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Tara Aghdashloo
Iranian writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tara Aghdashloo (Persian: تارا آغداشلو) is an Iranian-born writer, award-winning director, producer and multidisciplinary artist and curator. She is a published author of her poetry collection, and has worked as an essayist, and print and broadcast journalist in Persian and English-language media, before transitioning to filmmaking.[2] Tara is represented by Sayle Screen Talent Agency.[3]
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Tara is a member of Directors UK, Cinesisters, and Female Film Club. She's selected on the cohort of 8 on the Women in Directors Chair Canada, and has participated in script labs and talent labs such as Cine Qua Non and RIFF (Reykjavík International Film Festival).[4][5] She is an intersectional feminist has been an advocate for women's rights issues, and has attended panels on issues relating to Iran and the Middle East, as well as discussions on women and diversity in filmmaking.[6]
Tara's advocacy and activism has made her a target for the Iranian authorities over the years.[7][8]
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Biography
Tara Aghdashloo was born in Tehran, to architect Firouzeh "Fay" Athari and painter Aydin Aghdashloo.[9][10] When she was in high school her family moved to Toronto, Canada.[2]
Tara completed her BA of journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University with a focus on print journalism and political science, and her MA from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies in Global Media and Postnational Communication.
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Work
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Film and television
Tara's foray into narrative filmmaking started with her participation at Mohsen Makhmalbaf's filmmaking workshop, who remains as her mentor.[11] Since then, she wrote and directed three short films which have screened at OSCAR, BAFTA, BIFA, and CSA qualifying festivals. Her first narrative short The Ride [12] which premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in California[13] and was funded by BFI Network, Canada Council of the Arts, and Toronto Arts Council. The Ride competed in numerous festivals and won Best Short film at Nostalgia Film Festival.[14][15] Her second narrative short film Bridge, was commissioned by BBC based on a spoken-word poem by Gemma Barnett, premiered at Norwich Film Festival, and has been nominated for 17 awards, winning 7, and competed at various international festivals.[3] Her third narrative short, Empty Your Pockets, is her first Persian language film and was produced by OPC Productions and Intermission Films. It premiered at BAFTA and Oscar Qualifying BlackStar Festival in Philadelphia, with nominations at festivals globally, winning awards for Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Lead Actor at ReelWorld Festival, and Best Foreign Short Film at Unrestricted View Festival.[16]
Tara's journalism and documentaries have appeared on Channel 4 News,[17][18] and BBC World.[19][20] She wrote, directed and produced Value of Contemporary Art,[21] Riksdag,[22] Ticket documentary-series,[23] and the seven-part docuseries City Map,[24] among others. She was a founding co-host and producer on the first Persian-speaking all-woman talk show, Samte No on Manoto TV channel.[25] She independently produced and directed documentaries[26][27] and went onto direct music videos [28] and commercials.[29]
Writing
Her poetry has appeared in English language[30] and Persian[31] magazines, and her poetry collection, This is Not a Pomegranate, was published by Shahrvand Publications in 2011.[32] Her essays, articles and reviews have been published in The Guardian,[33] REALLIFE Magazine,[34] The New Inquiry,[35] Tank Magazine,[36] Autodidact Magazine,[37] Ibraaz,[38] Fashion Magazine,[39] ArtRabbit,[40] Ottawa Citizen, Future Fossil Flora Magazine,[41] Reorient Magazine,[42] BULLETT[43] and Capsule 98[44] among others. Tara wrote the lyrics for King Raam's debut solo album, Songs of The Wolves.[45]
In October, 2022, Tara's Op-Ed on the protests that erupted in Iran, was published in The Financial Times.[46] In December 2022, she published another piece about the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran and its impact on society.[47] In February, 2023, Harvard Business Review's Ascend series published a piece by Tara, discussing activism from the diaspora.[48]
Curation & Art
Tara co-directed and curated The Invisible Line (TIL) Gallery in East London for two years and exhibited around 25 shows during that time.[49][50] In 2017 she curated a retrospective of Portuguese artist Cristina Rodrigues in Castelo Branco Museum.[51] She frequently reviews art especially by Iranian and Middle Eastern artists.[52]
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Filmography
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References
External links
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