Marzieh Meshkini ( fa, مرضیه مشکینی) (born 1969 in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

) is an Iranian

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and writer. She is married to filmmaker

Mohsen Makhmalbaf Mohsen Makhmalbaf ( fa, محسن مخملباف, ''Mohsen Makhmalbaaf''; born May 29, 1957) is an Iranian film director, writer, film editor, and producer. He has made more than 20 feature films, won some 50 awards and been a juror in more than 1 ...

, who wrote the script for her debut film ''

The Day I Became a Woman ''The Day I Became a Woman'' ( fa, italic=yes, Roozi ke zan shodam, ) is a 2000 award-winning Iranian drama film directed by Marzieh Meshkini. It tells three stories, each depicting a different stage in the lives of Iranian women. It premièred at ...

''.

Personal life

Marzieh Meshkini was born in

in 1969 and studied geology and biology at the University of Tehran. She is married to director

, whose first wife (Meshkini’s sister Fatemeh, who died in a fire) is the mother to his two children Samira and Meysam. Marzieh Meshkini also had a daughter with Makhmalbaf, Hana. All members of the family are filmmakers and are part of the Makhmalbaf Film House.

Work

Marzieh Meshkini studied cinema at the Makhmalbaf Film School, established as part of the

Makhmalbaf Film House Makhmalbaf Film House is a film production company started by Mohsen Makhmalbaf and his family in Iran. The production company, which comprises all his family members, continues to produce films from the United Kingdom. Their latest production was ...

in the mid-1990s. She has worked on several films from the MFH, including serving as the assistant director on Samira Makhmalbaf's 1998 film, ''The Apple'' (''Sib)'', and writing the script for Hana Makhmalbaf's first feature film, ''

Buddha Collapsed out of Shame ''Buddha Collapsed out of Shame'' ( fa, بودا از شرم فرو ریخت, Buda az sharm foru rikht) is a 2007 Iranian film directed by Hana Makhmalbaf. The title is taken from her father Mohsen Makhmalbaf's book ''The Buddha Was Not Demolishe ...

'' (''Buda az Sharm foru Rikht'', 2007). During the presidency of

Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 to ...

, there was a relative openness which allowed a number of women, including Meshkini,

Samira Makhmalbaf Samira Makhmalbaf ( fa, سمیرا مخملباف, ''Samira Makhmalbaaf'') (born 15 February 1980) Filmography Awards and nominations * "Sutherland Trophy", London Film Festival (1998), UK. * "Special Mention, Official Jury", Locarno Fi ...

, Rakhshan Banietemad and

Mania Akbari Mania Akbari ( fa, مانيا اکبری, born 22 September 1974 Meshkini was thus part of a new wave of female directors who could finally see filmmaking as a legitimate career for women. In 2000, Meshkini became the first Iranian woman to win awards at the 57th Venice International Film Festival for her debut film, ''The Day I Became a Woman''. After this, she continued to work on numerous films with the MFH in different capacities. She also directed the Afghanistan-set '' Stray Dogs'' (2004) and co-directed ''The Man Who Came with the Snow'' (2009).

Critical reception

Within Meshkini’s directorial work, ''The Day I Became a Woman'' was especially well-regarded, with

Hamid Reza Sadr Hamid Reza Sadr ( fa, حمیدرضا صدر, 19 April 1956 – 16 July 2021) was an Iranian football and film critic, journalist, author, university professor, historian, and economist. Sadr earned a Ph.D. in urban planning after studying at bot ...

calling the film “perhaps the quintessential film about contemporary femininity.”

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

called it a “startlingly simple and ravishing debut” and included it in its 2015 list of 100 overlooked films directed by women. Reviews on ''Stray Dogs'' were more divisive. Contrary to his highly favorable review of ''The Day I Became a Woman''

Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdashers ...

described his viewing experience as follows: “What a strange, perplexing and ultimately exasperating film it is.”

Censorship

Similar to other prominent directors such as

Abbas Kiarostami Abbas Kiarostami ( fa, عباس کیارستمی ; 22 June 1940 – 4 July 2016) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and film producer. An active filmmaker from 1970, Kiarostami had been involved in the production of ...

and Samira Makhmalbaf, Meshkini has positive views on the role of censorship in Iranian cinema. Since American films can’t be shown in Tehran, Iranian filmmakers also cannot be influenced by them. This allows the Iranian film world to create a cinema of its own. Censorship forces filmmakers to approach their topics in a new way, and can therefore be a source of inspiration. With ''The Day I Became a Woman'', Meshkini is allegorically testing the limits and flexibility of the Iranian government’s censorship rules, especially with regards to the restrictions imposed on the representation of women.

Honors and awards

*Silver Hugo (Best First Film) for ''The Day I Became a Woman'',

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

(2000) *UNESCO Award for ''The Day I Became a Woman'', 57th Venice International Film Festival (2000) *Isvema Award for ''The Day I Became a Woman'', 57th Venice International Film Festival (2000) *Best First Film CinemAvvenire Award for ''The Day I Became a Woman'', 57th Venice International Film Festival (2000) *Open Prize for ''Stray Dogs'',

61st Venice International Film Festival The 61st annual Venice International Film Festival was held between 1 and 11 September 2004. The festival opened with Steven Spielberg's ''The Terminal'', and closed with Katsuhiro Otomo's '' Steamboy''. The Golden Lion was awarded to the fi ...

(2004) *NETPAC/FIPRESCI Award for ''Stray Dogs'', 18th

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for ...

Silver Screen Awards The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is an annual film festival held every year in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Besides the competition feature and short film screening ...

(2005)

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meshkini, Marzieh 1969 births Iranian cinematographers Iranian women cinematographers Iranian women film directors Iranian film directors Iranian screenwriters Living people People from Tehran Women screenwriters