Mini biography

Ali Zarnegar _{(1983, Tehean, Iran)}

Ali Zarnegar (b. 1983) is an Irainian author, film director and poet.

He graduated in film directing from Tehran University of Art and has a Master degree in Drama too.

His latest work is Cause of Death: Unknown (2023), selected at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Zarnegar started his career in literature and Cinema simultaneously. From 2002 to 2015, he made seven short films. From among them ‘becoming’ won the Best Film and the Best Screen play awards in the 27th Tehran International Short Film Festival.

His first film, “Life with the presence of a wall”, has never obtained a screening licence and was shut down only after seventeen days of filming.

In 2014, he was nominated for the Best Screen play award for ‘Wednesday, May 9’ in the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival. ‘Wednesday, May 9’ received many awards, including Jury Prize of Venice Film Festival, Special Jury Prize of Berkshire International Film Festival and Special Jury Prize of Bratislava International Film Festival.

Two years later, in 2016, he was nominated for the Best Screen play for ‘No Date, No signature’ in the 35th Fajr International Film Festival. The film also won the Cinema Cinema Academy award in Iran and the Best Screen play award in the 27th Stockholm International Film Festival. ‘No Date, No signature’ has been accepted in more than 40 festivals and has won more than 10 international awards.

In 2018 Zarnegar was once more nominated for the Best Screen play in Fajr International Film Festival; this time for ‘Bone Marrow’.

In 2021 he wrote and directed his debut film Cause of Death: Unknown (2023). This independent film shows tragedy from a different perspective. It tells the story of seven passengers in the heart of a desert who have to make a collective decision based on personal situations. (raftfilms.com)


Filmography

Director

2023 Cause of Death: Unknown


Writer

2023 Cause of Death: Unknown
2020 Bone Marrow | Maghz-e ostokhan
2017 No Date, No signature | Bedoone Tarikh, Bedoone Emza
2015 Wednesday, May 9 | Chaharshanbeh, 19 Ordibehesht


Awasds

2023: Nominated for the Best New Director Promotional Award at the Hof International Film Festival in Germany for the film “Cause of Death: Unknown.”

2023: Nominated for the Asian New Talent Award (Best Film) at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China for the film “Cause of Death: Unknown.”

2023: Nominated for the Asian New Talent Award (Best Director) at the Shanghai International Film Festival in China for the film “Cause of Death: Unknown.”

2020: Nominated for the Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay at the Fajr Film Festival in Iran for the film “Bone Marrow.”

2017: Winner of the Best Screenplay at the Stockholm Film Festival in Sweden for the film “No Date, No signature.”

Director - Selected filmography

1. Cause of Death: Unknown | Ellat-e Marg Namaloom (2023)