They want to extinguish joy and thats not possible. Samira Khazai; Farnaz 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. IACC proudly announces the winners of the 2022 scholarship program as follows: Among its services to the Iranian-American community, the IACC is proud to have a college scholarship program. 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? He is married to Karen Robson. The Godfather and Joy Luck Club. All these films, but it was never our stories. Our mission is providing and broadcasting the Iranian American events & community news, and promoting businesses. The son of orchestra conductor Andr Hossein, Paris-born Robert Hossein was trained at Ren Simon's acting school. Chair, Georgetown Business for Impact Initiative, Program Manager, the Family Caregiver Alliance, Humanitarian Aid and Financing reform, International Rescue Committee. His latest film "Mitra" is a political thriller that was released at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2021. 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. 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 graduating from high school, Tandees and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada, where she continued her studies in media, television and later on Atossa Leoni was born in October 1977 in Berlin, Germany. I think the struggle is really one of family and living up to your mothers expectations, especially, particularly when youre the only daughter. He also directed the definitive "fashion show" sequence of the third season of the popular Doris Day Show. He is an actor and editor, known for The Salesman (2016), The Past (2013) and A Separation (2011). I thought of the secret that did happen with my father. Many Iranian-Americans have founded, invested in, or reached the top ranks of some of the most prominent Silicon Valley companies. All Rights Reserved. Pop culture is the way that I learned to be American. and raised $4.5M. Today marked another milestone for the Iranian-American tech community in Silicon Valley. in Texas. Navid Navid is an award winning Iranian-German actor and director. IranianHotline.com is the only credible Iranian-American Information & Connection Center online, since 2003. IACC Noushas mother, Ziba (Shohreh Aghdashloo), explains that it is a poem written in Farsi by the 14th-century Persian poet Hafez as she declares, the greatest poet of all time. The stanza reads, Long live love, for I have not heard a more merrier word than love.. Saam Motamedi: Investor at Greylock Partners, previously founded Guru Labs. Highly partisan organization that supports Democratic Party candidates and agendas. She studied Cinema in Makhmalbaf Film school for 8 years. Hopefully, this film can offer joy for Iranians too. Soruosh Salehian: Co-Founder/CEO of Aeva. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Amour (2012), Se7en (1995) and Delicatessen (1991). Omid Nooshin was born on May 2, 1974. By this marriage to Turner he was the stepfather of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh and Carrie Morrow. The mother of the story [Shirin] never had a choice. Since then, he has been inspired to make movies. Rasoulof started his filmmaking with documentaries and short films. Mahyar Salek & Mahdokht Masaeli: Founders of Deep Cell, a prenatal testing biotech company. She went to UCLA to study biology/ pre-medicine, but she dropped out to become a model in Japan. Lotfi Mansouri (1929 ) is a Canadian theatrical director who directed the Canadian Opera Company NIAC, the 501(c)(3) sister organization of NIAC Action, is dedicated to educating & engaging the Iranian-American community in order to further advance these priorities. Keshavarz spoke with Variety about how The Persian Version reflects the experiences of many Iranians and immigrants overall, and how pop culture helped bridge the gap between her two worlds Iran and America. We all turn to ritual, we all want to celebrate, we all want to love.. He holds a degree in 'Medical Physics' from the University of Newcastle. 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. Adjunct Professor at Stanford. Sarah E. Aghassi, Esq. Iranian Hotline is a non-religious and non-political Iranian-American Resource Guide. In July of 2008, Dabiri Foundation's board of directors decided to embark upon a special project in addition to its ongoing activities. She is married to Mattias Ripa. I worked with them and I did a ton of rewriting for them, especially for Houshang, the father. I have a daughter who is 11 now. He was born in Tehran, with his parents having moved there from Tabriz. And what their childrens life should be, to have a different life than they had. He is an actor, known for The Kite Runner (2007), Taste of Cherry (1997) and A Most Wanted Man (2014). He is an actor and producer, known for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Burn Country (2016) and The Taqwacores (2010). [1] He was invited by the United States Department of State to continue his studies in America after winning an international film award for Flood in Khuzestan. Born in Mashhad, Iran, Navid Negahban's passion for acting led him to Germany where he spent eight years before embarking on Hollywood. Pro-choice is about having a choice. She speaks Persian, Turkish, German, English, Kurdish. And thats what this regime can never extinguish. Robert Ravanshenas: Senior associate at Maven Ventures. Naser Taghvai was born in Abadan, Iran. Perhaps his most famous work was crafting the title visualisation (i.e., the opening and closing credits) for the original Hawaii Five-O. [6] His first marriage was to Gwendolyn Davis which ended in divorce. He graduated in Metallurgical Engineering from Karaj Azad University. His family moved back to Iran when he was 5 years old. His 1999 first feature, 'The Child and The Soldier', has won several national and Kamal Mosaffa-ye Tabrizi is an Iranian film director. My mother is also a writer just like me in some ways. He is a writer and producer, known for Apocalypto (2006), The Professor and the Madman (2019) and Boss (2011). Babak Elmieh: Founder/CEO of Nascent Objects acquired by Facebook. It was not just a tape. We invite all interested students to visit our website and learn more about the program. This year again, IACC is grateful for moregenerous contributions from its munificent supporterstoward IACC'scollege scholarship program. It was a way for me to create the full circle. Copyright 2003 - 2023 Iranian Hotline, LLC . All Rights Reserved. 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. He Marjane Satrapi was born on November 22, 1969 in Rasht, Iran. Of course that comes with expectations for what that life should be. A Perrier Award nominee in Darius Khondji was born on October 21, 1955 in Tehran, Iran. Its a struggle to know what that means and thank God we have the ability to define what that means. 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. Rabeah Ghaffari is an Iranian-born writer and filmmaker. Every film Ive ever made is about the resilience of women in difficult situations, be it patriarchal societies or governments that are not sympathetic to their situation. Ahead of Sara Zandieh's feature directorial debut, the Iranian-American director explains how 'A Simple Wedding' celebrates multiculturalism and feminism while Naser Taghvai Director | Nakhoda Khorshid Naser Taghvai is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. [3][4] Badiyi often worked with Robert Altman. Sort by: View: 10 names 1. Her siblings are Katja, Kaj, Kamilla, Ulf Jr and Jean Paul. Kamal Tabrizi graduated from Tehran University of Art at Faculty of Cinema and Theater. [4] OIAC does not support a foreign war, nor does it support an appeasement policy towards Iran. 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 He has been married to Shani Rigsbee since November 11, 2011. Oh, it means youre straight or oh it means you should do that. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1979, to escape the Iranian revolution. To me, it was important that thats part of the conversation of choice. Parsa Saljoughian: Vice President at Institutional Venture Partners. 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. In 2017 she moved to Boston to finish her Holistic Psychology Degree. Its becoming an international story where people are stating that we are Iranian women too. After early experiences as a story writer, he Adrian Pasdar was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Rosemarie Pasdar (ne Sbresny), who owns a travel agency, and Homayoon Pasdar, a prominent heart surgeon. [2], Badiyi moved to the United States in 1955, in order to continue his film studies at Syracuse University. Athar GhassemiCultural Committee ChairView Bio, Mandana GhadamianNetworking Committee ChairView Bio, Radin AmoueiMembership Committee ChairView Bio, Our mailing address is: 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 Abbas Ali Hatami was born in Tehran, Iran in 1944. You leave behind everything to start a whole new life. That means shes constantly fighting against the status quo. All Board members volunteer their time and resources. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. She says no, Im going to do it my way. As a girl, she acted in various TV advertisements. Her family moved to Turkey and thereafter to Germany. Shermine Sharivar was born on September 17, 1982 in Tehran, Iran. These are just the people I see every day and talk to, and I dont really see that represented.. Some people become mothers and they dont know what the hell theyre doing and through the process they learn what it means to be a mother. This only fed his hunger to learn more about cinema and the visual arts. The film premieres Jan. 21 at Sundance. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Rome Shadanloo was born In Tehran, Iran and grew up in Los Angeles, California.She has appeared on several notable shows and the independent instant classic "A Girl Walks Home At Night". What I am very excited about is the next generation of Iranian-American entrepreneurs and the rising stars. He began his career with still photography Of Iranian descent, he was born in Boulder, Colorado, and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. He was honored by the Directors Guild of America for directing over 400 hours of television. Born in 1973, Majid Barzegar has been a major force behind the development and production of a great number of Iranian independent short and feature films, most of which have been awarded and showcased at prestigious international film festivals including Berlinale, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, So Tell us what you think about this feature. She is the wife of celebrated Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. She was previously married to James Rubin. She is the daughter of Manijeh and Hamid Soomekh, who owned a women's high fashion company. I didnt want to get arrested. [1] He graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in filmmaking. In 2003, Pitts presented his controversial feature Essy Niknejad was born on June 1960, in Tehran. Like all of my films, women are always front and center. 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. Her collaborative fiction with artist Shirin Neshat was featured in "Reflections on Islamic Art" and her documentary, "The Troupe", featured Tony Kushner. This film is based on my family. WebIranian lobby organization that seeks to advance Tehrans interests in the U.S. Congress, and to influence American popular opinion regarding Iran. As Pejman Nozad eloquently puts, The Persian Mafia in Tech gets $70B bigger!. 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. It got us through war, immigration, language barriers, and social exclusion, she said. Shortly after graduating from the National Audiovisual School, he made his first short, immediately acclaimed by the local critics. He was a writer and director, known for Last Passenger (2013), Kill Switch (2017) and Invade. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Zandieh says her feature directorial debut aimed to show the different ways love can exist.A Simple Wedding, in select U.S. theaters and on VOD this Valentines Day, includes plenty of examples. After graduation she moved to Berlin and studied acting. The film follows Nousha, who has a habit of sabotaging her relationships and frustrating her parents, as she is their only hope for a real Iranian wedding. 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. SIOBHAN COLEY-AMIN. Mamad Haghighat was born in 1952 in Isfahan, Iran. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Dr. Modjtahedi Scholarship Fund. Supported the Iran Nuclear Deal of 2015. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. The mythology is that you just know and that is not always the case for everybody. After receiving his high school diploma, he started studying art at the Institute of Dramatic Art in Tehran. and the youngest one to join the club, the 15 years old! Amini's first screenplay was for the 1994 TV movie The Dying of the Light, which was directed by Peter Kosminsky. Along with marches, university protests, and the burning of headscarves, Iranian women across the world have broadcast images across social media of cutting She is an actress, known for RoboCop (2014), Alfie (2004) and The Book of Henry (2017). Trump had just been elected, the Muslim ban and immigrants were being so vilified. I just couldnt start anything else. 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. Arash Mokhtar is known for Ramy (2019), New Amsterdam (2018) and FBI (2018). NIAC Action is dedicated to building political power for the Iranian-American community to advance peace & diplomacy, secure equitable immigration policies, and protect the civil rights of all Americans. She attended Trinity High School and Southern Methodist University, studied opera and majored in English. I think this film really is a film about choice. Badiyi was born April 17, 1930, in Arak, Pahlavi Iran. Previously founded Genius. But yeah, I started thinking about what it means to reinvent yourself. David Diaan has built an impressive career as an Iranian American Actor, Writer, and Producer. Her father, Professor David Stronach, was a notable expert on Persian antiquities. It really is our story. We collaborated, and he was like, I feel like my character would want to do this. I rewrote a lot for the parents. His father, Mozaher Mosaffa is a renowned Persian poet and professor of Persian literature at the University of Tehran (UT). I think thats a difference in the two different cultures. My cousins were so much braver than me. Founder of the cybersafety organizations WiredSafety, StopCyberbullying and the consulting firm, WiredTrust In The Persian Version, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) boldly challenges labels that society tries to project upon her while balancing and embracing her opposing cultures. She was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Iranian parents and later moved to Canada. Pitts' first feature, Season Five (1997), premiered in the Venice Film Festival. Its a struggle. He was the father of three children which included Mina, Alexis and Natasha.[6][5]. Badiyi was assistant director on the low-budget 1957 film The Delinquents, which marked Altman's feature film debut as a director and the cult classic horror film Carnival of Souls, made in 1962.[5]. I think thats a struggle. Scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year have been awarded to 15 outstanding applicants. WebThe Iranian Americans (26) 52min 2012 7+ Narrated by Martha Teichner, The Iranian Americans chronicles the underreported history of a diverse group of immigrants finding 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. And I feel like any good story starts with a secret. He has over 18 years of experience in design, management, research, and teaching in the field of mining, tunneling, civil infrastructure, and underground construction. I just felt like I needed to release this story into the world, Zandieh said. He is a director and producer, known for Junk (2012), ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009) and In Her Place (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. 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. Reza Sayed Badiyi (also known as Reza Badiei; Persian: ; April 17, 1930 August 20, 2011) was an Iranian-born American film and television director. Top 20 Best Iranian Film Directors of All Time. It really started to make me think about immigrant identity. They have two children. The Iranian people have always found a way to have joy. 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. WebJafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. His father, Levon was born in Lebanon and raised in Iran where he met his wife Anna, born in Babol, Iran. She is a director and actress, known for Persepolis (2007), The Voices (2014) and Chicken with Plums (2011). They have three children. David came to the United States as a teenager and completed high school in the Midwest. But at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, which concluded on Sunday, Iranian women's voices were heard. I know people think pro-choice is about having an abortion. 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. He was a director and producer, known for Carnival of Souls (1962), Stop Susan Williams (1979) and Mission: Impossible (1966). Shortly after graduating from the National Audiovisual School, he made his first short, immediately acclaimed by the local critics. Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian-American political scientist, Harvard-educated, and president of the International American Council. Arman Jahangiri: Founder of ResultCare, a digital healthcare company. All my parents friends were Persians. You know its funny, I was talking to a friend of mine who is Iraqi and does a lot of drag performances and they were saying were working on a project together Oh, do you think what were doing is gonna piss people off? And I said, You know whats so interesting, our existence is itself radical. He is an actor, known for Alex Cross (2012), Unthinkable (2010) and Intelligence (2014). She was forced into leaving school. He is an independent director, writer and producer. While at Newcastle he played American football for the UK national Nicholas Guilak was born in Houston,Texas and raised in La Jolla, California, moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and received his Bachelors of Arts from USC in Theatre, Humanities and Film. She was studying acting in California Yasmine Aker is an actress, singer and songwriter based out of Los Angeles, California. WebSAYE YABANDEH is an Iranian-born Hollywood actress focused on using her platform to bring awareness to global issues and to give back to refugees and underserved children [1] His parents were from Isfahan, Iran. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Amir Naderi is one of the most influential figures of 20th century Persian cinema. Ive always wanted to do our great immigrant story thats so Persian, thats a mix of laughing, crying, dancing and eating! Well, heres the thing. WebThe Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is managed by a Board of Directors.