Majid Majidi ( fa, مجید مجیدی, ; born 17 April 1959) is an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

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, pr ...

, producer, and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, who started his film career as an actor. In his films, Majidi has touched on many themes and genres and has won numerous international awards.

Biography

Born in an Iranian middle-class family, he grew up 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 ...

and at the age of 14 he started acting in amateur theater groups. He then studied at the Institute of Dramatic Arts in Tehran. After the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

in 1979, his interest in cinema brought him to act in various films, most notably

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 ...

's ''

Boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict so ...

'' in 1985. In 1997, Majidi directed '' Children of Heaven'', which was nominated to receive the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. Though it lost to the Italian film '' Life Is Beautiful'' by Roberto Benigni, ''Children of Heaven'' is the first Iranian film to have been nominated by the academy. Majidi has directed several other feature films since ''Children of Heaven'': '' The Color of Paradise'' in 2000, '' Baran'' in 2001, and '' The Willow Tree'' in 2005 (alternate English title ''One Life More''). He also recently directed a feature-length documentary titled '' Barefoot to Herat'' which chronicles life in refugee camps and the city of Herat during and after the anti-Taliban offensive of 2001. In 2008, Majidi's acclaimed film ''

The Song of Sparrows ''The Song of Sparrows'' (''Âvâz-e gonjeshk-hâ'') ( fa, آواز گنجشک‌ها ) is a 2008 Iranian movie directed by Majid Majidi. It tells the story of Karim, a man who works at an ostrich farm until he is fired because one of the ostri ...

'' was the opening film of the Visakhapatnam International Film Festival in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Majid Majidi was one of five international film directors invited by the Beijing government to create a documentary short film to introduce the city of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

, in preparation for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

which was held in the Chinese capital; the project was titled "Vision Beijing". Majidi pulled out of a Danish film festival in protest against the publication in Denmark of cartoons satirizing the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Majidi stated that he was withdrawing "to protest against insulting any religious belief or icon". Majidi writes, "I believe in God and live with my beliefs in every single moment of my life. I would like to protest against insulting any religious belief and icon. For this reason, I would like to announce my withdrawal from your festival."

Filmography

;Director

Film

Shorts/documentaries

# ''Explosion'' (Enfejar) (1981) - documentary short # ''Hoodaj'' (1984) - short # ''Examination Day'' (Rooz-e Emtehan) (1988) - short # ''A Day with POWs'' (Yek Rooz Ba Asiran) (1989) - documentary short # ''The Last Village'' (Akhareen Abadi) (1993) - short # ''God Will Come'' (Khoda Miayad) (1996) - short # '' Barefoot to Herat'' (Pa berahneh ta Herat) (2002) - documentary # ''Olympics in the Camp'' (Olympik Tu Urdugah) (2003) - documentary short # ''Peace, Love, and Friendship'' (2007) - documentary short # ''Vision of Beijing'' (2008) - short # ''Rezae Rezvan'' (2007) - documentary # ''Najva ashorai'' (2008) - documentary

Awards and honors

Majid Majidi has received numerous awards up to now. Here are a few: *Grand Prix Des Ameriques, 21st Montreal Film Festival, 1997. *Ecumenical Jury award, 21st Montreal Film Festival, 1997. *Nominated for

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Foreign Film, 1998. *Grand Prix Des Ameriques, 23rd Montreal Film Festival, 1999. *Grand Prix Des Ameriques, 25th Montreal Film Festival, 2001.

References

External links

Unofficial website
run by his fan Fouad Nahas * {{DEFAULTSORT:Majidi, Majid Iranian film directors Iranian screenwriters Iranian male film actors Persian-language film directors People from Tehran Crystal Simorgh for Best Director winners Living people 1959 births Producers who won the Best Film Crystal Simorgh Crystal Simorgh for Best Screenplay winners Producers who won the Audience Choice of Best Film Crystal Simorgh