(Each sibling have a Actress | While at Newcastle he played American football for the UK national Nicholas Guilak was born in Houston,Texas and raised in La Jolla, California, moved to Los Angeles in 1991 and received his Bachelors of Arts from USC in Theatre, Humanities and Film. Its about expectations or projections, all the things we didnt get to do or wish we had done, we project onto the next generation. She stars Tala Ashe stars as Zari Adrianna Tomaz in The CW series "DC's Legends of Tomorrow." She attended a Sarah Shahi was born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi in Euless, Texas, to an Iranian father and Spanish-Iranian mother. Marie Selva was born in Paris to an Iranian Mother and French/Spanish Father.She is an artist, film director who studied at the film school of cinema in Paris, France. Amir Naderi is one of the most influential figures of 20th century Persian cinema. He is a director and producer, known for Our Lady of the Assassins (2000), Murder by Numbers (2002) and Barfly (1987). The application deadline to take advantage of this opportunity isAugust1st, and is fast approaching. Chair, Georgetown Business for Impact Initiative, Program Manager, the Family Caregiver Alliance, Humanitarian Aid and Financing reform, International Rescue Committee. Trump had just been elected, the Muslim ban and immigrants were being so vilified. Pitts' first feature, Season Five (1997), premiered in the Venice Film Festival. She is a former NFL cheerleader and a descendant of a 19th-century Persian Shah. But she has a choice. But its been the case forever theyve been fighting against expectations. His debut feature film debut "Bodkin Ras" had it's world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2016 and Hossein Amini was born in Iran, and when he was 11 years old, he and his family moved to England. Dubbed as "the man of a thousand faces," he garnered critical acclaim for his role "Abu Nazir" on the Emmy Award-winning series Homeland. NIAC, the 501(c)(3) sister organization of NIAC Action, is dedicated to educating & engaging the Iranian-American community in order to further advance these priorities. By 1961 he had already spent a lot of time studying-and researching- ancient persian Jafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. She was recently Narges Rashidi was born in Iran, settled in 1987 with her family at first in Turkey and a year later to Germany. As an actor, Max has numerous film and television credits including NBC's Heroes, regular appearances on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia, Netflix original Behrouz Vossoughi is one of Iran's most legendary actors. He then studied in London then Scotland were he performed in thirteen different shows, 168 performances and Andy Madadian is known for House of Sand and Fog (2003), Guardian Angel (2014) and American Wrestler: The Wizard (2016). I think a lot of people feel that. He is an actor, known for The Kite Runner (2007), Taste of Cherry (1997) and A Most Wanted Man (2014). She is half-Scottish (father) and half-Israeli (mother). They went to Israel, then to America where Tami is still based. [1] He was invited by the United States Department of State to continue his studies in America after winning an international film award for Flood in Khuzestan. Up until I was shooting, I was rewriting, honestly. They have two children. Kaweh Modiri (1982) is a Dutch writer/ director of Iranian descent. She is the wife of celebrated Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. A high-level Defense He began his career with still photography Marziyeh Meshkini Born in 1969 in Tehran. He then joined the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, where he started a film section, and this started his career Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in Iran. He has been married to Bulle Ogier since April 1991. Reza Sayed Badiyi (also known as Reza Badiei; Persian: ; April 17, 1930 August 20, 2011) was an Iranian-born American film and television director. It was a sense of safety and joy. After graduating from high school, Tandees and her family moved to Vancouver, Canada, where she continued her studies in media, television and later on Atossa Leoni was born in October 1977 in Berlin, Germany. She was previously married to Reza. He recently starred in the Netflix Global drama The Letter for the King (2020) as Sir Fantumar and the HBO/BBC series His Dark Materials (2019). The Iranian people have always found a way to have joy. He naturally followed in their foot steps early on and began making his own short films on super 8 and 16mm film at age 11. He also started writing and staging his own plays at the age of eight for school and other public venues. She is an actress, known for Fishing Naked (2015), The Murder Plans (2011) and Like No Tomorrow: An Apocalypse Anthology (2020). WebThe data show that the Iranian American community is quite diverse in terms of ethnicity, religion and political affiliation. After receiving his high school diploma, he started studying art at the Institute of Dramatic Art in Tehran. He is an actor, known for Alex Cross (2012), Unthinkable (2010) and Intelligence (2014). Yara Shahidi was born on February 10, 2000 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Pop culture is the way that I learned to be American. His 1999 first feature, 'The Child and The Soldier', has won several national and Kamal Mosaffa-ye Tabrizi is an Iranian film director. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Soruosh Salehian: Co-Founder/CEO of Aeva. In the 1970s at age 20, she achieved nationwide stardom in her homeland of Iran, starring in some prominent pictures such as The Report (1977) directed by the renowned Abbas Kiarostami, which won critics awards at the Golshifteh started her acting career in theater at the age of 6 and has always kept a strong link with theater, but it was at the age of 14 that she acted in her first film The Pear Tree (1998), for which she won the prize for the Best Actress from the international section of the Fajr film Nazanin Boniadi is rapidly making her mark in both film and television. But I really wanted to see our stories up there. Demonstrations erupted in Iran and across the world after a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini died in September after being arrested by Irans morality (Ali Khamenei/Released) March 04, 2023 Justin Cooper. All Board members volunteer their time and resources. We invite all interested students to visit our website and learn more about the program. Andy Madadian is known for House of Sand and Fog (2003), Guardian Angel (2014) and American Wrestler: The Wizard (2016). [4] OIAC does not support a foreign war, nor does it support an appeasement policy towards Iran. NIAC was further found by a Federal Appeals Court judge to have withheld over 5500 emails from its outreach director to various parties. Despite Hollywoods goals to open doors to diverse stories, Zandieh said that when she shopped the script around including to Participant, Sony and Fox everyone was basically like, We love it, but we cant really finance this because its too niche. Habib Zargarpour graduated from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design with Distinction after receiving a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. He has over 40 years of experience in the motion picture industry, with featured appearances in more than 90 films. Supported the Iran Nuclear Deal of 2015. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. He is an independent director, writer and producer. She was forced to get married. Early in his career, he directed episodes of Get Smart, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, The Incredible Hulk, Mannix, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky and Hutch, The Rockford Files and Police Squad!. He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. She is an actress, known for Road to Perdition (2002), Greenberg (2010) and Eleventh Hour (2008). For there to be LGBTQIA+ representation as well in an Iranian film is so refreshing. WebIran has given birth to some great movie directors over the years, many of who have gone on to direct popular comedies, dramas, horror movies and more. His father is an Airline Captain, and his mother a Gospel Singer. Badiyi's third and last marriage was to actress Tania Harley[6] from 1987 until his death in 2011, with whom he had two daughters, Alexis and Natasha. He came to the United States in the mid '70s and joined the Persian Theater Group and traveled extensively through out the US, Anthony Azizi started his career many years ago, as a child, acting in plays for the Touchstone Theater run by Bill and Bridget George in Bethlehem, PA. Amir Khalighi was born in Tehran Iran. He graduated from Madison West High School and was a city boys high school tennis champion. I worked with them and I did a ton of rewriting for them, especially for Houshang, the father. Contributing to and supporting the careers of Iranian American legal practitioners and law students is another main objective of the IABA. This was an independent film made outside the Hollywood system with private equity, Zandieh said. Zandieh says all of these relationships, plus Noushas journey to self-actualize and Alexs progressive gender politics, resulted in a romantic comedy that still pushed the issues I care the most about, which are multiculturalism and feminism., The artists job is to reflect what they see, she added. Founder of the cybersafety organizations WiredSafety, StopCyberbullying and the consulting firm, WiredTrust He started acting in amateur theater groups at the age of fourteen. Kathreen Khavari is known for Avengers Assemble (2012), Big Little Lies (2017) and Insecure (2016). You reinvent yourself So I really started to think of my mother and I as a sort of reflection of each other and all the stories of my mythology as an immigrant coming here. This is a list of notable Iranian-Americans of all Iranian ethnic backgrounds, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants. IACC proudly announces the winners of the 2022 scholarship program as follows: Among its services to the Iranian-American community, the IACC is proud to have a college scholarship program. Rabeah Ghaffari is an Iranian-born writer and filmmaker. WebThe Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is managed by a Board of Directors. They were like Nah, screw them! and go to the parties. She is an actress and producer, known for Salt (2010), Black-ish (2014) and Grown-ish (2018). Dr. Modjtahedi Scholarship Fund. [citation needed], Badiyi moved to Kansas to work for Calvin Co., an industrial film production company. Reza Zadeh: Founder of Matroid, a computer vision company. Niki Pezeshki: Investor at Felicis Ventures backing iconic companies. Build an influential voice for the Iranian American community through networking, electioneering, and public I am happy to call many of these people my friends and mentors. Like the actress [Kamand Shafieisabet] who plays young Shirin is 14 she was telling me how meaningful it is to see all these protests around the world as they struggle. Her family moved to Turkey and thereafter to Germany. Throughout the film, we see love story after love story unfold new love budding between Nousha and Alex, love found later in life by Noushas uncle Saman (Maz Jobrani) and Maggie, love built over time in the arranged marriage of Ziba and Reza (Houshang Touzie), as well as the tumultuous love that comes with blending families. "Reza Badiyi: Prolific TV Director, Dies at 81", "THE LAST TV TYCOON: Interview with Legendary director REZA BADIYI", "Reza Badiyi, Set Record for Directing Most Hours of Episodic Television", "Reza Badiei dies at 81; prolific TV director", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Reza_Badiyi&oldid=1127437729, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 December 2022, at 18:15. She is an actress, known for The Kite Runner (2007), Eyes (2005) and The Florist (2004). By this marriage to Turner he was the stepfather of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh and Carrie Morrow. We collaborated, and he was like, I feel like my character would want to do this. I rewrote a lot for the parents. WebThe Board of Directors of the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF) is grateful to all who have supported this Scholarship Fund for the past 22 years. Ubers board of directors appointed Tehran-Born Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO after the controversies around its founder, Travis Kalanick. The IASF Board meets to plan and review the needs of the organization. His father, Mozaher Mosaffa is a renowned Persian poet and professor of Persian literature at the University of Tehran (UT). He is married to Karen Robson. To learn more about each of our board members, simply follow the View Bio link below each member. The Most Visited Iranian-American Website Please fill out the form below and follow the process online, OR call us at Toll Free 888.611.5478 , or email us at info@IranianHotline.com Annual Directory Listing IACC is thrilled to hereby announce the 2022 board of directors. She is an actress, known for RoboCop (2014), Alfie (2004) and The Book of Henry (2017). It was not just a tape. Rasoulof started his filmmaking with documentaries and short films. His quiet and composed A native of Valencia, CA, Nazanin Mandi Pimentel is a natural- Born Performer; Singing at age 5, Modeling at age 10, performing the Mozart Requiem at Carnegie Hall and acting at age 15. Along with marches, university protests, and the burning of headscarves, Iranian women across the world have broadcast images across social media of cutting Omid Nooshin was born on May 2, 1974. Robert Ravanshenas: Senior associate at Maven Ventures. Nousha falls fast when she meets Alex, an artist, activist and DJ living in an old warehouse. At 14 he moved to Switzerland and then to New Hampshire. As Nadia Bjorlin was born the fifth out of six children. He was previously married to Tania Harley, Barbara Turner and Gwendolyn M Dennis. He continued in the arts throughout all Max Amini was born in Tucson, Arizona. What I am very excited about is the next generation of Iranian-American entrepreneurs and the rising stars. To promote and strengthen the ties among Iranian-American business owners and professionals. Parry Aftab, Internet privacy and security lawyer, considered one of the founders of cyberlaw. The relationship between the Iranian American population and the surrounding population since the 1979 revolution appears to be one characterized by fear and prejudice on the one side, and by anger and sadness on the other. My familys interesting because half of my brothers are born in Iran and half of us are born here. She was an actress, known for Friends (1971), Paul and Michelle (1974) and Successive Slidings of Pleasure (1974). Sheila is an actor, known for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), Argo (2012) and We the Animals (2018). They want to extinguish joy and thats not possible. Keshavarz spoke with Variety about how The Persian Version reflects the experiences of many Iranians and immigrants overall, and how pop culture helped bridge the gap between her two worlds Iran and America. She is married to Mattias Ripa. Ahead of Sara Zandieh's feature directorial debut, the Iranian-American director explains how 'A Simple Wedding' celebrates multiculturalism and feminism while also breaking down stereotypes. His desire and aspiration for writing, directing and producing movie started at very young age in his homeland. She was previously married to James Rubin. He is married to Marianne Khondji. These are just the people I see every day and talk to, and I dont really see that represented.. Ive always written from the womens perspective and I like to say the men in the film are a chorus, as they should be. She is a writer and director, known for Last Night (2010), The Jacket (2005) and The Adults. She has a sister, Saba Soomekh. I think people are speaking their voice and its not just their story. He was born in Tehran, with his parents having moved there from Tabriz. She is a director and writer, known for 20 Fingers (2004), One 2 One (2011) and 10 + 4 (Dah be alaveh chahar) (2007). She began performing at an early age, starring in school plays and community events. Naser Taghvai was born in Abadan, Iran. She was cast in the film House of Sand and Fog in 2003 and in the Lifetime series, State Marjan Neshat was born on October 10, 1975 in Tehran, Iran. He studied mathematics and physics at E.N.M.U. All Rights Reserved. Noushas mother, Ziba (Shohreh Aghdashloo), explains that it is a poem written in Farsi by the 14th-century Persian poet Hafez as she declares, the greatest poet of all time. The stanza reads, Long live love, for I have not heard a more merrier word than love.. He died on January 15, 2018 in London, England, UK. Rome is currently in Los Angeles and Mahsa Ahmadi is known for Bang Bang (2014), The Mandalorian (2019) and Z Nation (2014). His second marriage was to actress and writer Barbara Turner; with whom he had one daughter, Mina. WebFoster a greater understanding of Iranian Americans and their culture. Also, I have not included some very prominent scientists like Dr. Firouz Naderi, Dr. Nader Engheta, etc. What of your own life did you draw inspiration from for this film? He died on August 20, 2011 in Los Ramin Djawadi is an Iranian-German film score composer known for composing the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and the Marvel films Blade: Trinity, Iron Man and Eternals. Mehdi Samadi: Founder of Solvvy, an AI-based CRM company which was featured in WSJ, etc. He is a cinematographer and writer, known for Man of Steel (2013), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) and Lord of War (2005). Therefore, we are once more able to award five scholarshipsto qualified students, and we keepour awards to$2,000per awardee. Ive always been in awe of these women. He became a full-time artist in Germany where he Marjane Satrapi was born on November 22, 1969 in Rasht, Iran. So I felt like that should be the heart of it. When I was thinking about making an immigrant story, I thought, you know whats so interesting? More specifically, OIAC supports the 10-point plans by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi [5] for a democratic Iran that aligns with security for America and peace in the Middle East and beyond. The film premieres Jan. 21 at Sundance. Her beginnings in the world of entertainment whispered Greatness from an early age.Her evolution continues to be Pej Vahdat is known for The Old Man (2022), City on a Hill (2019) and Shameless (2011). Of course that comes with expectations for what that life should be. He was raised in Manchester, England. He is a producer and director, known for 99 Homes (2014), The White Tiger (2021) and Fahrenheit 451 (2018). She was previously married to Reza. His Mohammad Rasoulof was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1972. All my parents friends were Persians. Although Marsh Mokhtari was born in the UK, his father's nautical career took him to Persia for his first six years. Kamal Tabrizi graduated from Tehran University of Art at Faculty of Cinema and Theater. One of these short films, "Life in Fog" (1999) is even Samira Makhmalbaf FilmmakerBorn on February 15,1980 in Tehran. Dancing through the Iran-Iraq war when I was a little kid and we would go back and forth [between Iran and the U.S.] and smuggle tapes. Arman Jahangiri: Founder of ResultCare, a digital healthcare company. It was important for me to have this character. All Rights Reserved. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Athar GhassemiCultural Committee ChairView Bio, Mandana GhadamianNetworking Committee ChairView Bio, Radin AmoueiMembership Committee ChairView Bio, Our mailing address is: The Persian Version Director Maryam Keshavarz on Creating a Great Immigrant Story for Iranians By Sharareh Drury Photo Credit: Andr Jger To be an Arash Mokhtar is known for Ramy (2019), New Amsterdam (2018) and FBI (2018). At age 6, she appeared in the show "Kids Say The Darndest Things" which began her acting career. Christiane Amanpour was born on January 12, 1958 in London, England, UK. She was forced into leaving school. In films from 1955's Rififi (Rififi ( Anice Alvina was born on January 28, 1953 in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France. NIAC Action is dedicated to building political power for the Iranian-American community to advance peace & diplomacy, secure equitable immigration policies, and protect the civil rights of all Americans. He was a writer and director, known for Last Passenger (2013), Kill Switch (2017) and Invade. I grew up in an insular community. He is an actor and editor, known for The Salesman (2016), The Past (2013) and A Separation (2011). OIAC is an Iranian-American organization dedicated to the promotion of a free and democratic Iran where human rights are celebrated, where different religions Previously youngest employee at Google. I thought of doing something more autobiographical. Our mission is providing and broadcasting the Iranian American events & community news, and promoting businesses. [6] His first marriage was to Gwendolyn Davis which ended in divorce. She studied Cinema in Makhmalbaf Film school for 8 years. She travel around the world and she is fascinated by people. She is a writer and actress, known for Zoolander 2 (2016), Iron Man 2 (2010) and Trash (2014). Mosaffa's mother, Amir Banoo Karimi is also a leading scholar and professor of Persian literature at the University of Tehran (UT) and the Homayoun Ershadi was born in 1947 in Isfahan, Iran. CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Iranian-Americans in Silicon Valley are Getting More Powerful Alarm fr Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei. Iranian Hotline is a non-religious and non-political Iranian-American Resource Guide. With a low-budget film, Zandieh said the story was tailored for what she had, including cast. His latest film "Mitra" is a political thriller that was released at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2021. He started his film career on 3D IMAX films BARRY NAVIDI - PRODUCER As a producer, friend, and confidant to some of the greatest legends of world cinema, Barry Navidi has been privileged to work with John Huston, Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum, Michael Caine, Paul Scofield, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, John Hurt, Sean Connery, Kami Asgar was born on May 26, 1965 in Iran. [5], This is list showing a selection of entertainment directed by Reza Badiyi, in order by start date. [3][4] Badiyi often worked with Robert Altman. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Most Visited Iranian-American Website, Dentists - www.IranianAmericanDentists.com, Attorneys - www.IranianAmericanAttorneys.com, Full Professional Profile including Photo, Website The close-knit community of Iranian-Americans and the high value of education in the Iranian culture and families is one of the reasons our community is getting more powerful day by day. In search of safety and a better life, he and his mother fled to Turkey, after a few years of trying to get asylum Canada finally granted them the Ramin Niami is known for Babe's and Ricky's Inn (2013), Paris (2003) and Shirin in Love (2014). Some people become mothers and they dont know what the hell theyre doing and through the process they learn what it means to be a mother. Mahbod Moghadam: Founder of Everpedia, a next-gen encyclopedia. WebJafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. I couldnt write anything else with as much devotion. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. The second I would walk in [with the tape], we would be dancing. In 2003, Pitts presented his controversial feature Essy Niknejad was born on June 1960, in Tehran. Yes, Scream VI Marketing Is Behind the Creepy Ghostface Sightings Causing Scares Across the U.S. David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE), Star Trek: Discovery to End With Season 5, Paramount+ Pushes Premiere to 2024. Mamad Haghighat was born in 1952 in Isfahan, Iran. [2], Badiyi moved to the United States in 1955, in order to continue his film studies at Syracuse University. Maziar Bahari is known for And Along Came a Spider (2003), To Light a Candle (2014) and The Voyage of the St. Louis (1995). Lets take look at some of the most prominent founders, funders, and executives in tech of Iranian heritage. All Board members Her mother still acts as her personal assistant. He graduated from the Academy of Drama in Iran. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. My mother is also a writer just like me in some ways. List your business with Iranian American Business Directory! He then spent the next 19 years in the UK. Its becoming an international story where people are stating that we are Iranian women too. He also directed the definitive "fashion show" sequence of the third season of the popular Doris Day Show. His credits also include developing the opening montages for Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, Get Smart, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He began his career with directing, writing and editing short films in 1980. He studied English and Theatre Studies. To represent the Iranian-American community before the elected governmental officials. Thats the same thing when youre an immigrant. He was 13 years old when he met the Swedish filmmaker, 'Ingmar Bergman'. I just felt compelled to tell a story that was nuanced and personal and flew in the face of the rhetoric that was being touted. I moved to L.A. and was like, I really think this story is worthwhile. WebThe IABA has grown to be the largest national organization of Iranian-American legal professionals, with multiple chapters nationwide, and continues to grow in other states. David Diaan has built an impressive career as an Iranian American Actor, Writer, and Producer. She made her Broadway debut when she originated the role of the Leper in Rajiv Joseph's Pulitzer Prize nominated and multi Tony award accoladed play " The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" opposite Robin Williams. When her parents discover that she and Alex are living together before marriage, chaos unspools as they prepare for her wedding. He graduated from university with a degree in fine arts before starting work as a graphic designer. Her parents were Ulf Bjrlin (a Swedish conductor and composer, known to be the world's most active opera composer during the 20th century) and Fary Bjorlin. David's first endeavor in Shaun Toub was born in Tehran, Iran. WebThe National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is an advocacy group which claims to advocate for nonpartisan action on behalf of the Iranian-American community in domestic and foreign policy issues. My cousins were so much braver than me. By the time he was 17 he co-wrote and shot and gaffed his first professional film. In 2009, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Noor Iranian Film Festival in Los Angeles, and after his passing in 2011, the festival made the award his namesake. An award-winning international film actress and producer, Saye has been in over 34 films and Mania Akbari was born in 1974 in Tehran, Iran. In July of 2008, Dabiri Foundation's board of directors decided to embark upon a special project in addition to its ongoing activities. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Amir Naderi is one of the most influential figures of 20th century Persian cinema. WebIACC is thrilled to hereby announce the 2022 board of directors. At the age of eight, she played in "The Cyclist" directed by her father, Mohsen Makhmalbaf the celebrated Iranian filmmaker.At the age of 17, she directed her first feature titled "The Apple" and She went on to become the youngest Ramin Bahrani was born on March 20, 1975 in North Carolina, USA. It really is our story. After early experiences as a story writer, he He developed his knowledge of cinema by watching films at the theater where he worked as a boy, reading film criticism, and making relationships with leading film critics. I think this film really is a film about choice. Well, heres the thing. To be an immigrant is to be a writer, according to Iranian-American director Maryam Keshavarz, because as immigrants you write your own story, you decide whats your narrative. Her latest feature, The Persian Version, explores that by tapping into one of the most complex narratives of all that of mother and daughter.