Bahman Ghobadi

Director

“The camera became a weapon in my hands to express my opinions. As I grew more mature and my vision expanded, I thought I could raise questions and show the problems and hardships of the Kurds.”

Biography

Bahman Ghobadi (Kurdish: به‌همه‌ن قوبادی) is an Iranian film director of Kurdish ethnicity. He was born on February 1, 1969 in Baneh, Iranian Kurdistan. Ghobadi belongs to the so called “new wave” of Iranian cinema.

He was born in Baneh, in northwestern Kurdistan Province of Iran. His family moved to Sanandaj in 1981. Ghobadi received a Bachelor of Arts in film directing from the Iranian Broadcasting College. After a brief career in industrial photography, Ghobadi began making short 8 mm films. His documentary Life In Fog won numerous awards. Bahman Ghobadi was assistant director on Abbas Kiarostami’s The Wind Will Carry Us.

Bahman Ghobadi founded Mij Film in 2000, a company with the aim of production of films in Iran about its different ethnic groups. His first feature film was A Time for Drunken Horses (2000), the first Kurdish film produced in Iran. The film won Caméra d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. His second feature was Marooned in Iraq (2002), which brought him the Gold Plaque from Chicago International Film Festival. His third feature, Turtles Can Fly, followed in 2004, winning the Glass Bear and Peace Film Award at Berlin International Film Festival and Golden Shell at San Sebastian International Film Festival.

In 2006, Ghobadi’s Half Moon won Golden Shell at San Sebastian International Film Festival. Iran’s renowned actors Golshifteh Farahani, Hassan Poorshirazi and Hedyeh Tehrani acted in this movie. The music of the movie was made by Iran’s world-class musician Hossein Alizadeh. The film, which is a collaborative project by Iran, France, Austria and Iraq, was shot fully in Iranian Kurdistan. However, it narrates the story of a group of Iranian Kurdish musicians who would like to travel to Iraqi Kurdistan and organize a concert there.

In 2006, Index on Censorship gave Ghobadi an Index Film Award for making a significant contribution to freedom of expression through his film “Turtles Can Fly.”

In May 2009, his film No One Knows About Persian Cats won the Un Certain Regard award and the Special Jury Prize when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. This film chronicles the hardships facing young Iranian musicians seeking to evade censorship. This struggle was familiar to Ghobadi, who said, “Since I was 18 years old, I’ve been making films. I was nervous 90% of the time about censorship. When I was writing a script, my mind was not free. Every day I had to go to the Ministry of Culture. For 10 hours, I was waiting at the Ministry of Culture. I was not thinking about the storyboard of the film. All of my time, I was like a soldier in the Ministry of Culture. I’m sick, I’m angry about that.”

Young composer and producer, Mahdyar Aghajani, captivates Bahman Ghobadi with his unique approach to music: “Mahdyar breaks everything and puts it back together in an experimental way. I tried to make music with the ‘best composer’ in Iran… But Mahdyar is so tajrobi.” Music video sequences of No One Knows About Persian Cats were edited by Fred Khoshtinat, who directed and edited Hichkas’ renowned “Ye Mosht Sarbaz” (Bunch of Soldiers) video. Ghobadi said, “Fred helped me a lot with his good ideas and with his editing. He’s so fresh.” —Wikipedia

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chanandre

27Dec11

so is Spillberg and you don't see him loosing any fans because of it. It's a birthright to be populist if he wants it, don't you think so? His films move me. I don't call that a bad think do you? Sure you have "better" film-maker but should we stop seeing his films just because he does not meet our "genius" requirements, or is he just not one of the canonical directors? I like him a lot. And I'm not Iranian at all, but his films are pure World Cinema, that matters.
All Is Grace

6Jan12

Well at least Spielberg's method and theory is known for people out there. As an Iranian, when I watch his films they look racist to me. What do you call it when every non Kurd is an idiot in his films?! Sure it looks world cinema to you, and when I watched his first film I liked it a lot, but when I saw more of his films, I felt he's just copying what he did before in a stupid way to be a festival darling... And then comes his last film, and Im ashamed he's depicting Iranian youth as such morons with bad tastes in music.
chanandre

4Feb12

So maybe he's an Iranian Prick i'd take 345 Ghobadi to any Spielberg any day. Besides I loved the shit out of "LAKPOSHTHA PARVAZ MIKONAND" I cried myself out. The saddest film I've ever seen. I don't know nothing about Kurds and Iranians. A kurd character that is portrayed as being dumb does not mean he's a Kurd hater or does it? I liked his last film quite a lot too (I see we strongly disagree about this) I loved that ending, the despair of young people and seemed quite universal to me. And I have to say that I loved that band. So I'm a supporter of the guy. That being said you have KiarosFUCKIN'tami and Panahi and Farhadi all in one country. I'd would not rant that much if I were you. If only I was Iranian. Your country rules. And teens who love Strokes are not the satan, lol. Stockhausen rules too, but this is only a film.
João BotaDouro

19Apr12

Yo chanandre! "you have KiarosFUCKIN'tami and Panahi and Farhadi all in one country. I'd would not rant that much if I were you. If only I was Iranian. Your country rules. " !!!! Ah ah ah. You're really crazy, man! : p You could add Kamran Shirdel to the list off great directors. This is a thing that amazes me to, why are there so much great directors in Iran? Maybe "All is Grace" should try to explain us...
João BotaDouro

19Apr12

About the Ghobadi: I totally agree with "All is Grace". I´ve seen "A Time for Drunken Horses", and I dont intend to see any more of his films. I hated the way he treats the spectator with moral and sentimental manipulative tricks.