Alireza Ghasemi (Persian: علیرضا قاسمی; Born 1990) is an Iranian screenwriter, film director and producer. notably directing In the Land of Brothers, for which he won the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival.[1]

Alireza Ghasemi
علیرضا قاسمی
Born (1990-10-29) 29 October 1990 (age 34)
NationalityIranian
EducationArt University of Tehran
OccupationFilmmaker

Early life and Education

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Ghasemi graduated from the Tehran University of Art, where he studied cinema, and later attended Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany.[2] He is also an alumnus of the Cannes Cinema de demain (2018) and Berlinale Talents (2022).[3]

Career

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Ghasemi first gained international recognition with his short film Lunch Time (2017), which was nominated for the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 70th Cannes Film Festival. This recognition established him as a rising talent in world cinema.

He later directed and co-wrote several notable short films, including Better Than Neil Armstrong (2019), Extra Sauce (2020), and Solar Eclipse (2021). These works were screened at numerous prestigious film festivals and received critical acclaim for their innovative narratives and thematic depth.

Beyond filmmaking, Ghasemi has been actively involved in film festival organization. He served as the director of the 11th Nahal International Short Film Festival in 2014 and founded the Globe International Silent Film Festival in 2015.[4] In 2021, he was appointed as the director of the Iranian Short Film Academy Awards (ISFA Awards)[5], further contributing to the recognition of short films and filmmakers in Iran.

His debut feature, In the Land of Brothers (2024), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and earned the Best Directing Award in the World Cinema Competition. The film, which delves into themes of displacement and familial bonds, further established Ghasemi as a socially conscious filmmaker.[6]

Filmography

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Feature Film

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Year Title Director Screenwriter Producer Note
2024 In the Land of Brothers Yes Yes Yes Premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

Short Film

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Year Title Director Screenwriter Producer Note
2021 Solar Eclipse Yes Yes Yes
2019 Arezo Yes Yes No
2019 Extra Sauce Yes Yes No
2019 Better than Neil Armstrong Yes Yes No
2017 Lunch Time Yes Yes Yes
2016 Frequency Yes Yes Yes
2015 Shortcut Yes Yes Yes

Awards

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  • In the Land of Brothers: Directing Award, Sundance Film Festival
  • Solar Eclipse: Best International Short Film, Minimalen Film Festival
  • Lunch Time: Nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival, 2017[7]
  • Frequency: Nominated for the Best Experimental Film, and Winner of the Best Editing award at 13th Nahal International Student Short Film Festival, 2016[8]
  • Shortcut: Winner of the Special Jury Committee Prize at 12th Nahal International Student Short Film Festival, 2015[9]

References

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  1. ^ "2024 Sundance Film Festival Announces Award Winners - sundance.org". 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  2. ^ https://www.locarnofestival.ch/pardo/Locarno-Young/Locarno-Academy/critics-academy/past-editions/Critics-2019/alireza-ghasemi.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Berlinale Talents - Alireza Ghasemi". Berlinale Talents. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  4. ^ "1st Tehran Intl. Silent filmfest. kicks off". Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Iran short filmfest picks secretary". ifilm-آیفیلم. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
  6. ^ Elfadl, Murtada (2024-01-28). "'In the Land of Brothers' Review: An Assured Debut From Iranian Filmmakers Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
  7. ^ "Lunch Time (2017) – FCC". Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  8. ^ "نامزدهای دریافت بهترین جایزه در بخش های مختلف مسابقه از نگاه هیئت داوران". جشنواره فیلم کوتاه دانشجویی نهال. Retrieved 2017-04-18.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "درباره نهال – جشنواره فیلم کوتاه دانشجویی نهال". nahalfestival.ir (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2017-04-15. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
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