Ali Zarnegar
Iranian poet, writer, and director Ali Zarnegar was born in Tehran in 1983. He earned a Master's in Theatre as well as his degree in film directing from Tehran University of Art.
Zarnegar started his career in both literature and film at the same time, becoming well-known in each. He produced seven outstanding short films between 2002 and 2015, with "Becoming" winning the prestigious Best Film and Best Screenplay prizes at the 27th Tehran International Short Film Festival. His debut movie, "Living with the Presence of a Wall", however, encountered adverse circumstances and had to be stopped after only seventeen days of filming since it was refused a screening license.
For "Wednesday, May 9" Zarnegar was nominated for the Best Screenplay prize at the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival in 2014. With awards from the Special Jury Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and the Special Jury Prize at the Bratislava International Film Festival, this movie went on to enjoy tremendous success.
Zarnegar was nominated for the Best Screenplay prize at the 35th Fajr International Film Festival two years later, in 2016, this time for his movie "No Date, No Signature". The movie earned the Best Writing Prize at the 27th Stockholm International Film Festival in addition to the Cinema Cinema Academy award in Iran. More than 40 festivals have accepted "No Date, No Signature" and it has won more than 10 international honours.
Zarnegar's extraordinary creativity was once more acknowledged in 2018, when his film "Bone Marrow" earned him a nomination for Best Writing at the Fajr International Film Festival. Zarnegar undertook a new endeavor in 2022 when he wrote and directed his first movie. This indie production presents the tale of seven people who were stuck in the middle of a desert and must come to a decision as a group based on their unique personal circumstances.
Festival Attendance
Ali Zarnegar
Iranian poet, writer, and director Ali Zarnegar was born in Tehran in 1983. He earned a Master's in Theatre as well as his degree in film directing from Tehran University of Art.
Zarnegar started his career in both literature and film at the same time, becoming well-known in each. He produced seven outstanding short films between 2002 and 2015, with "Becoming" winning the prestigious Best Film and Best Screenplay prizes at the 27th Tehran International Short Film Festival. His debut movie, "Living with the Presence of a Wall", however, encountered adverse circumstances and had to be stopped after only seventeen days of filming since it was refused a screening license.
For "Wednesday, May 9" Zarnegar was nominated for the Best Screenplay prize at the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival in 2014. With awards from the Special Jury Award at the Berkshire International Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and the Special Jury Prize at the Bratislava International Film Festival, this movie went on to enjoy tremendous success.
Zarnegar was nominated for the Best Screenplay prize at the 35th Fajr International Film Festival two years later, in 2016, this time for his movie "No Date, No Signature". The movie earned the Best Writing Prize at the 27th Stockholm International Film Festival in addition to the Cinema Cinema Academy award in Iran. More than 40 festivals have accepted "No Date, No Signature" and it has won more than 10 international honours.
Zarnegar's extraordinary creativity was once more acknowledged in 2018, when his film "Bone Marrow" earned him a nomination for Best Writing at the Fajr International Film Festival. Zarnegar undertook a new endeavor in 2022 when he wrote and directed his first movie. This indie production presents the tale of seven people who were stuck in the middle of a desert and must come to a decision as a group based on their unique personal circumstances.
Festival Attendance
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We acknowledge Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country the festival is based. We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.
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