Born in Iran in 1957. Mohsen Makhmalbaf is a filmmaker, novelist, screenwriter, editor, producer and human rights activist. Since his debut as a filmmaker in 1983 he has directed more than 20 feature films in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Turkey and several other countries. Winning over 50 awards at festivals world wide his films include "Gabbeh" (1996, Cannes Film Festival), "Kandahar" (2001) which was selected as one of the top 100 films of all time by TIME Magazine, and the acclaimed 2012 documentary "The Gardener".

In addition to filmmaking Makhmalbaf lived in Afghanistan for a period of two years, carrying out numerous human rights projects including building schools and working towards a renewal of the Afghan cinema, which had been totally destroyed during the Taliban regime. The Iranian government has levied a ban on Makhmalbaf's works and has threatened his safety over the years. Since leaving Iran in 2005 in protest against the pressure of censorship, Makhmalbaf is based in London and Paris.