Mini biography

Abdolreza Kahani (22 December 1973, Neishabour; Iran)

Abdolreza Kahani was born in the city of Neishabour on 22 December 1973.

Since the age of fourteen, he had been working as an actor, writer and director in various plays and won many awards during both his schooling and university years.

In 1991 he obtained his [high school] diploma in the city of Neishabour in the field of culture and literature (Social Sciences) and subsequently enrolled at the Azad University of Arak to study acting.
After graduating in 1996, he began his master’s degree at the faculty of arts and architecture , but he abandoned his studies in the final stages of graduation.

[Roham Maher on Abdolreza Kahani]: Although some of him movies were banned in his home country and some even been banned everywhere. His films have usually been financially successful, and critics liked them too.

Kahani began his career in cinema with making short films. At the age of sixteen, he worked as a producer for a short film titled Laughter. Unfortunately no copy of this film is currently available.

In 1998, Kahani’s first professional screenplay was adapted into a movie by Mahdi Borghei titled Voyage to The East. Then in years that followed, he devoted much of his time to making short films. His first short work was Travellers of Need (2002).

In 2004, he directed Dance with the Moon, which stopped in the half-way of production because of content disagreements with the producer. Adam is Kahani’s first big screen movie which was directed in 2007.

After being screened in the Fajr Film Festival, the movie was banned. In 2008, Kahani directed Over There, but this movie banned quickly by [Ahmadinejad’s] Culture Ministry and subsequently disqualified from the Fajr Film Festival. Twenty is the name of Kahani’s next work, which was released in 2009. This was the first time that one of Kahani’s movies was screened publicly. For directing this movie, Kahani went to the Damascus International Film Festival. Twenty won the silver statue in the long movie category at the International Film Festival of Damascus.

In 2010, his next movie Nothing was released. A censored version was authorised for screening in Iran, however, it has not permission for screening outside the country yet. It was right after the production of this movie that the new law of obtain authorisation for being screened outside of the country, as well as in the country was enacted. Nothing would become the first movie to ever fail in obtaining the mentioned authorisation.

During the 28th Fajr Film Festival, Nothing was introduced to the audience with only one sequence and won their praise instantly. Iran’s Deputy Culture Minister for Cinematic Affairs, who had banned the movie until that point, for its alleged blackwashing, decided to remove the ban and the movie was finally screened in March 2010.

On 11 July 2009, at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and while accepting the Special Jury Prize and the Prize of Ecumenical Jury for Twenty, Kahani asked the audience to stand up in respect for the defiance of the Iranian people during the protests against the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad as president.

In 2011, Kahani directed the movie Absolutely Tame Is a Horse. Owing to a lawsuit filed by the Iranian Police as well as opposition from the Culture Ministry, it took seven months for the movie to obtain authorisation for screening. Nevertheless, like his previous film, it was not granted permission for overseas screening and could not reach a wider international audience. The movie’s international distributer, which had previously lobbied to ensure a foreign premiere of the film, was met with requests for its screening by a number of well-known film festivals.

However, the Culture Ministry halted the distributer’s activities and continued to prevent the movie’s screening. The move resulted in statements of support being issued by the directors of a number of film festivals including Abu Dhabi and Chicago. By no reason is the name of Kahani’s last movie, which was released in 2012. Authorisation for the movie was granted after seven months, but the movie has stumbled upon many obstacles for its screening. Twenty is the only Kahani movie ever to be shown on Iran’s state television.

As a result of the difficulties he faced over the release of his movie For By No Reason, Kahani finally left Iran for France and, in 2014, directed the movie We've  got time there. We've got time has already been screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Following the movie’s production, Kahani returned to Iran and filmed his latest movie Absolute Rest, which features some of Iran’s most well-acclaimed actors.

As one might assume, Kahani’s other movies have also encountered many difficulties, the most important of which has been obtaining screening permits. In the period of five years, five of Kahani’s screenplays were not received screening permission and he has thus written alternative screenplays instead.


Filmography

 2021 Isthmus
 2018 We Like You Miss Yaya
 2016 Delighted | Eradatmand Nazanin Bahareh Tina
 2015 Absolute Rest | Estérahaté Motlagh
 2014 On a le temps
 2012 By No Reason | Bikhod & Bi Jahat
 2011 Absolutely Tame As a Horse | Asb heyvan-e najibi ast
 2010 Hich (aka Nothing)
 2009 Bist (aka Twenty)
 2008 Over There | Aan ja
 2007/II Adam
 2004 Empty Hands (Documentary)

Awards

    * Special Prize of the Jury, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, 2009.
    * Golden Alexander, Thessaloniki Film Festival, 2008.

Director - Selected filmography

1. A Shrine | Ziaratgah (2024)
   
2. You Won't See Winter | Zemestan Ra Nakhahi Did (2022)
   
3. We Like You Miss Yaya | Miss Yaya (2018)
   
4. Delighted | Eradatmand Nazanin Bahareh Tina (2016)
   
5. Absolute Rest | Estérahaté Motlagh (2015)
   
6. Needlessly and Causelessly | Bikhod & Bi Jahat (2012)
   
7. Absolutely Tame As a Horse | Asb heyvan-e najibi ast (2011)
   
8. Twenty | Bist (2009)
   
9. Nothing | Hich (2009)
   
10. Over There | An Ja (2008)