Famous Iranian Filmmakers

Abbas Kiarostami

Most famous movie directed by: Taste of Cherry (1997)
Awards: Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival
Age: Born June 22, 1940 – Died July 4, 2016
Movies directed: Where Is the Friend’s House?, Certified Copy, Close-Up

Jafar Panahi

Most famous movie directed by: The Circle (2000)
Awards: Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival
Age: Born July 11, 1960
Movies directed: Offside, Taxi, This Is Not a Film

Asghar Farhadi

Most famous movie directed by: A Separation (2011)
Awards: Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Age: Born May 7, 1972
Movies directed: The Salesman, About Elly, The Past

Samira Makhmalbaf

Most famous movie directed by: The Apple (1998)
Awards: Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival
Age: Born February 15, 1980
Movies directed: Blackboards, At Five in the Afternoon, Two-Legged Horse

Nasser Taghvai

Most famous movie directed by: Captain Khorshid (1987)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born July 1, 1941
Movies directed: Tranquility in the Presence of Others, That Man Came, The Cyclist

Bahman Ghobadi

Most famous movie directed by: A Time for Drunken Horses (2000)
Awards: Golden Camera, Cannes Film Festival
Age: Born February 1, 1969
Movies directed: Turtles Can Fly, No One Knows About Persian Cats, Rhino Season

Kamal Tabrizi

​Most famous movie directed by: Leily Is with Me (1996)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born October 28, 1955
Movies directed: The Lizard, Marmoulak, Wind, Ten Years Old

Mohammad Rasoulof

Most famous movie directed by: There Is No Evil (2020)
Awards: Golden Bear, Berlin International Film Festival
Age: Born November 16, 1972
Movies directed: Manuscripts Don’t Burn, The White Meadows, Goodbye

Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Most famous movie directed by: Kandahar (2001)
Awards: Federico Fellini Medal, UNESCO
Age: Born May 29, 1957
Movies directed: The Cyclist, Gabbeh, The Silence

Dariush Mehrijoei

Most famous movie directed by: The Cow (1969)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born December 8, 1939
Movies directed: Hamoun, Santouri, The Lady

Masoud Kimiaei

Most famous movie directed by: Qeysar (1969)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born August 29, 1941
Movies directed: The Deer, Journey of the Stone, Gavaznha

Majid Majidi

Most famous movie directed by: Children of Heaven (1997)
Awards: Grand Prix, Montreal World Film Festival
Age: Born April 17, 1959
Movies directed: The Color of Paradise, Baran, Muhammad: The Messenger of God

Ali Hatami

Most famous movie directed by: Kamalolmolk (1984)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born August 19, 1944 – Died December 7, 1996
Movies directed: Hezar Dastan, Soltan Saheb Gharan, Hajji Washington

Rakhshan Bani Etemad

Most famous movie directed by: The Blue-Veiled (1995)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born April 3, 1954
Movies directed: Under the Skin of the City, Our Times, Mainline

Marzieh Boroomand

Most famous movie directed by: The School of Mice (1986)
Awards: Crystal Simorgh, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born June 7, 1951
Movies directed: The City of Mice, Mother, The General’s Battle

Tahmineh Milani

Most famous movie directed by: The Hidden Half (2001)
Awards: Best Director, Fajr Film Festival
Age: Born September 7, 1960
Movies directed: Ceasefire, Two Women, Unwanted Woman

Parviz Sayyad

Most popular movie: Samad Becomes a Rebellious Leader (1979)
Awards: Best Director at the Fajr International Film Festival (1993)
Age: Born March 20, 1939