in Cologne Germany and appeared in lead positions in more than 15 stage pieces until she met Daryush Shokof in a Mina Badie was born on November 28, 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA. They have three children. Adjunct Professor at Stanford. Iran can now make nuke material in 12 days, Pentagon says. She began to participate in beauty pageant when she was one year old. He then joined the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he started a film section, and this started his career Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. WebPages in category "Iranian film directors" The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 279 total. I moved to L.A. and was like, I really think this story is worthwhile. NIAC was further found by a Federal Appeals Court judge to have withheld over 5500 emails from its outreach director to various parties. Before awkward questions and heated comments commence, Alexs mother, Maggie (Rita Wilson), asks about the beautiful calligraphy framed on the wall. He also composed Clash of the Titans, A Wrinkle in Time, Pacific Rim, Westworld, Gears of War 4 and 5, Medal of Honor, Open Abbas Kiarostami was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1940. I just felt like I needed to release this story into the world, Zandieh said. After early experiences as a story writer, he began filming documentaries in 1967. As Nadia Bjorlin was born the fifth out of six children. All Board members WebDr. The son of orchestra conductor Andr Hossein, Paris-born Robert Hossein was trained at Ren Simon's acting school. To advocate justice and equality for the Americans of Iranian heritage. Sort by: View: 10 names 1. He died on January 15, 2018 in London, England, UK. IACC is thrilled to hereby announce the 2022 board of directors. The family had to flee Persia/Iran during the Revolution. Ashe is an Iranian-American actress who speaks fluent Farsi and received a BFA in Acting from Boston University, with training from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and UCB theater. But yeah, I started thinking about what it means to reinvent yourself. Shortly after graduating from the National Audiovisual School, he made his first short, immediately acclaimed by the local critics. In 2005 she attended in Los Angeles the Master Class with MK Lewis. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. WebThe Iranian American Society (IAS) is managed by an annually elected board of directors. Bobby Naderi was born in Tehran during the Iran/Iraq war, his youth consisted of a refugee/gypsy upbringing due to the political unrest in the region. David came to the United States as a teenager and completed high school in the Midwest. Soruosh Salehian: Co-Founder/CEO of Aeva. An actor and stand up comedian, born in London to Iranian parents of the Baha'i faith. He has over 18 years of experience in design, management, research, and teaching in the field of mining, tunneling, civil infrastructure, and underground construction. Its about expectations or projections, all the things we didnt get to do or wish we had done, we project onto the next generation. Navid Navid is an award winning Iranian-German actor and director. I thought of doing something more autobiographical. Worked closely, and in conjunction, with the Obama administration. Nasim Pedrad (born November 18, 1981) is an American actress and comedian best known for her five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975) from 2009 to 2014. As a girl, she acted in various TV advertisements. Pop culture is the way I taught Americans what Iran was about and what I learned about what Iran was. At the age of eight, she played in "The Cyclist" directed by her father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf the celebrated Iranian filmmaker.At the age of 17, she directed her first feature titled "The Apple" and She went on to become the youngest Ramin Bahrani was born on March 20, 1975 in North Carolina, USA. (Ali Khamenei/Released) March 04, 2023 Justin Cooper. WebAmerican-Iranian Council, Inc. (AIC) is a non-profit independent research and educational institute. Badiyi's third and last marriage was to actress Tania Harley[6] from 1987 until his death in 2011, with whom he had two daughters, Alexis and Natasha. Pitts' first feature, Season Five (1997), premiered in the Venice Film Festival. 5570 S US Highway 17/92 The IASF Board meets to plan and review the needs of the organization. Demonstrations erupted in Iran and across the world after a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini died in September after being arrested by Irans morality Sheila Vand was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She went to UCLA to study biology/ pre-medicine, but she dropped out to become a model in Japan. We learned to be American by watching TV. Iranian Hotline is a non-religious and non-political Iranian-American Resource Guide. She was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Iranian parents and later moved to Canada. Soroush Ghodsi: founder of Slik.ai (a lead generation company) who is the youngest founder ever to join Ycombinator! Padideh Kamali-Zare and Kaveh Vejdani: founded Darmiyan, a YC-backed software platform to detect Alzheimers disease. WebThe Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is managed by a Board of Directors. His quiet and composed A native of Valencia, CA, Nazanin Mandi Pimentel is a natural- Born Performer; Singing at age 5, Modeling at age 10, performing the Mozart Requiem at Carnegie Hall and acting at age 15. Travis Cody, the second of six brothers, was born in Laguna Beach California. When you become an immigrant, you write your own story, you decide whats your narrative. People are still projecting onto Leila what it means. Mahbod Moghadam: Founder of Everpedia, a next-gen encyclopedia. Maryam Ziaei & Shadi Saberi: Founders of iSono Health, backed by Ycombinator. Yara Shahidi was born on February 10, 2000 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. You know, the film ends with the Persian version of Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Its sung by the mother, played by Niousha Noor. As to why she went the rom-com route, Zandieh explained that the film was initially a family dramedy but she turned to rom-com to best portray her colorful characters. She was studying acting in California Yasmine Aker is an actress, singer and songwriter based out of Los Angeles, California. In the mid-1970s he received the Golden Ribbon of Art award from the reigning Shah of Iran. He received his Bachelors in Theater from University of Tehran's School of Bob Yari was born on May 30, 1961 in Iran. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Dr. Modjtahedi Scholarship Fund. Thats the same thing when youre an immigrant. So much of the film is about pop culture and connectivity. [3][4] Badiyi often worked with Robert Altman. The mother of the story [Shirin] never had a choice. She is an actress, known for Alarm fr Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei (1996), Traveling Light (2021) and Blackstone (2023). He was the father of three children which included Mina, Alexis and Natasha.[6][5]. She began performing at an early age, starring in school plays and community events. Dorianne Pahlavan is known for Argo (2012) and Sunday (2013). I think this film really is a film about choice. Im so glad that their struggles and their voices are being heard and that we realize this is a reflection of the international struggle for women. Rostami is the founder of the Iranian Academic Association (IAA), Washington DC chapter. She is married to Mattias Ripa. He graduated from Madison West High School and was a city boys high school tennis champion. Naser Taghvai was born in Abadan, Iran. To learn more about each of our board members, simply follow the View Bio link below each member. [5], This is list showing a selection of entertainment directed by Reza Badiyi, in order by start date. It was rich with Iranian and American pop culture. After early experiences as a story writer, he Nousha falls fast when she meets Alex, an artist, activist and DJ living in an old warehouse. This only fed his hunger to learn more about cinema and the visual arts. It was a way for me to create the full circle. It was important for me that she [Leila] doesnt reject her culture and she doesnt reject her identity because of her queer identity. Theyve given so much up for us to have a different life than they had.What was your goal with exploring motherhood through Shirin and Leilas stories? The relationship between the Iranian American population and the surrounding population since the 1979 revolution appears to be one characterized by fear and prejudice on the one side, and by anger and sadness on the other. She attended UCLA Garen Petrossian is an actor known for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job and I don't Clean(2009), Expendible (2008), The Hurricane in the Rosegarden (2007).Growing up he wanted to follow in his father's footstep and be a Civil Engineer which he did and received a degree in Bachelor of Science Maz Jobrani was born on February 26, 1972 in Tehran, Iran. She attended a Sarah Shahi was born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi in Euless, Texas, to an Iranian father and Spanish-Iranian mother. Habib Zargarpour graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design with Distinction after receiving a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. He started acting in Church and school plays at age two; his first role was as Baby Jesus!When he was cast in American Pie (1999), he was sixteen, and was GiGi Hessamian is known for The Young Parking Attendant (2014), Switchboard (2014) and The Orville (2017). Today marked another milestone for the Iranian-American tech community in Silicon Valley. He is an actor and producer, known for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Burn Country (2016) and The Taqwacores (2010). Iranian authorities have announced an investigation into a series of suspected poison gas attacks on girls schools. This is a list of notable Iranian-Americans of all Iranian ethnic backgrounds, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants. WebThe Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is managed by a Board of Directors. Shermine Sharivar was born on September 17, 1982 in Tehran, Iran. In search of safety and a better life, he and his mother fled to Turkey, after a few years of trying to get asylum Canada finally granted them the Ramin Niami is known for Babe's and Ricky's Inn (2013), Paris (2003) and Shirin in Love (2014). Arash Mokhtar is known for Ramy (2019), New Amsterdam (2018) and FBI (2018). That is what binds the mother and daughter together, in every generation. There were lowlights, as well, including directing the unsold pilot for Inside O.U.T., starring up-and-coming actress Farrah Fawcett and a chimp for Screen Gems in 1971. She was previously married to James Rubin. You reinvent yourself So I really started to think of my mother and I as a sort of reflection of each other and all the stories of my mythology as an immigrant coming here. In 2007 she received the award for Best Young Actress at the Tandees' first film was destroyed when the building that housed her film school was hit by bombs in the Iran/Iraq war. Ahead of Sara Zandieh's feature directorial debut, the Iranian-American director explains how 'A Simple Wedding' celebrates multiculturalism and feminism while also breaking down stereotypes. After several Shiva Rose was born in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. He lost his father at an early age and was raised by his beloved mother, whom he feels he got his strength from to make it in show biz. She was recently Narges Rashidi was born in Iran, settled in 1987 with her family at first in Turkey and a year later to Germany. I mean, I loved Good Times growing up because it was like this family struggling in New York and that seemed pretty close to us, or Eight Is Enough. When I got older, all these huge films that were so influential to me, from The Godfather to Namesake to My Big Fat Greek Wedding I took a lot of joy in them. That means shes constantly fighting against the status quo. I am happy to call many of these people my friends and mentors. Ubers board of directors appointed Tehran-Born Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO after the controversies around its founder, Travis Kalanick. An award-winning international film actress and producer, Saye has been in over 34 films and Mania Akbari was born in 1974 in Tehran, Iran. She is a former NFL cheerleader and a descendant of a 19th-century Persian Shah. After long trip and so many short movie and documentary she start her Rosie Malek-Yonan is an Assyrian born in Tehran who lives in the U.S. She is an actress, award winning writer, director, producer, published author, documentary filmmaker, a classically trained pianist, composer, and an Assyrian advocate. Her first film 'The Day I Became a Woman", (a 3-episode story) attended the Critics Week category in Venice International Film Reza Mirkarimi was born in 1967 in Tehran and graduated from the Fine Arts University in Graphic Arts. She was cast in the film House of Sand and Fog in 2003 and in the Lifetime series, State Marjan Neshat was born on October 10, 1975 in Tehran, Iran. Arman Jahangiri: Founder of ResultCare, a digital healthcare company. Ive always wanted to do our great immigrant story thats so Persian, thats a mix of laughing, crying, dancing and eating! Ive always written from the womens perspective and I like to say the men in the film are a chorus, as they should be. She attended Trinity High School and Southern Methodist University, studied opera and majored in English. [1] He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in filmmaking. He graduated in Metallurgical Engineering from Karaj Azad University. He was born in Tehran, with his parents having moved there from Tabriz. WebThe Board of Directors of the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is grateful to all who have supported this Scholarship Fund for the past 22 years. Marie Selva was born in Paris to an Iranian Mother and French/Spanish Father.She is an artist, film director who studied at the film school of cinema in Paris, France. When I was thinking about making an immigrant story, I thought, you know whats so interesting? He is a writer and director, known for Two Angels (2003), L'etat de crise (1984) and Subjection (2019). In May 2010, Badiyi was honored at UCLA for his 80th birthday and his 60th year in the entertainment industry. Dr. Pooyan Niki Pezeshki: Investor at Felicis Ventures backing iconic companies. Babak Karimi was born on March 22, 1960 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. WebList your business with Iranian American Business Directory! Mahyar Salek & Mahdokht Masaeli: Founders of Deep Cell, a prenatal testing biotech company. She co-starred as CIA analyst Fara Sherazi on seasons three and four of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland (2011), for which she shared a 2015 SAG Award nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. Weve been vilified in Western media but we also come from a beautiful tradition of Iranian film. Dominic Rains was born in Tehran, Iran. I thought of the secret that did happen with my father. For instance, Noushas character was initially more timid; after casting Grammy, Zandieh restructured the character to match her actors rambunctious personality Celine Dion impersonations and all. WebIranian American Business Directory Search for a Business Join Iranian American Business Directory A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Accountants Adult Day Care Its a pro-choice film in many ways. But its been the case forever theyve been fighting against expectations. (Each sibling have a Actress | URL and Full Description of Business (up to 6 lines). Top 20 Best Iranian Film Directors of All Time. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. The TV movie covered the murder of Sean Devereux, an aid worker who was murdered in Reza Badiyi was born on April 17, 1929 in Arak, Iran. Amini's first screenplay was for the 1994 TV movie The Dying of the Light, which was directed by Peter Kosminsky. Blue Fox Entertainment secured domestic distribution and worldwide rights last February. It is the primary mission of the Iranian American Community Center: To foster and promote the Persian culture, art, and history. She is a writer and actress, known for Zoolander 2 (2016), Iron Man 2 (2010) and Trash (2014). and raised $4.5M. She is an actress, known for Fishing Naked (2015), The Murder Plans (2011) and Like No Tomorrow: An Apocalypse Anthology (2020). With a low-budget film, Zandieh said the story was tailored for what she had, including cast. Pouya Jamshidi, M.D. [2][6] He later won various awards, including the Humanitas Prize for an episode of Cagney and Lacey. Scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year have been awarded to 15 outstanding applicants. And thats what this regime can never extinguish. These are just the people I see every day and talk to, and I dont really see that represented.. Dancing through the Iran-Iraq war when I was a little kid and we would go back and forth [between Iran and the U.S.] and smuggle tapes. She is half-Scottish (father) and half-Israeli (mother). Her parents were Ulf Bjrlin (a Swedish conductor and composer, known to be the world's most active opera composer during the 20th century) and Fary Bjorlin. Of course, women are fighting more now with the Islamic Republic and what is going on. She was then 16 years old. His father is an Airline Captain, and his mother a Gospel Singer. IACC They reside side by side in the film. Its becoming an international story where people are stating that we are Iranian women too. She is a director and actress, known for Persepolis (2007), The Voices (2014) and Chicken with Plums (2011). The Persian Version Director Maryam Keshavarz on Creating a Great Immigrant Story for Iranians By Sharareh Drury Photo Credit: Andr Jger To be an Since then, he has been inspired to make movies. Mamad Haghighat was born in 1952 in Isfahan, Iran. His start in the arts came at the age of 17 with his theatrical lead in the UJ Production of "Our House" then laid dormant until his productions of two successful Los Angeles Marco Khan(lian) is a true citizen of the world. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They want to extinguish joy and thats not possible. IranianHotline.com is the only credible Iranian-American Information & Connection Center online, since 2003. The second I would walk in [with the tape], we would be dancing. I think thats a struggle. Throughout the film, we see love story after love story unfold new love budding between Nousha and Alex, love found later in life by Noushas uncle Saman (Maz Jobrani) and Maggie, love built over time in the arranged marriage of Ziba and Reza (Houshang Touzie), as well as the tumultuous love that comes with blending families. Its been ongoing for women. Daniel Ahmadizadeh: A recent YCombinator backed company building a product for real estate agents which has raised over $3M in venture capital. Please follow me here on medium and on Linkedin for more posts about tech, startups, Irans startup scene and entrepreneurs. Its such a myth and some people dont want to be mothers. Her mother still acts as her personal assistant. Supported the Iran Nuclear Deal of 2015. By 1961 he had already spent a lot of time studying-and researching- ancient persian Jafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. He graduated from the College of Dramatic Arts and began his professional career as a writer of short TV screenplays and also as a playwright. Mehdi Samadi: Founder of Solvvy, an AI-based CRM company which was featured in WSJ, etc. I think a lot of people feel that. In July of 2008, Dabiri Foundation's board of directors decided to embark upon a special project in addition to its ongoing activities. WebThe National Iranian American Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the voice of Iranian Americans and promoting greater understanding In addition to his work in films, television, radio and theater, Behrouz' performances have earned him recognition at several Sayeed Shahidi was born on February 14, 2003 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The Most Visited Iranian-American Website Please fill out the form below and follow the process online, OR call us at Toll Free 888.611.5478 , or email us at info@IranianHotline.com Annual Directory Listing All my parents friends were Persians. By the time he was 17 he co-wrote and shot and gaffed his first professional film. WebIran has given birth to some great movie directors over the years, many of who have gone on to direct popular comedies, dramas, horror movies and more. But also another thing is we have this idea that motherhood is innate in us and that were born into motherhood. What I am very excited about is the next generation of Iranian-American entrepreneurs and the rising stars. Naser Taghvai was born in Abadan, Iran. WebThe IABA has grown to be the largest national organization of Iranian-American legal professionals, with multiple chapters nationwide, and continues to grow in other states. He died on August 20, 2011 in Los Ramin Djawadi is an Iranian-German film score composer known for composing the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and the Marvel films Blade: Trinity, Iron Man and Eternals. Iranian-Americans in Silicon Valley are Getting More Powerful He has over 40 years of experience in the motion picture industry, with featured appearances in more than 90 films. Badiyi set a Directors Guild of America record for directing the most hours of episodic series television ever.[3]. A Perrier Award nominee in Darius Khondji was born on October 21, 1955 in Tehran, Iran. Tell us what you think about this feature. Badiyi died in Los Angeles, California on August 20, 2011, at the age of 81, having struggled with various health issues. In the 1980s and 1990s, he directed episodes of Falcon Crest, Cagney and Lacey, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, La Femme Nikita, Sliders and Baywatch and Early Edition. She was an actress, known for Friends (1971), Paul and Michelle (1974) and Successive Slidings of Pleasure (1974). Up until I was shooting, I was rewriting, honestly. He also directed the definitive "fashion show" sequence of the third season of the popular Doris Day Show. Ben Nader: Founder/CEO Butterfleye, a security solutions company with $4M+ in funding. Or simply an immigrant/first-gen one, even more so. I think thats so beautiful. As Pejman Nozad eloquently puts, The Persian Mafia in Tech gets $70B bigger!. As an actor, Max has numerous film and television credits including NBC's Heroes, regular appearances on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia, Netflix original Behrouz Vossoughi is one of Iran's most legendary actors. But I really wanted to see our stories up there. In addition, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, Iranian Americans are perhaps the most highly educated community in the country, with household incomes that considerably exceed that of the U.S. population at large. Previously at SnapChat, Payam Banazadeh: Co-Founder/CEO at Capella Space, building space infrastructure, which has raised $12M. He also started writing and staging his own plays at the age of eight for school and other public venues. We all turn to ritual, we all want to celebrate, we all want to love.. Well, heres the thing. They went to Israel, then to America where Tami is still based. To me, it was important that thats part of the conversation of choice. It was a sense of safety and joy. She is married to Mattias Ripa. Previously founded Genius. From panning shots of ghormeh sabzi and saffron rice, to the setting up of a sofreh aghd (traditional Persian wedding spread), to a heart-to-heart conversation between a granddaughter and grandmother about following ones heart, Zandieh feels she accomplished her goal to humanize an Iranian Muslim family while also bringing to life the diversity of love. Hundreds of cases of poisonings have been reported He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. So I felt like that should be the heart of it. Nousha Husseini (Tara Grammy) and her Iranian family are breaking bread (in this case, nan) with her white, militant feminist boyfriend, Alex (Christopher OShea), and his family. Previously founded BUCKYoZUN a sun protection technology. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1979, to escape the Iranian revolution. She was previously married to Reza. Its been my whole career honestly, from The Color of Love to Circumstance. Its the world Ive always been interested in exploring for audiences. Massy Tadjedin was born in 1976 in Tehran, Iran. Amir Khalighi was born in Tehran Iran. I wanted it to feel as natural and as grounded as possible., Zandieh wanted to represent Iranians the way she knows them and their culture as fun-loving, kind and adaptable. With Iran constantly in the political crosshairs, be it this administration or ones prior, Zandieh said, our wonderful culture gets buried under politics.. Nicole, the daughter of two prominent Iranian-American journalists, Nader Sadighi and Shahla Arasteh, grew up in London, England.She has worked with Producer Georgia Masters (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) whom she'd worked with previously on the BAFTA nominated 'One Night Stand' starring Catherine was born in London, but she moved to California with her Iranian mother at the age of two. An American of Irish and Iranian decent, she was raised in Iran until the age of ten when she and her family were forced to escape to Paris, then to Los Angeles.She began her stage career at 15 at several theaters in Santa Monica. Aeva builds autonomous car technology that combines vision, depth an motion sensors in a single product. Yasmin Razavi: Investor at Spark Capital, previously at Index Ventures and McKinsey. Reza Sayed Badiyi (also known as Reza Badiei; Persian: ; April 17, 1930 August 20, 2011) was an Iranian-born American film and television director.