Ali Zare Ghanat Nowi

Ali Zare Ghanatnowi ( fa, علی زارع قنات نوی) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, translator, cinema teacher, graphic designer, cameraman, and film producer. An active film-maker from 2000, he had been involved in over twenty films, including animations, shorts, and documentaries. Zare attained critical acclaim for directing ''Empty View'' (2017) and ''Dad's Fragile Doll'' (2013) which was awarded the best animation of International Open Film Festival (IOFF). His other film ''Empty View'' has won multiple international awards, including the best animation of Asians On Film (first award and the best film music). The music part in ''Empty View'' is made by Mohammadreza Aligholi. ''Empty view'' has been in the official selections for the best animation in Edmonton International Film Festival in Canada. This festival is among those confirmed by Oscar Academy that is held every year in Edmonton, Alberta. Ali Zare Ghanat Nowi who had achieved this before, by ''Dad's Fragile Doll'' being selected in Anima Mundi (event), now again reached this place by ''Empty View''.

His ''Empty View'' book was translated and published in France in 2021

Early life and background

Zare was born in Shiraz in 1981. His first experience as a very young teenager was at w:fa: صدا و سیمای مرکز فارس, Iran National Broadcasting in Fars Province channel in 1997. He continued it into his late teens because of his early interest in cinema and theater beginning from high school. So, before leaving home to study at University of Tehran and then Berlin School, he had some experience with cinema and film-making that supported his studies.

As a director and cameraman, he worked in making some TV commercials and advertising from 2006 to 2016. Around 2004 to 2013, in Shiraz film club, had been active in holding film and criticism meetings. Most of these meetings were hold in Shiraz University and Hafez hall about famous movies by great directors. In 2004 he founded Cinema School in Shiraz
. As a manager and teacher in Cinema School, he made many workshops about cinema, criticism, editing, screenwriting, make-up etc. Beside himself teaching, he invited many important people like Saeed Aghighi, Farzad Motamen, Mohammadreza Aslani, Mahmoud Kalari, Mehri Shirazi, Homayoun As'adian, Zhila Mehrjooii, Mohammad Aalaadpoosh, Jamal Mirsadeghi, Rahim Hoodi etc.

Film career

In 1999 Zare worked in a TV project named ''Didgah'' (View) as the editor, assistant director, and writer. It was a program which was broadcast in Fars Province channel and had discussions about the films by some critiques following the film being displayed. They were the latest important foreign movies with Persian subtitles. Meanwhile, Zare was also the writer of ''Iran, Sale Sefr'', (Iran, the year zero) a radio play about Iran in one hundred years later. An author who has been abroad for many years, comes back to Iran and faces new conditions and different situations.

In 2000, Zare pursued his ambition to be a director by making ''HandiCrafts in Fars Province''. It was a 13-part TV documentary about local people making handicrafts. It used folklore music while showing their handicrafts. Following this, Zare wrote and directed his first short film ''Paeeze Khakestari'' (2000) meaning ''Gray Autumn''. It tells the story of a man who has been lost for four years and has lost his memory. Now he faces some familiar surroundings, until the reason of his lost and losing his memory is discovered. In the same year, Zare helped in directing and editing ''Mosabegheh Delavar Mardane Fat'h'', (Gallant Guys Conquer) a 52-part TV match with military members participating to gain more score and win.

In 2001, Zare was busy as the editor of ''Jahan Nama'' (World View). It was a 52-part documentary about fantastic places worldwide with a different editing method which he himself did the sounding too. That year he also released his second short film. ''Barandegan Chizi Nemibarand'' (Winners Win Nothing), written and directed by him, and it has a story about a soldier who has come back from the war as a shell-shocked ill man. He is still in the mindset of war then some filmmakers find him. Zare edited a short film called ''Vahe'' (2003) meaning ''Oasis''. In 2004, he wrote and directed MIT, an industrial documentary that revolved around introducing an educational package called MIT in a university.

In 2006 Zare directed and wrote a video art: ''Makoo''. The story is about three women in different times and different social classes that each woman seems to continue the life process of the previous. In 2008, he directed a documentary named ''Chahar Marge Yek Nevisandeh'' (Four Deaths of a Writer). It is the life of a writer showing how he dies four times in his works and the screenplay was written with the help of Shahriar Mandanipour. It was not until his release of ''Red Mind'' (2009) that he began to gain recognition out of Shiraz. ''Red Mind'' documentary which was produced, directed, and wrote all by himself, is based on Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi notes. The film tells the story of creating human, the eternal love between human and God, human descent, and love reincarnation in human.

''Faryadha o Najvaha'' (2010) meaning ''Whispers and Cries'' is described as a narration of the life within blind and deaf kids in special schools. It shows sadly the hard life of those kids. This documentary also relates to the teachers who make endless efforts and have unconditional passion for helping the disabled kids. Zare uses khaki colored themes in ''Safarnameh Sistan'' which was made in 2011. This documentary is about a trip to Sistan and meeting Balochi ethnics. It illustrates the very hard life of people living there, giving information about their life style in such a dry area. This documentary is a free adaptation from ''Meet the Baloch People'' by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. In 2012 Zare was involved in the screenwriting of ''The Lights'', which he also produced and directed. It's about the famous writer Jamal Mirsadeghi, his life and writings. In 2013, he released ''Dad's Fragile Doll'', Zare's first animation, which narrates the story of a political prisoner who has a kid. The family gets upset with arresting the father but the girl dreams about killing the man who arrested him. The animation examines rotoscoping technique which was the first time done in Iran. The screenplay was adopted from a story by Houshang Golshiri with the same title. It won the best animation of veteran's festival in Australia. ''Dad's Fragile Doll'' received praise from people such as Ted Hope, the famous producer of 21 grams and was displayed in cinemas across Germany and US.

In 2014 Zare wrote ''The lives of Others'' for his former student, Bahareh Ahmadi. This film is regarded as a narration about a girl who loses her hopes to continue life. The animation follows the two dimension technique as designed by hand. Meanwhile, these, he edited ''Shahre man, Aabaadi'' (My City, the Dorp), a TV film. In 2015 Zare was selected in Ozark Foothills Film Fest in US for his directing of the film ''Bande Naaf'' (Umbilical Cord). This movie is about a woman who tells the story of her baby. The style of film-making for that is experimental. Some flashbacks are used to show the feelings and lunatic thoughts of a mother about her missed baby. ''Timology'' from 2015, was edited and produced by him. This experimental movies talks about the contemporary life of human who has been lost in time and existence. That year he also edited and produced ''Jump In Love'' for his two former students Ali Lavari and Vahid Mobasheri.

Zare next wrote the screenplay and directed ''Hafteye Ayandeh'' (2015) meaning ''Next Week'', a documentary about a week of effort that disabled kids do to have a normal life. Between 2015 and 2017, he was involved in the production, directing, and editing of ''Zand Street'', ''The Kiss'', ''Internationale'', ''Pour with the rain'' (about Amin Faghiri), and ''Empty View'', all of them finished. ''Zand Street'' and ''Pour with the Rain'' are documentaries and the other three are animations. His last work is an animation named ''Essence'' which is selected in CineGlobe Switzerland Festival. Inspired by a tone poem, named Also sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)

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