TAHA ZAKER
Artist
Taha Zaker, born in 1986, is an Iranian artist and documentarian. He is the head of the art department at Touba Films and has years of experience as a visual artist. Taha began his artistic journey in theater, concentrating on directing and set design. In cinema, he has directed documentaries and short films and designed posters for over one hundred films. Internationally, Taha has received several accolades, including the Golden Badge of the Graphis Award and the Bronze Award at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design exhibition. His narrative skills enhance his work, allowing him to lead interdisciplinary projects integrating storytelling, historical research, and visual elements.
HODA SARGORDAN
Curator
Documentary Directors
MAJID BARZEGAR
Born in 1973, Majid Barzegar has been a major force behind the development and production of a great number of Iranian independent short and feature films, most of which have been awarded and showcased at prestigious international film festivals including Cannes, Berlinale, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, IDFA (Amsterdam), Karlovy Vary, São Paulo, Thessaloniki and many more.
Barzegar was sentenced to prison and banned from working in Iran in 2023 due to his social and cinematic activities.
His feature debut, Rainy Seasons (2010) has won the Jury’s Special Mention Award at the 34th Sao Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil. His second feature film, Parviz, (2012) has won numerous awards including the Jury’s Special Mention Award at the 2012 San Sebastian International Film Festival and the NETPAC Award at the 2012 Asiatica Film Mediale, Rome, Italy. His third feature film, A Very Ordinary Citizen, (2015) premiered at Chicago International Film Festival and has been awarded the Sepanta award for the best feature film at the IFF San Francisco. His fourth feature film, The Rain Falls Where It Will (2020) has premiered at the 50th edition of Rotterdam International Film Festival.
A critically acclaimed writer, director, producer and photographer, Majid Barzegar has also been invited three times to the official selection of Berlin International Film Festival as a producer in this last five years with his last attendance for Leakage in 2019. He also participated in the Cinefondation section of Cannes Film Festival as a producer in 2018 with Like a Good Kid.
Among the films he has produced, A Minor Leap Down (2015) has won the respectable FIPRESCI prize in the Panorama section of Berlin International Film Festival. Mamiroo (2015) has won the FIPRESCI prize at 20th Busan International Film Festival. Valderrama (2016) has been nominated for the best feature debut at the Berlin International Film Festival.
He has also been the president of the board of the Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA) from 2008 to 2016.
Majid Barzegar has also been active as a photographer for many years now and his last photo exhibition, Time-Lapse was held in CAMA gallery in London.
As a producer, Barzeger has produced many short and feature films in collaboration with European countries that have received many awards. Including two feature films: Empty Nets (a Co-production of Iran and Germany), winner of the Grand Prize at the Karlovy Vary Festival and selected at more than 30 festivals, and Radiograph of a Family (a Co-production of Iran, Norway and Switzerland), winner of the Grand Prize at the IDFA. The Netherlands, and selected at more than 150 festivals.
So far, three screenplays, five novels, and one collection of short stories by Majid Barzegar have been published.
Produced And Distributed By
DAYHIM ART SOCIETY
Dayhim Art Society (DAS) is a pivotal entity within the privately-owned Dayhim Foundation, which boasts nearly decades of industrial heritage and a long-standing history in production. The foundation operates across various sectors, from large-scale construction projects to technology and culture, aiming to be the intersection of creativity and innovation in art, science, and media. Established in 2021 with the Industrial Heritage project, DAS brought together 28 artists to transform 13 sites of the former Pounel Factory, now the Dayhim Innovation Factory, with their artworks. In 2022, an International Exhibition showcased video and installation works from European and Iranian artists, in collaboration with France, the Middle East and Europe Institute, Iran Mobile House, and the Collect Art Collection. A newly established Art School in DAS aims to become the largest private art center in the Middle East, featuring facilities for at least 40 artist residents. The Dayhim Art Society spans a vast 42-acre area on the outskirts of Tehran and features a 54,000-square-foot open-air art gallery in the middle of the city, making it one of the largest art centers in Iran.
Produced By