Biografia

Intimate-in-scope-narratives that are consistently reaching for a universal truth

Stories of parents and spouses complicated by secrets and revelations

The electricity of simple human interaction

Exploring the inevitable complications that arise via class, gender, and religious differences in the context of a microcosm of modern Iran

Doling out narrative information, piece by piece

His film Una separazione (2011) is the first Iranian movie to win an Oscar.

One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (2012).

First Iranian Director to be nominated for Academy Awards in any other category except Best Foreign Language Film.

First Iranian filmmaker to receive a nomination for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award ("Best Film Not in the English Language," Una separazione (2011)).

His ten favorite films are Rashomon (1950), The Big Road (1935), The Godfather (1972), Tokyo Story (1953), The Apartment (1960), Three Colors: Red (1994), Take the Money and Run (1969), Persona (1966), Taxi Driver (1976), and Modern Times (1936).

I feel it's important to talk about the complex issues affecting us. I think it's insulting to an audience to make them sit and watch a film and then give them a message in one sentence.

It was in the theater that I learned how it is that you can work with actors. To give an example, I have a character in the film [Una separazione (2011)] who's supposed to be a religious woman. Once the script is finished, I didn't find her and say 'You're going to be a religious character. This is what you should do'. In the few months remaining before shooting she would actually turn into a religious person. I asked her to pray promptly every day, meaning five times. I asked her to wear a chador which is the traditional long veil. I asked her not to use her personal car... to restrict her rapport with any men who were not known to her. And after a while of rehearsing this way she actually started to behave like a religious person. Don't worry, as soon as the film is over, she turned back into her former self.

Classical tragedy was the war between good and evil. We wanted evil to be defeated and good to be victorious. But the battle in modern tragedy is between good and good. And no matter which side wins, we'll still be heartbroken.

[on how Iran could consider submitting Una separazione (2011), which deals with marital breakup in a Muslim family, for Oscar consideration] It's not a discussion that's linear - the government is this way, the people are that way. Within the government there's diversity of thought and taste. Some among them are much more open-minded, others are very closed. Perhaps what you're asking is, given the image that we have of the government which is so hard and full of censorship, how can you make such a film? That question would be like if you ask someone living in a desert, how is it that you can live, given the heat?

I like storytelling movies and more than that I like historical movies; and I think someday I'll definitely make a movie about the past 50 years history.