Mania Akbari facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mania Akbari مانيا اكبرى
Akbari in 2014
Born	1974 (age 50–51) Tehran, Iran
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, artist, writer
Years active	1991–present
Children	2, including Amina

Mania Akbari (Persian: مانيا اکبری, born in 1974) is an Iranian filmmaker, artist, and writer. Her work often explores important topics like women's rights, marriage, how people see themselves, health, and body image.

Unlike many traditional Iranian films, her style is very artistic and often tells stories from her own life. She is known for discussing difficult subjects openly. In 2011, while making a film, some of her crew were arrested. Because of this, Mania Akbari moved from Tehran to London. Since then, her films have been shown in special events around the world, including at the BFI in London. In 2020, she started an online art platform called Cryptofiction.

Mania Akbari's Early Life

Mania Akbari was born in 1974 in Tehran, Iran.

Her Journey in Film and Art

Mania Akbari started her artistic career as a painter in 1991. She showed her paintings in exhibitions both in Iran and other countries. Later, she became interested in cinema. She worked as a cinematographer and helped direct documentary films.

Her first film work was with a documentarian named Mahvash Sheikholeslami. In 2002, Mania Akbari, her daughter Amina Maher, and her sister Roya Akbari appeared in a film called Ten. The next year, Akbari directed her first short documentary, Crystal.

In 2004, she wrote, acted in, and directed her first full-length film, 20 Fingers. This film explored marriage and how people see themselves. It won the best film award in the Digital Cinema section at the Venice Film Festival. 20 Fingers was shown at more than 40 film festivals worldwide.

Between 2004 and 2007, she created six video art pieces. These were called Self, Repression, Sin, Escape, Fear, and Destruction. They were shown at film festivals like Locarno Film Festival and museums such as the Tate Modern.

In 2007, Mania Akbari faced a serious health challenge. The film she made that year, 10+4, explores what it feels like to live with both life and death. This film was shown at many festivals, including the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival. It was also screened in museums like the Centre Georges Pompidou.

In 2010, Akbari made a documentary called 30 Minutes To 6. It was about serious legal issues in Iran. Even though filmmaking became more difficult in Iran, she decided to make her third full-length film, One. Two. One., there. She then started another film. During its making, many filmmakers were arrested in Iran. Because she believed in freedom of expression, she left Iran for London. She finished her film there, calling it From Tehran to London.

In 2014, Akbari made an essay film called Life May Be. She co-directed it with British filmmaker Mark Cousins. This film was shown at festivals like the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

In 2019, she released another essay film, A Moon for My Father. She co-directed this with sculptor Douglas White. Critics praised it for connecting images and ideas like a dream.

Akbari directed Dear Elnaz (2020), a documentary about a person who was killed as a passenger on Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. In 2022, she released How Dare You Have Such a Rubbish Wish. This film used clips of women from old Iranian popular movies.

Mania Akbari has also helped organize several film programs.

How Mania Akbari Makes Films

Mania Akbari's films often use long shots and a hand-held camera. She also has a strong control over colors, making her films look like paintings. Her style is often described as a mix of fiction and documentary.

She believes that "architecture and mise-en-scène within a space" are very important in her filmmaking. She tries to create a space in each film frame. This allows the audience to imagine the area around it. She feels her work is more like performance art than a play. She creates a space where characters can perform and share something with the audience.

Films She Loves

In 2022, Mania Akbari took part in the Sight & Sound film polls. This poll happens every ten years. It asks directors to choose their ten favorite films of all time.

Here are the films Mania Akbari chose:

Awards and Recognition

• Winner of the best feature film in Venezia Cinema Digital Section for 20 Fingers.
• The grand jury prize for the spirit of freedom at the Bahamas International Film Festival.
• Best director and best actress prizes for 20 Fingers at the Digital International Barcelona Film Festival.
• Winner of the Most Innovative film Award for 20 Fingers at the Wine Country International Film Festival.
• Winner of the best film and best director awards for 10+4 at the Kerala International Film Festival.
• Winner of the best film for 10+4 in L'Alternativa, Festival de Cinema Independent de Barcelona.
• Winner of the Don Quixote Award for Life May Be at the Fribourg International Film Festival.
• Winner of the FIPRESCI prize for A Moon for My Father at the Ankara Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival.
• Winner of NEW:VISION award for A Moon for My Father at CPH:DOX in 2019.

List of Her Films

• Crystal (2003)
• 20 Fingers (2004)
• 10 + 4 (2007)
• One. Two. One. (2011)
• 30 minutes to 6 (2011)
• From Tehran to London (2012)
• Life May Be (2014) (co-directed with Mark Cousins)
• A Moon for My Father (2019) (co-directed with Douglas White)
• Dear Elnaz (2020)
• How Dare You Have Such a Rubbish Wish (2022)

Her Video Artworks

• Repression (2004)
• Sin (2004)
• Escape (2004)
• Fear (2004)
• Devastation (2004)

Where Her Art Has Been Shown

Video Art Exhibitions

• Kakhe Niyavaran/ Niavaran Palace Gallery (Tehran, Iran - 2004)
• Locarno International Film Festival (Locarno, Switzerland - August 2005)
• 15th Videobrasil (São Paulo, Brazil - 2005)
• City of Women International Film Festival of Contemporary Arts (Ljubljana, Slovenia - 2005)
• Peru International Film Festival (Lima, Peru - 2005)
• Salento International Film Festival (Salento, Italy - 2005)
• Rochester-High Falls International Film Festival (Rochester, NY, USA - 2005)
• Gijón International Film Festival (Gijon, Spain - 2005)
• Iranian Group Exhibition (Rome, Italy - 2006)
• Tate Modern at Tate Museum (London, UK - 2007)
• Xerxes Art Gallery (London, UK - 2008)
• Caledonia Festival (Udine, Italy - March 2009)
• The Royal College of Art (London, UK - October 2009)

Art Exhibitions

• Tarahan Azad Gallery (Tehran, Iran - 2008)
• 10 Gallery (Tehran,Iran - 2008)
• Tarahan Azad Gallery (Tehran,Iran - 2009)
• Magic of Persia's Auction (Dubai, UAE - 2009)
• Mellat Gallery (Tehran, Iran - 2009)
• Phillips de Pury & Company Auction (London, UK - 2009)
• Pierre cornette de saint cyr (Paris, France - 2009)
• The Night (2023)

Images for kids

• 

  Akbari in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Mania Akbari para niños