Mostafa Heravi facts for kids

Mostafa Heravi (Persian: مصطفی هروی) is an Iranian filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist. He was born in 1974 in Mashhad, Iran. He is known for his films like Sansur (2023) and It was 5 in the Morning.

Mostafa grew up in Iran. In 2000, he moved to the Netherlands. There, he studied and graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie.

Early Life and Education

Mostafa Heravi was born in 1974 in Mashhad, Iran. He grew up in a family that followed traditional and religious customs. From a young age, he was encouraged to draw, recite the Quran, and practice calligraphy.

He learned painting from artists Hossein Talebi and Amir Khajehamiri. As a child, he loved music but could not pursue it. So, he focused on painting instead.

While living in Mashhad, he and a friend ran a hair salon. This helped them support their painting hobbies. Later, he moved to Tehran to learn about theatre and photography. He then went to university to study cinema and filmmaking. This is when he started to seriously focus on the art forms that became his career.

Heravi earned a degree in Audiovisual art from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam.

Mostafa Heravi's Career

Mostafa Heravi has worked as a filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist. He is known for his work that often looks closely at society.

Making Music Videos

From 2006 to 2010, Heravi worked at the Radio Zamaneh studio. After that, he continued his work in Amsterdam.

In 2009, he began making music videos. His first video was for the Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo, called "Gladiators". This video had content that made it difficult for some media to show. Heravi also made music videos for Shahin Najafi, another Iranian singer. Shahin Najafi is known for speaking out about the Iranian government.

In 2011, he created a music video for the rock band Khak. The song was called "Tanham Nazar" (Don't Leave Me Alone). Mostafa Heravi was the director of photography for "Kiosk: A Generation Destroyed by Madness" in 2012. This was a music documentary about forty years of Iranian history after the Islamic revolution. It also followed the Kiosk band on their tours.

Heravi first worked with Kiosk in 2008. He made the official music video for their song Ay from bia. This song featured Mohsen Namjoo as a guest singer. Some parts of the video were inspired by the film The Color of Pomegranates.

He also directed "Bedrood" (Farewell) in 2016. This song was by the Amsterdam-based band, Panida. In 2017, Mostafa Heravi directed a music video for Omid Noori. Omid Noori is a pioneer of opera music in Afghanistan. The video was called "Orouj" (Ascension). It showed the story of Farkhunda Malikzada, who faced injustice. He has also made music videos for other Iranian singers and bands, including Majid Kazemi and Faarjam.

Directing Films

Mostafa Heravi has directed several films.

• For his graduation project in 2007, Mostafa Heravi wrote and directed a short film. It was 19 minutes long and called Dawn (Persian: شفق). The film won several awards. These included best Dutch students' movie of the year and the public award at the TENT Academy Awards in 2007. Dawn is about a pub where only one customer notices all the changes happening around him.

• It is written (Persian: کتیبه) is a short movie from 2006. Mostafa Heravi wrote and directed it. Leena Tolonen was the dancer and actor in the film. In the movie, a woman in a chador dances to a song by Iranian musician Farhad Mehrad. The film explores what it would be like if a woman could live freely in a society where men have most of the power. It was shown at the Women's Voices Now (WVN) film festival. It won second place in the Experimental section.

• Mostaghim Tahe Khat (Persian: مستقیم ته خط) was an independent online show from 2017. Mostafa Heravi produced it, and it was first shown on YouTube. In each weekly episode, which lasted about 30 minutes, Heravi interviewed an Iranian artist or journalist. He would drive around while hosting the show. The show stopped after 13 episodes because it did not have a sponsor.

• It Was 5 in the Morning (Persian: ساعت ۵ صبح بود) is an Iranian film from 2018. Mostafa Heravi directed, wrote, and edited it. It features Iranian artists who use their art to talk about important social issues in Iran. These artists include Shahin Najafi, Mana Neyestani, Boshra Dastournezhad, and Shabnam Tolouei. The film explores serious topics that often happen early in the morning, which is why it's named It Was 5 in the Morning. The movie begins with a song. Each artist shares their stories and thoughts on these issues in Iran.

Working as a Technical Editor

• Hayedeh: Legendary Persian Diva (Persian: سخن از هایده) is a 2009 documentary film. It is about the famous Iranian singer Hayedeh. Pejman Akbarzadeh directed it in the Netherlands. Heravi helped edit this movie with Gregory Macousi. Hayedeh was released on January 20, 2010. This was 20 years after Hayedeh passed away.

Visual Arts and Photography

Mostafa Heravi is also a visual artist and photographer. His photographs have been shown in art galleries in the United States and the Netherlands.

Heravi has created photography projects that focus on women and social topics. These projects have gained attention on social media. His art often uses images from politics and pop culture to comment on current issues.

In October 2015, his photography was shown at The Road Ahead festival in Amsterdam. This festival was organized by the Zamaneh Foundation. He also presented a 10-minute video about Iranian influencers and social media culture.

In May and June 2019, Heravi showed his work at the Stories for Freedom Festival in Rotterdam. Other Iranian artists were also there, including Hamed Ahmadi (writer), Shahyar Ghanbari (poet), Sahand Sahebdivani (storyteller), and Faarjam (musician).

His work often explores themes like women’s rights, religion, and social issues.