Sara Zandieh facts for kids

Sara Zandieh is an Iranian American filmmaker. This means she is from the United States and has Iranian heritage. Her film, The Pool Party, won second place at the Tribeca Film Festival, a big movie event. It also got a special mention from the judges. Sara Zandieh is also a Fulbright Scholar, which is a special award for students who show great promise, and she studied at Columbia University.

Sara Zandieh's Creative Works

In 2009, Sara Zandieh wrote a story called The Pool Party. She entered it into a writing contest for young authors. Her story was among the top ten finalists.

The Pool Party Film

In 2010, Sara Zandieh directed The Pool Party as a short film. It is about 14 minutes long. The movie was filmed in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. This was just before some political events happened in Iran between 2009 and 2010.

The film tells the story of a male servant. He has to fix a swimming pool completely. At the same time, he acts like a father figure to the master's daughter. Sara Zandieh used a style called social realism. This means the film shows real-life situations and problems. She also used allegory, which is a story that has a hidden meaning. This helped to show the servant's struggles.

Film Festival Success

Sara Zandieh's film, The Pool Party, was one of 47 short films shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. This festival takes place in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Sara Zandieh was a returning director, meaning she had shown films there before. She competed against many other directors, including famous people like Kirsten Dunst.

Special Recognition for The Pool Party

At the festival, another short film won the top student award. However, Sara Zandieh's The Pool Party received a "special mention" from the judges. This shows that her film was highly regarded.

On April 29, 2010, The Pool Party was also shown at the Columbia University School of the Arts' annual film festival.

Awards and Achievements

Sara Zandieh received a special grant for the 2009-2010 year from the Fulbright Program. The Fulbright Program is known as one of the most respected international exchange programs in the world. It helps students and scholars travel and study in other countries. Sara Zandieh was one of 40 students from Kentucky to receive this award. She was listed by the United States Department of State as a filmmaking student from Turkey.

Sara Zandieh's Filmography

Here are some of the films Sara Zandieh has worked on:

• Handsome Harry (2009)
• The Pool Party (2010)
• A Simple Wedding (2019)
• The Other Zoey (2023)
• Doin' It (2024)