Asghar Farhadi
Iranian director and screenwriter, two-time Oscar winner.
Asghar Farhadi, born on 7 May 1972, is an Iranian director and screenwriter widely regarded as a major figure in both Iranian and global cinema of the 21st century. His work is known for exploring the human condition through intimate, challenging stories about family conflicts, earning him numerous international honors, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Bear, and a Prix du scénario.
Farhadi was born in Homayoon Shahr, near Isfahan in Isfahan province. At fifteen, in 1987, he joined the Isfahan branch of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, which had been founded four years earlier, and began making short films. He holds a BA in dramatic arts from the University of Tehran and an MA in stage direction from Tarbiat Modares University.
He began his career making short 8 mm and 16 mm films at the Isfahan branch of the Iranian Young Cinema Society, then moved on to writing plays and screenplays for IRIB. He directed the TV series *A Tale of a City* and co-wrote the screenplay for Ebrahim Hatamikia’s *Low Heights*. His feature debut, *Dancing in the Dust* (2003), follows a man struggling to pay his marriage dowry installments. *Variety*’s Deborah Young praised Farhadi as an emerging talent, noting he tells the story engrossingly and with physicality through the actors. The film earned him a nomination at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival and three Asia-Pacific Film Festival awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay. His second film, *The Beautiful City* (2004), centers on a man celebrating his 18th birthday in a detention center while imprisoned for murder, winning praise for its commentary on Iran’s Islamic judicial system. *Variety*’s Ronnie Scheib described it as a simple-seeming quest through obstacles that alter the journey’s nature. Farhadi won the Grand Prix at the Warsaw Film Festival. His third film, *Fireworks Wednesday* (2006), set before the Persian New Year amid fireworks and a domestic dispute, won the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival. *Time Out*’s Geoff Andrew highlighted how the film keeps viewers guessing, shifting perspectives to question characters’ reliability, and called it a compelling, compassionate account of male-female relationships in Tehran. In 2009, Farhadi directed *About Elly*, about middle-class Iranian families. *The Guardian*’s Peter Bradshaw called it absorbing, powerfully acted, disturb
- born
- 7 May 1972
- field
- Film director, screenwriter
- nationality
- Iranian
- known_for
- Two Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film (A Separation, The Salesman); Golden Bear for A Separation; Silver Bear for Best Director for About Elly
Lore & Background
Farhadi was born in Homayoon Shahr, a city located in the Isfahan province near the city of Isfahan. At age 15, in 1987, he joined the Isfahan branch office of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society and made several short films. He holds a BA in dramatic arts and an MA in stage direction from University of Tehran and Tarbiat Modares University, respectively. He made his directorial film debut with Dancing in the Dust (2003), followed by The Beautiful City (2004) and Fireworks Wednesday (2006). He gained acclaim for About Elly (2009), earning a Silver Bear for Best Director.
Reader's Guide
Farhadi became one of the few directors worldwide to have won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film twice, for the family drama A Separation (2011) and the moral drama The Salesman (2016), the latter of which also received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay. A Separation also won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the first Iranian film to do so. His film The Past (2013) was filmed in France, and Everybody Knows (2018) was filmed in Spain. He returned to Iran with A Hero (2021), which earned him the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix. In 2012, he was included on the annual Time 100 list and received the Legion of Honour from France. His works are noted for their nuanced depiction of Iranian culture and family conflicts.
Did You Know?
- Farhadi was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in 2012.
- He received the Legion of Honour from France in 2012.
- A Separation became the first Iranian movie to win the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
- The Salesman won both the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay and the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
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