Ayat Najafi ( fa, آیت نجفی, born 23 September 1976) is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. He has received many international awards from the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

and

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

for "

Football Under Cover ''Football Under Cover'' is a 2008 Germany, German/Iranian documentary film directed by David Assmann and Ayat Najafi. It follows the attempts of German people, German Marlene Assmann and Iranian Ayat Najafi to organise a Association football, foo ...

" and also

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

for ''

No Land's Song ''No Land's Song'' ( fa, آواز بی‌سرزمین / ''Âvâz-e Bi-Sarzamin'') is a 2014 Iranian documentary film written and directed by Ayat Najafi, starring Sara Najafi, Parvin Namazi, Sayeh Sodeyfi, Emel Mathlouthi, Elise Caron, and Jeanne C ...

''.

Life and career

Ayat Najafi was born in Tehran in 1976. He established a youth theatre company in college in 1995, while getting professional experience as an intern and participating in several workshops, with masters and professors of Iranian theatre. He participated in a number of different theatrical productions as an assistant director, author, actor, and set designer. Since 2000, he realized his own directorial work. In 2003, he established the Arta Atelier, focusing on an interdisciplinary, multimedia approach to theater, as well as experimental short and documentary film. Ayat participated in at Berlinale Talent Campus, 2005, with his short film, “Move It” (2004). “

”, his 1st feature documentary, co-directed by

David Assmann David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, premiered at the International Berlin Film Festival, 2008, and has participated in several other festivals, winning several awards, such as

Teddy award The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale). In the most part, the jury consists of organisers of gay a ...

for best documentary,

Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

2008 and Prix Europa TV IRIS. ''

'' his 2nd feature documentary premiered at the

Montréal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

, 2014, and has shown in more than 50 Festivals around the world, winning several awards, such as the public award for Best Documentary, Montréal World Film Festival. Best documentary, Gijon International Film Festival. Youth Jury Award,

Dok Leipzig DOK Leipzig is a documentary film festival that takes place every year in Leipzig, Germany. It is an international film festival for documentary and animated film founded in 1955 under the name "1st All-German Leipzig Festival of Cultural and Doc ...

. Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Filmmaking, Human Rights Watch Film Festival - New York. He was a fellow at the International Research Center, Free University of Berlin and at the Exzellenzcluster, Kulturelle Grundlagen von Integration, University of Constance where he presented his theater production, “Stories of Women with Mustaches and Men in Skirts”. “Lady Tehran”, his second theater production in Germany with an international cast and crew, was performed in Berlin in 2009. In 2011 he followed with “Rasht- City of Women”, and 2012 with “Pakistan (does not) Exist”, also performed in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Ayat Najafi was a jury member at various festivals, including Amnesty International Jury at the Berlinale in 2012 and international jury at dokumentART- European Film Festival for Documentaries 2014. He is also author of numerous articles and essays for magazines, newspapers and web sites in Iran and Germany. He currently lives in Berlin and Tehran.

Filmography

Theaterography

* Sleepy Noon, Tehran 2001 * The Seagull, Tehran 2002 * The Armed Robbery of Potatoes, Tehran 2003 * Ferdowsi, Saddam Hossein and the Ants Pried in the Empty City, Tehran 2004 * Moments Before Tragedy, Tehran 2005 * Stories of Women with Mustaches and Men in Skirts, Constance, Germany 2009 * Tehran Banou: Lady Teheran, Berlin 2009 * Rasht – Stadt der Frauen, Berlin. 2011

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Najafi, Ayat 1976 births Living people Iranian film directors Iranian screenwriters Film people from Tehran