Official Selection | Features
Official Selection | Shorts
Festival Poster
4th Edition
The 4th Persian Film Festival opened with the highly anticipated Australian premiere of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s award-winning feature The President. The festival hosted eight national and international guests, including Alireza Amini and Bita Beigi from Iran, Saeed Sourati and Nora Niasari from Australia, and Alexandria Bombach from the USA. The festival guests engaged audiences in Q&A sessions after their screenings.
Poster of the 4th Persian Film Festival
Designed by Amin Palangi
Festival Guests
Mohsen Gharaie
Mohsen Gharaei is a writer and director born in Iran in 1984. He is a graduate of Mining Engineering. In 2006, he started his film career as an assistant director, working with prestigious Iranian filmmakers such as Bahram Bayzaei, Reza Mirkarimi, Majid Majidi and Mohsen Abdolvahab. Next to directing, he has worked on casting, editing and line production for various film projects. Gharaei co-directed his first feature film Don’t Be Tired! (2013). Gharaei’s next film, Blockage (2017) won the award for Best Film in the New Currents section of the Busan International Film Festival. In 2019 he co-wrote Castle of Dreams with Mohammad Davoudi. They won Best Screenplay at the Fajr Film Festival and received his first APSA nomination.
Tiyam Yabandeh
Tiyam Yabandeh Jahroumi was born on January 27, 1984 in Iran. He is a director and writer, known for Impression-xps160 (2013), Rangan 99 (2015) and Cinema and Alot of Blindness (2009)
Arian Vazirdaftari
Arian Vazirdaftari was born in Tehran in 1988, studied industrial design and subsequently directing at the Film School in Tehran and completed his master’s degree at the Tehran University of Dramatic Arts. He works as a writer, director and producer. After several short films, including the highly acclaimed 2016 NOT YET and 2018 LIKE A GOOD KID: MESLE BACHE ADAM, BI ROYA is his first feature length film and was immediately invited extra for the Orizzonti section.
Baran Sarmad
Baran Sarmad was born in 1994 in Iran. She is one of the founders of “the CHILICK” artistic group. Her first experienced as a director has been "must black". To this date, she has written a long piece, a short animation, and 2 other short films.
Elika Mehranpour
Elika Mehranpour is an award-winning independent animation filmmaker and story board artist with over a decade of experience.
Saeed Sourati
Saeed Sourati was born in 1979 in Tehran. Saeed was exposed to the cinema from Youth Cinema Society since 1999 and furthered his career at the Art Centre (Hoze Honari) as a cinematographer of documentary films and director assistant of drama movies. He professionally worked as a writer, director and producer of numerous commercial documentary films. “Night Outdoor” is a recent drama film in which Saeed was a producer manager. “How can be both” is the second short film he has written and directed. “How can be both” is about a couple who are not willing to live in Iran and intend to immigrate to Australia.
Amir Sarrafha
Amir Sarrafha was born in Iran 1979. He received a Masters degree in Cinema in 2000 and has been making films and TV series ever since.
Masoud Moein
Masoud Moein was born in Arak in Iran. He holds a diploma from SHAHID AVINI ART SCHOOL and Bachelor of Animation from IRIB UNIVERSITY. He has been working as an Art Director and Animator, specialising in Character and Concept development.
Zanyar Azizi
Born in 1986, Zanyar Aziz is a holder of Diploma in Acting and Photography from Iran's Azad Institute. After completing a course in Directing at Masoud Kimiaie Institute he has been making films since 2008.
Bita Beigi
Bita Beigi, born in 1987 in Tehran. She studied film directing, and started her career with acting in a supporting role in the movie ‘At the End of the Eighth Avenue’ directed by Alireza Amini. In 2007 she had a role in ‘Not Much Time to Breaking the Fast’ directed by Hamed Hosseini, then in the television-series ‘Mirage’ by Hossein Soheilizadeh as the leading role. She started her career as director with making the short film ‘Napkin’ then a documentary in the subject of human relationships in the virtual world, then the short drama ‘Constant Angle’.
Amir Vahedi
Amir Vahedi was born in 1982 in Tabriz - Iran. He started animation at the age of 25. He graduated with an Arts Degree (Graphics & Handy art craft) in 2012 where he has gained considerable multiple skills in animation and design.
Amirhossein Torabi
Amirhosain Torabi was born in 1977 in Tehran – Iran. He studied cinema in Tehran and has made 15 short film and over 500 advertisements.
Special Event
Love Marriage in Kabul: Fundraiser
The festival hosted a special fundraiser screening of Amin Palangi’s award winning Love Marriage in Kabul and donated the proceeding to Mahboba’s Promise Charity.