Bahman Ghobadi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bahman Ghobadi
بهمن قبادی
Bahman Ghobadi at a press conference at San Sebastián Film Festival (2006)
Born	(1969-02-01) February 1, 1969 (age 56) Baneh, Iran
Nationality	Iranian
Education	Iran Broadcasting University
Occupation	Film director, producer, writer
Years active	1990–present
Era	Iranian New Wave
Organization	Mij Film
Known for	A Time for Drunken Horses, Turtles Can Fly, Half Moon, No One Knows About Persian Cats
Style	Drama, social issues
Movement	Iranian New Wave
Awards	Caméra d'Or, Golden Shell, Un Certain Regard

Bahman Ghobadi (Persian: بهمن قبادی; Kurdish: به‌همه‌ن قوبادی, romanized: Behmen Qubadî; born February 1, 1969) is a famous film director, producer, and writer from Iran. He is Kurdish and is known for being part of the "new wave" of Iranian movies. This means he helped bring new styles and ideas to filmmaking in Iran.

About Bahman Ghobadi

Early Life and Education

Bahman Ghobadi was born in Baneh, a Kurdish city in Iran. His family moved to Sanandaj in 1981. He studied film directing at Iran Broadcasting University.

After working briefly in industrial photography, Ghobadi started making short films. His documentary Life in Fog won many awards. He also worked as an assistant director for the famous filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami on his movie The Wind Will Carry Us.

Starting Mij Film

In 2000, Bahman Ghobadi started his own company called Mij Film. His goal was to make movies in Iran about its many different ethnic groups.

His first full-length movie was A Time for Drunken Horses (2000). This was the first Kurdish film ever made in Iran. It won the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, which is a very important film festival.

Award-Winning Films

Ghobadi's second movie, Marooned in Iraq (2002), won the Gold Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival.

His third movie, Turtles Can Fly, came out in 2004. This film won the Glass Bear and Peace Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. It also won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. In 2006, an organization called Index on Censorship gave Ghobadi an award for Turtles Can Fly. They recognized his work in promoting freedom of expression through his films.

In 2006, Ghobadi's film Half Moon also won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Famous Iranian actors like Golshifteh Farahani and Hedyeh Tehrani starred in this movie. The music was created by the Iranian musician Hossein Alizadeh. This movie was a team effort between Iran, France, Austria, and Iraq. It was filmed entirely in Iranian Kurdistan. The story is about Iranian Kurdish musicians who want to travel to Iraqi Kurdistan to hold a concert.

In May 2009, his film No One Knows About Persian Cats won a special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. This movie shows the difficulties faced by young Iranian musicians trying to make music despite strict rules.

Recent Works

In 2012, his film Rhino Season was released at the San Sebastian Film Festival. For this movie, he worked with international actors, including Monica Bellucci.

After this film's success, he directed a part of the movie Words with Gods. His segment was called "Kaboki."

In 2015, his documentary A Flag without a Country was released. This film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, is about the Kurdish people. It explores their lives, the war in the Middle East, and the idea of "Kurdistan," a nation of about 45 million people who still do not have their own country.

After this documentary, he returned to making fiction films. He directed The Four Walls, which again featured an international cast.

Today, Bahman Ghobadi continues to write, direct, and produce films. He also actively supports human rights and freedom of speech around the world.

Filmography

Ghobadi at the presentation of his film Nobody Knows About Persian Cats in San Sebastián 2009

As Director

As Actor

Ghobadi had a small role in the 2019 film The Irishman. He played a prison cook who served Jimmy Hoffa an ice cream sundae. Even though he doesn't usually enjoy acting, he appeared in the film to show his respect for famous directors Martin Scorsese and actor Al Pacino.

Jury Duties

Bahman Ghobadi has been a jury president or a jury member at many international film festivals. This means he helped decide which films would win awards.

• 22nd Busan International Film Festival - New Currents Jury Member, Busan, South Korea, 2017
• 7th Off Plus Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema, Poland, 2014
• 14th International Film Festival of Kerala, December 2009
• The independent Film festival Off Camera Poland, 2008
• Eurasia International Film Festival, Kazakhstan, 2008
• São Paulo International Film Festival, October 2006
• Anonimul International Film Festival, 2006
• Vila do conde International Film Festival, Portugal, 2006
• Gwangju International Film Festival, Korea, 2006
• Rotterdam International Film Festival, 2004
• Cannes International Film Festival, Golden Shell district, 2002

Activism and Human Rights

As a filmmaker who has lived in exile, Ghobadi has started many campaigns to support freedom of speech and expression.

In 2021, he wrote a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He asked them to create a way for directors living in exile to submit their films for the Best International Film award.

He has also been very active on social media during protests in Iran. For example, after the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, he shared information with his followers about what was happening in Iran. He supported the Iranian people who were standing up for themselves against the government. He also wrote an open letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In this letter, he asked the film industry to support the people's fight for democracy.

See also

In Spanish: Bahman Ghobadi para niños