Bahman Ghobadi was born on September 2nd, 1968 in Baneh, a city near the Iran-Iraq border in the province of Kurdistan, Iran. He was the first son in a family of seven siblings. He lived in Baneh until, at the age of 12, civil disputes caused his entire family to immigrate to Sanandaj, the center of Kurdistan Province in Iran. After graduating from high school in Sanandaj, Ghobadi moved to Tehran in 1992. He started his artistic career in the field of Industrial Photography. Though he attended the Iranian Broadcasting College, he never graduated. Rather than following a formal curriculum, he believed the only way he could learn the craft of cinema was by tirelessly making short films. Using 8mm film, his starting point was to shoot a series of short documentaries.
Through his instinctive and hands-on approach to filmmaking, Ghobadi developed a unique style, soon gaining widespread local recognition. A breakthrough came with “Life in a Fog” (1999), one of the most acclaimed shorts ever made in Iran. Following this success, Bahman Ghobadi went on to make “A Time for Drunken Horses” (2000) – the first feature-length Kurdish film in the history of Iran. In the wake of being awarded several different International Awards, Ghobadi attracted international attention and established himself as a pioneer of Kurdish cinema.
This film and all subsequent made by Ghobadi (among others, “Half Moon”, 2004, and “Turtles Can Fly”, 2006) were widely praised at film festivals the world over, gathering dozens of awards, but were little or not seen in his native country. In 2009, Ghobadi completed “No One Knows About Persian Cats”- a semi- documentary about the underground indie music scene in Tehran, filmed in Iran without an official permit and in very restricted conditions. After that, he had to leave Iran and continue working abroad. In 2012 he made „Rihno season”, which was shot in Istanbul. His latest work- „Flag Without A Country” (2015) is a Kurdish documentary-fiction with action in Erbil, Iraqi-Kurdistan.
Works before MIJ FILM:
1999 The Songs of the Daughters of the World
- Synopsis: A guest from Shiraz comes to the house of a teacher in Kurdistan and the story begins.
- Production: Bahman Ghobadi
- Written Directed and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 37 minutes
- Cameraman: Jafar Barati Mehr
- Sound: Mohammad Shirvani
- Cast: Hasan Rashid Ghamat, Saber Nikbakht, Shahabodin Ebrahimi
1997 Telephone Cabin
- Synopsis: The bell rings and all the students go to their houses. Just one boy waits for his mother. Few minutes later he decides to find a telephone cabin and call home but he can’t reach the handset. Therefore, boy climbs up the window of the cabin but he falls down and destroy his trousers. Feeling of shame doesn’t let him to come out. Finally, a woman enters the cabin and sews his trousers.
- Production: I. R. I. B, Sanandaj Center
- Producer: Bahman Ghobadi
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 25 minutes
- Cameraman and Editor: Mehdi Porghasemi
- Sound: Omid Ansary Production
- Manager: Omid Rastbin
- Cast: Sepehr Maghsoudloo, Aghdas Dalvand, Yaser Mohammadi
1997 Dang
- Synopsis: The life of the Kurdish people is connected with music. This film is about a part of this land, where people are living through the music.
- Producer: Mohammad Reza Sarhangi
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 22 minutes
- Year: 1996
- Camera: Bahman Zanouzi
- Edit: Mohammad Ali Sajadi
- Sound recording: Farokh Fadayi
1996 A Soldier Called Amin
- A soldier called Amin takes permission and leaves the military fort. In the city he faces many adventures.
- Production: Bahman Ghobadi
- Written, directed and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 28 Minutes
- Cinematographer: Reza Rakhshan
- Sound: Shahed Ahmadi
- Cast: Akbar Zanjany
1996 Like Mother
- Synopsis: A war veteran, who is a disabled teacher, teaches in one of the villages of Kurdistan. Amongst his students, there are a brother and sister, who lost mother in the bombing. The siblings have a lot of liking for their teacher.
- Production: Kordestan Janbazan Cultural Centre
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 32 Minutes
- Camera: Farhad Arshadi
- Naration: Azar Ghobadi
- Edition: Bahman Ghobadi & Naser Bakideh
- Music: Ali Kohan Diri
- Cast: Afsaneh Ostovar
- Festival Screenings: 1st Montreal Kurdish film festival, Canada Oct-Nov 28-9, 2006
1996 Party
- Synopsis: A little girl, whose parents are always out for work, stays alone at home. Each day she plays with her toys and sometimes takes an equipments out of the house and arranges parties where she invites other girls from neighborhood for participating in it. Once, an old man comes to the village to see his daughter but unfortunately she is out, so the children invite him to take part in their party.
- Production: Bahman Ghobadi & Sanandaj Television & Broadcasting Centre
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 32 minutes
- Camera: yadollah Shirzad
- Edit: Mehdi Pour Ghasemi
- Music: Ali Kohan Diri
- Cast: Shirin Khorshidi, Shahab Ebrahimi, Shima Haghighiyan
1996 God Fish
- Synopsis: At the beginning of the Iranian new year, two brothers are trying to find goldfish for a traditional ceremony where people put seven things on the tablecloth called Sofreh Haftseen. But on the way back home, the bowl with the fish breaks, so they try to find another vessel with the water.
- Production: Sanandaj Television &
- Broadcasting Centre & Bahman Ghobadi
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Camera &
- Edit: Mehdi Pour Ghasemi
- Sound: Arsalan Nousodi
- Music: Ali Kohan Deyri
- Cast: Shahabodin Ebrahimi, Yaser Mohammadi, Navid Danayi
1995 Again Rain with the Melody
- Synopsis: On the National Teachers’ Day, a boy wants to give his teacher a present, but he has no money. When he realizes that his classmates are giving a plant pot to the teacher, he also decides to take a flower pot from his house, however the door is shut and he can’t enter his home.
- Production: Sanandaj Television & Broadcasting Centre
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 18 minutes
- Camera: Mehdi Pour Ghasemi
- Edit: Jafar MirAshrafi
- Music: Shahram Ali Mohammadi
- Sound: Arsalan Nousodi & Omid Ansari
- Cast: Yaser Mohammadi, Shahabodin Ebrahimi, Jalal Saed panah
- Festival Screenings: 1st Montreal Kurdish film festival, Canada Oct-Nov 28-9, 2006
1995 Life in the Fog
- A fourteen year old boy, forced to provide for his younger siblings after the death of their parents, is driven to quit school and smuggle goods across the Iran/Iraq border.
- Producer: Bahman Ghobadi
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 27 minutes
- Camera: Bayram Fazli
- Edit: Mohammad Ali Sajjadi
- Sound Recording: Asad Khoshnood
- Music: Ali Kohan Deyri Technical Affairs: Rasane Pouya
- Cast: Nezhad Ekhtiardiny, Amene Ekhtiardiny, Mahdi Ekhtiardiny
- Awards:
Special Jury Prize, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, France 1999
Horizon Award, Aspen Shortfest, USA 1999
Grand Jury Prize, St.Petersburg Film festival, Russia 1999
RTP Onda Curta Award, Vila Do Conde Film Festival, Portugal 1999
Grand Jury Prize, Vila Do Conde Film Festival, Portugal 1999
Special Plaque, Montecatini Film Festival, Italy 1999
Best Documentary, Festival Del Cortometraggio, Sienna Italy 1999
Grand Jury Prize, Festival Del Cortomentraggio, Sienna Italy 1999
Grand Jury Prize, Corto Imola Festival, Italy 1999
Grand Jury Prize, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, USA 1999
Special Jury Award, Cinematexas, USA 1999Festival Screenings:
Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, France
Aspen Shortfest, USA
St. Petersburg Film Festival, Russia
Vila Do Conde Film Festival, Portugal
Montecatini Film Festival, Italy
Cinema Du Reel, France
Tampere International Film Festival, Finland
Nunich Documentary Film Festival, Germany
Seattle Internatinal Film Festival, USA
Short Film Festival Drama, Greece
Huntington International Film Festival, USA
Festival Of Festivals, Denmark
Frankfurter Film Schau International Short Documentary, Germany
Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea
Dokument ART, Germany
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, USA
Corto Imola Festival, Italy
Festival Del Cortometraggio, Sienna Italy
Leipzig International Film festival, Germany
Regensburg Short Film Week, Germany
Cinema Mediterraneen Montpellier, France
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, USA
Flickerfest 2000, Sydney, Australia
Museum of Modern Art, New York
54th Flaherty International Film Seminar 21-27 June, 2008, NY
Musuem of Modern Art (Moma) 27-7 July,2008, NY
1995 That man came
- Synopsis: During the bombardment of Iraq, adored by students teacher goes to the front. For his return, pupils are preparing a surprise- pair of shoes as a gift for him. When teacher enters the class, it turns out that he lost his legs.
- Production: Mohammad Sedigh Ahmadzadeh
- Written, directed and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 16 minutes
- Year:1995
- Crew:
- Cameraman: Mozafar Partoandaz
- Cast:
Shahram Mirzaie
Mohsen Zare
Sirous Bary - Festival screenings: 1st Montreal Kurdish film festival, Canada Oct-Nov 28-9, 2006
1994 Nader's Pigeon Flew
- Synopsis: A boy has to write an essay about who he wants to be in the future. He writes that he wants to be a pigeon fancier like one of his neighbor.
- Production: I. R. I. B., Sanandaj Center
- Producer: Bahman Ghobadi
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Cameraman and Editor: Mehdi Porghasemi
- Sound: Arsalan Nosody, Omid Ansary
- Sound mix: Mehdi Porghasemi
- Production manager: Omid Rastbin
- Cast: Jalal Saedpanah, Omid Niazi, Hamid Niazi
1993 Pantol
- Synopsis: A documentary about making a traditional Kurdish textiles called Maraz.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Producter: Bahman Ghobadi
- Written, directed and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 39 minutes
- Camera man: Mozafar Partoandaz
- Sound: Omid Ansary
- Music: Vernacular (Selective)
1993 Sartarash Khane (Barber's)
- Synopsis: A manager of a school forces a boy to cut his hair. As the child hasn’t enough money, he tries to find a cheap barber.
- Written, directed and edited by Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 12 minutes
- Year:1993
- Crew:
- Cinematographer: Bakhtiyar Rahimy
- Assistant Director: Hamid Ghavami
- Sound: Jalal saedpanah, Khalil Seidy
- Cast:
Yaser Mohammady
Jalal Saedpanah - Awards: Awarded the Best Short Film from Young Cinema International Film Festival, Iran – Tehran
1992 Balcony
- Synopsis: An old, lonely woman comes to her balcony each day, during hot summer. She sits and views what is in front of her. Once, a group of playing football boys, breaks with the ball one of her pot. The bravest boy, picks up the flower and throws it back to the old lady.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Written, directed and edited by:Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 12 minutes
- Cinematographer: Frhad Arshadi
- Sound: Hamid Ghavami
- Sound Mix: Armin Arbaby
- Cast: Hamid Rahimy Ahmad Rezaiye
1992 Just a Glance
- Synopsis: A documentary, showing a vision of passing time and its relation to the people.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Cinematographer: Alireza Karbasian
- Sound Mix: Hamid Karimy
- Cast: Ahmad Khalily, Reza Banky
1992 M. Hosseini conscript
- Synopsis: While resting in a park, using a two hours of permission, a young conscript M. Hosseini images terrific visions.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Written, directed and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 14 minutes
- Cinematographer: Bakhtiar Rahimi
- Sound: Pardis Azimi
- Sound mix: Armin Arbabi
- Cast: Hamid Ghavami
1991 From Other Point of View
- Synopsis: There is a competition between the interior cigarettes and the exterior cigarettes in a stadium where the audience is also a cigarettes.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Written, directed and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 9 minutes
- Type: Animation
- Cinematographer: Bakhtiar Rahimy
- Sound mix: Naser Bakideh
- Production: Bahman Ghobadi
- Awards: The Best Animation from Sanandaj Regional Festival
1991 Golbaji
- Synopsis: An old woman lives with her only one, 23 year old granddaughter. One day the granddaughter’s friend come after her in a costume and they go to the wedding party, leaving the grandma alone. She goes to her old box and brings out her dresses and looks in the mirror. It brings her back to the memories of the charming days in her early life.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Written, director and edited by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 12 Minutes
- Cinematographer: Farhad Arshady
- Sound: Hamid Ghavami
- Sound mix: Armin Arbaby
- Cast: Sara Galedary, Masoumeh Aminy
1991 Z like Zendegi (L like Life)
- Synopsis: A couple goes to one village to work as a teachers. They encourage the villagers to send their children to school. At this time, a boy named Riboar who has lost his two hands by mine, refuses to start his education. Teachers convince Riboar to change his decision.
- Production: Sanandaj Young Cinema Union
- Written and directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
- Duration: 33 Minutes
- Camera Man: Farhad Arshady
- Sound: Jalal Saedpanah
- Sound Mix: Amir Babaiye
- Cast: Farzin Saboni, Nasrin Mohamadi
Jury duties
- 22nd Busan International Film Festival- New Currents Jury Member, Busan, South Korea, 12-21.10.2017
- 7th Off Plus Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema, Poland, 2-11 May 2014
- 14th International Film Festival of Kerala, December 2009
- The independent Film festival off Camera Poland. 1-5 October 2008
- Eurasia International Film festival, Kazakhstan, 7-13 September, 2008
- Sao Paolo International Film Festival, October, 2006
- Anonimul International Film Festival, 14 to 19 August 2006
- Vila do conde International Film Festival, Portugal, 3 to 11 July, 2006
- Gwangju International Film Festival, Korea, 28 April to 6 May, 2006
- Rotterdam International Film Festival, 26 January to 6 February, 2004
- Cannes International Film Festival, Golden Shell district, 2002