Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Mohsen Makhmalbaf was born on May 29, 1957 in Tehran, Iran, a city that would later become the backdrop for many of his cinematic explorations. At the tender age of fifteen he joined a militant group opposed to the Shah, an experience that led to a violent confrontation in which he stabbed a police officer and was sentenced to death. After five harrowing years behind bars, the 1979 Iranian Revolution secured his release, profoundly shaping his worldview and artistic voice. Emerging from prison, he quickly turned to the nascent Iranian film industry, penning screenplays for Towjeeh (1981) and Marg Deegari (1982) before directing his debut feature Tobeh Nosuh in 1983. His early films such as Boycott (1985) and The Cyclist (1987) reflected the stark realities of post‑revolutionary Iran, often drawing on his own experiences of oppression and survival. Throughout the 1990s he pushed the boundaries of narrative form, creating Close‑Up (1990) with Abbas Kiarostami and experimenting with magical realism in Gabbeh (1996). Makhmalbaf’s relentless curiosity led him to found the Makhmalbaf Film House in 1996, a collaborative workshop that nurtured his children’s talents and produced acclaimed works like The Apple (1997).**

**Internationally, Makhmalbaf’s reputation blossomed with masterpieces such as A Moment of Innocence (1996) and Kandahar (2001), the latter being named by Time magazine as one of the 100 greatest films of all time. He has amassed over fifty awards, including the UNESCO Federico Fellini Honor (2001) and the Freedom to Create prize (2009), and served on juries at Venice (2006) and Busan (2024). A vocal critic of authoritarianism, he left Iran in 2005 after the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and has lived in Paris since the 2009 protests, continuing to champion human rights through cinema. Married twice—to Fatemeh Meshkini (deceased 1982) and later to filmmaker Marzieh Meshkini—he is the father of three children: Samira, Meysam, and Hana, all of whom have contributed to the family’s artistic legacy.