Mini biography

Bahman Farmanara _{(January 23rd, 1942, Teheran, Iran)}

Born in Tehran in 1942. Graduated from London School of Music and Dramatic Arts and University of Southern California in film direction.

Collaborated in film magazines during his university days. After his return to Iran in 1966, he began to work at the English-language newspaper, Tehran Journal.

In 1967 he began a 3-year collaboration with the National Television as a writer and anchor of programs on cinema.

His collaboration with the television provided the opportunity to direct in 1971 the short film Nourooz and Caviar.

He began his professional career in cinema with the film Qamar Khanom's House which was made after the successful airing of a T.V. series of the same title.

"..Another dearest person in my life was Abbas Kiarostami. He is still dear to me and I still can't believe that he died as a result of the negligence of his treating doctor. Abbas and I's friendship started from a simple acquaintance; An acquaintance to make a movie gradually turned into a solid friendship and from those years we sat down to talk and our common world was a good excuse to share everything together. When Abbas' children grew up, the troubles started. Abbas did not understand their language. He used to send the children to me to tell me everything, and Ahmad and Bahman, like my own children, shared with me any problems they had. I was always a good mediator and I was so happy that recently Bahman had reconnected with his father. He told his grandmother that I saw the moles on my father's back after many years while I was giving him a massage." --Farmanara

From 1973 he was in charge of the Film Industry Development Corporation of Iran. In 1980 he moved to France, and later, in 1981, to Canada. In Vancouver he organized a Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults which he ran for the first two years.

In 1984 he set up a film distribution company in Canada called the Cinema Circle of Canada. In recent years he has been teaching at the College of Cinema and Theater.


Short Films: (As director)

1971 Nourooz and Caviar
1972 The Tehran Old and the New (also writer)


As producer:

1974 Prince Ehtejab | Shazdeh Ehtejab
1975 F For Fake (coproduction with France)
1976 The Divine One | Malakout
1976 The chess game of the Wind
1976 The Desert of the Tartars | Il deserto dei tartari (coproduction with France & Italy)
1977 The Other Side of the Wind (coproduction with France)
1977 The Cycle | Dayereh mina |
1977 The Crow | Kalagh
1977 The Night Never Ends (Dar Emtedad Shab, By Parviz Sayad)
1978 The Report | Gozaresh
1979 Tall Shadows Of The wind | Sayehaye bolande bad
1990 Leolo (By Jean Claude Lauzon)
2002 A House Built On Water | Khanei ruye ab
2008 Earthbound | The Familiar Soil | Khak-Ashna
2018 Tale Of The Sea | Hekayat-e Darya

Director - Selected filmography

1. TALE OF THE SEA | Hekayat-e Darya (2018)
   
2. Earthbound | Khak-Ashna (2008)
   
3. A Little Kiss - Yek Boos-e Koochooloo (2005)
   
4. A House Built On Water | Khanei ruye ab (2002)
   
5. Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine | Booye Kafoor, Atre Yas (2000)
   
6. Sayehaye bolande bad | Tall Shadows Of The Wind (1979)
   
7. Prince Ehtejab | Shazdeh Ehtejab (1974)
   
8. The House Of Qamar Khanoum | Khaneye Ghamar khanoum (1972)