artists & filmmakers

Marjan Khosravi is an Iranian documentary filmmaker from the Bakhtiari community. Born and raised in a Bakhtiari village, she studied Cinema and Media Art and began her career working in film production and as an assistant director before making her first documentary in 2018. Her work is rooted in the experiences of women in rural Iran and explores autonomy, patriarchal traditions, social inequality, cultural transformation and the changing relationship between communities and their environment.

Milad Khosravi is an Iranian film producer and the founder of Seven Springs Pictures, an independent production and international sales company established in 2020. Working across fiction and documentary, he is committed to developing arthouse, auteur-driven and socially engaged cinema from Iran and the wider Middle East. His work frequently addresses questions of identity, family, human rights and contemporary political realities.

Ali Asgari is an Iranian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer born in Tehran in 1982. After studying cinema in Italy, he began his career as an assistant director and emerged internationally through a series of acclaimed short films. He is also an alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Campus.

Mohsen Gharaei (born 1984, Behshahr, Iran) is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. He co-directed his first feature film, Don’t Be Tired! (2013), and gained international recognition with Blockage (2017), which won Best Film in the New Currents section at the Busan International Film Festival. He later directed and co-wrote Majority (2020), which was well recognized in national and international markets. Gharaei remains an active figure in contemporary Iranian cinema, working across directing, writing, and other key creative roles.

Laleh Marzban (born in 1994 in Azna, Iran) is an Iranian actress working across film, television, and theatre. She began her acting career in television before gaining wider recognition through her performances in Under the Smoky Roof (2017), New Moon Hotel (2019), and Mohsen Gharaei’s Majority (2021). She has since become an active figure in contemporary Iranian cinema, taking on a variety of dramatic roles.

Sadaf Asgari is an acclaimed Iranian actress who made her debut in Disappearance (Venice Film Festival, 2017). Renowned for her versatility and authenticity, she has appeared in internationally celebrated films including Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness (Berlinale, Sundance 2019), Until Tomorrow (Berlinale 2022), and Terrestrial Verses (Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2023). Winner of multiple Best Actress awards, including at Sundance and Cabourg, Asgari has built a remarkable career across Iranian and international cinema, establishing herself as one of the most compelling voices of her generation.

Baran Sarmad (b. 1993, Hamedan, Iran) is an Iranian filmmaker and producer known for her distinctive cinematic voice, often blending elements of reality with fantasy and exploring complex emotional landscapes. Since childhood, her interest in surreal atmospheres has been evident through her paintings and short stories.

Gözde Kural is a Turkish filmmaker born in 1987 in Ankara. She studied Film Production at Istanbul Bilgi University and began her career as an assistant director before transitioning into writing, directing, and producing her own work. She has directed three short films and made her feature directorial debut with Dust (2015), a drama shot in Afghanistan

Alireza Khatami is an award-winning writer, director, and producer based in Canada. Born into the indigenous Khamse tribe in southeast Iran, Alireza draws from the rich oral storytelling traditions of his heritage, crafting a unique style blending magic realism with sharp social commentary. Known for his bold cinematic choices defying convention, his films unravel the invisible architecture of power, tracing societal systems and psychological forces that shape human behavior and identity.

Adib Sobhani is an Iranian cinematographer. After 12 years of successfully working with acclaimed cinematographers (Hossein jafarian and payman shadmanfar) and filmmakers (Oscar-winning Asghar Farhadi- The Salesman, 2016), he made his first debut in 2018 as DOP in feature film “Amir” which was nominated at Karlovy Vary Film Festival

Bahram Ark (b. 1989, Tabriz, Iran) is an Iranian filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor. Along with his twin brother, Bahman Ark, he graduated from the Iranian National Film School and has created several award-winning short and feature films that blend folklore, myth, and the surreal with contemporary social and political realities.

Fereshteh Hosseini (born April 26, 1997) is an Iranian-Afghan actress known for her powerful performances in Iranian cinema and television. Born in Tehran to Afghan parents, Fereshteh’s story is one of resilience and determination. Fereshteh Hosseini began her professional career at the age of 15, initially working in theater due to her family’s strict upbringing