Tara Aghdashloo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tara Aghdashloo
تارا آغداشلو
Born	Tehran, Iran
Nationality	Iranian, Canadian, British
Occupation	Writer, Director, Producer, Author
Parents	Aydin Aghdashloo (father) Firouzeh "Fay" Athari (mother)

Tara Aghdashloo is a talented writer, director, and producer who was born in Iran. She is also an artist and has published her own poetry book. Before making films, Tara worked as a journalist, writing and reporting in both Persian and English.

Tara is a strong supporter of human rights, especially for women. She has spoken at many events about issues in Iran and the Middle East. She also talks about the importance of women and diversity in filmmaking. Because of her work, she has faced challenges from authorities in Iran.

About Tara Aghdashloo

Tara Aghdashloo was born in Tehran, Iran. Her mother, Firouzeh "Fay" Athari, is an architect, and her father, Aydin Aghdashloo, is a famous painter. When Tara was in high school, her family moved to Toronto, Canada.

Tara studied journalism and political science at Toronto Metropolitan University. She then earned a master's degree from London University in Global Media and Postnational Communication.

Tara's Creative Work

Films and TV Shows

Tara started making films after attending a workshop with famous filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who is still her mentor. She has written and directed three short films that have been shown at major film festivals.

Her first short film, The Ride, was shown at the Cinequest Film Festival in California. It won the Best Short Film award at the Nostalgia Film Festival. Her second short film, Bridge, was made for the BBC. It was nominated for 17 awards and won 7 of them.

Tara's third short film, Empty Your Pockets, is her first film in the Persian language. It premiered at the BlackStar Festival in Philadelphia. This film won awards for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Lead Actor at the ReelWorld Festival. It also won Best Foreign Short Film at the Unrestricted View Festival.

Tara has also worked on documentaries for Channel 4 News and BBC World. She directed and produced several documentary series, including Value of Contemporary Art and City Map. She was also a co-host and producer for Samte No, a talk show on Manoto TV.

Writing and Poetry

Tara's poems have been published in both English and Persian magazines. Her poetry collection, This is Not a Pomegranate, was published in 2011. She has also written articles and reviews for many well-known publications like The Guardian and The Financial Times.

In 2022, Tara wrote about the protests in Iran for The Financial Times. She also wrote about the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran. In 2023, she wrote a piece for Harvard Business Review about activism from people living outside their home country.

Art and Exhibitions

For two years, Tara helped run The Invisible Line (TIL) Gallery in East London. She helped put on about 25 art shows there. In 2017, she organized a special exhibition for Portuguese artist Cristina Rodrigues at the Castelo Branco Museum. Tara often writes reviews about art, especially by artists from Iran and the Middle East.

Tara's Film Projects