Granaz Moussavi
Encyclopedia
Granaz Moussavi (born January 26, 1974 in Tehran
) is an Iran
ian-Australia
n contemporary poet, film director and screen writer. She is primarily renowned for her avant-garde
poetry in the 90's. Her award winning debut feature film My Tehran for Sale
is an internationally acclaimed Australian-Iranian co-production.
and took various Drama courses in Tehran focusing on acting including Hamid Samandarian's drama workshops at The Theatre Organization of Tehran, and Mahin Oskoui's underground acting classes held in her apartment.
In 1997, Granaz immigrated to Australia
with her family. She changed her focus from pursuing acting to Screen Studies and filmmaking. In 2002, she made her Honors film "A Short Film About Colour" shot by the renowned Iranian cinematographer Firooz Malekzadeh
. The short film got Granaz the best director award from Flinders University
and an honorary membership to the Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA).
Granaz published her first book Khatkhati Rooye Shab خط خطی روی شب (Sketching On Night) underground in Tehran in 1996 which had an extensive reception. Her second book, Paberahneh Ta Sobh پابرهنه تا صبح (Barefoot Till Morning) was the winner of جایزه شعر کارنامه یاجایزه شعر امروز ایران Karnameh’s best poetry book of the year award in 2001 and is currently in its forth edition. She published her third collection "Avazhaye Zan e Biejazeh آوازهای زن بی اجازه " (The Songs Of The Forbidden Woman) in 2003. It has reached its second edition so far. Her poems have been in a few anthologies worldwide and her solo bi-lingual collection was published in France by MEET publishers. Granaz published " Les Rescapes De La Patience" (translated by Farideh Rava) after a sponsored literary residency in Saint Nazaire, France
. Jean Baptiste Para has written a preface on this latter book. Also, in 2004 a DEA thesis at Sorbonne University (Paris III) was lodged on her poetry (by Etienne Forget).
After receiving an Honours degree from Flinders University, Granaz got accepted in AFTRS, the Australian Film TV and Radio School in Sydney. She graduated from Postgraduate degree in film editing
in 2006. Currently, she is a Doctorate candidate with a scholarship at the University of Western Sydney
researching "The Aesthetics of Poetic Cinema". She has made several short films and documentaries and has participated in various roles in a few feature films. In the field of poetry, she has conducted many poetry readings world wide, including her participation in the Paris Autumn Festival in 2000 (introduced and translated by Media Kashigar, managed by Alain Lance), SOAS/London University in 2001, Vienna
and Mondorf/Luxembourg
in 2003, Saint Nazaire, Nantes
, Marseille
, Arles/France in 2004-5, Sydney/Australia in 2005, “Caravan of poetry” through Paris, La Rochelle, Marseille
, Poitier, and Nantes
/France in 2006, the fifth International festival of poetry,“merci poesie”, Goteborg/Sweden in 2008, the Iranian Arts and Literature Festival, San Francisco/USA in 2009, and Luxemburg in 2009. Her latest presentation was a lecture followed by poetry reading at Stanford University
in Feb. 2009 and University of California at Irvine in Jan 2011.
There are a number of accounts, articles, and critiques written on Granaz's poetry including the articles of some renowned Iranian writers and critics such as M. Azad, Dr. Jalil Doustkhah, Mohammad Rahim Okhovat, Shahrnoush Parsipour, and Ali Babachahi. Her poetry has been so far translated and published in French, English, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, and Kurdish
. In 2006, being shortlisted in local, state wide, and across the country competitions she won the Holding Redlich prize for her script 'pitch' at the Screen Producers Association of Australia. Her prize was a sponsorship for her trip to Cannes Film Festival
in 2007 in order to present her project idea in the film market. Her first feature film My Tehran for Sale
(tehran-e-man ,haraj تهران من، حراج ) a 2009 production was shot in July/Aug 2008 in Tehran. The film written and directed by Granaz Moussavi is the first feature collaboration of Iran and Australia, premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival
(Feb 2009), and an official selection of Toronto International Film Festival
(Sep 2009), Vancouver International Film Festival
, Pusan International Film Festival
(Oct 2009) and International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
(Nov 2009), The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA
) New York (Jan 2010), International Film Festival Rotterdam
(Jan 2010), International Film Festival Prague - Febiofest
, 2010 Cinema Novo Film Festival Brugges, 2010 CPH:PIX Copenhagen International Film Festival, 2010 Guadalajara International Film Festival Mexico, Sydney Travelling Film Festival, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, HRAFF 2010, Fukuoka International Film Festival 2010, Global Lens USA 2010 and Dialogue of Cultures Film Festival New York 2011.
My Tehran for Sale
is the winner of Independent spirit Inside Film Awards
2009. It won the jury award for best feature Film at the TriMedia Film Festival in 2010.
Moussavi was the jury for 60th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
(Germany) 2011, as well as Independent Spirit IF Award 2010 (Australia).
as Editor:
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
) is an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n contemporary poet, film director and screen writer. She is primarily renowned for her avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
poetry in the 90's. Her award winning debut feature film My Tehran for Sale
My Tehran for Sale
My Tehran for Sale , is an internationally acclaimed 2009 Australian-Iranian feature film written and directed by avant-garde poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi, produced by Cyanfilms and starring Marzieh Vafamehr, Amir Chegini and Asha Mehrabi.Officially selected by Toronto, Rotterdam, Pusan...
is an internationally acclaimed Australian-Iranian co-production.
Biography
Granaz was born in 1974 in Tehran to TV parents, her father, Hashem Moussavi, was a well-known sound engineer in the Iranian National TV (Jam e Jam) and in the film industry, and her mother, Parvin Chegini Farahani, a video grader. At the age of 17, she started writing professionally as a book review writer and literary critic at "Donyaye Sokhan literary magazine مجلهٔ ادبی دنیای سخن" in Tehran. Her first poems were published in 1989 and since then, she has continued writing and publishing poetry in various magazines and collections both in Iran and other countries . In Tehran, Granaz went to Razi primary school and Hadaf high-school. Her love for cinema and theatre made her change her mind about the field of tertiary schooling. She withdrew from a B.S. at Alzahra UniversityAlzahra University
Alzahra University is a female-only state-run university in Vanak, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran.Founded in 1964 as a private institution under title of The Higher Educational Institute For Girls , it was renamed Farah Pahlavi University after empress Farah Pahlavi, the wife of Muhammad Reza Pahlavi...
and took various Drama courses in Tehran focusing on acting including Hamid Samandarian's drama workshops at The Theatre Organization of Tehran, and Mahin Oskoui's underground acting classes held in her apartment.
In 1997, Granaz immigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with her family. She changed her focus from pursuing acting to Screen Studies and filmmaking. In 2002, she made her Honors film "A Short Film About Colour" shot by the renowned Iranian cinematographer Firooz Malekzadeh
Firooz Malekzadeh
Firooz Malekzadeh was one of Iran's top cinematographers in the 1970s and 1980s. He has worked on over 50 films in Iran with many respected directors including Bahram Beizai, Abbas Kiarostami and Amir Naderi.-Selected filmography:* Dreams For Life, 2004...
. The short film got Granaz the best director award from Flinders University
Flinders University
Flinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
and an honorary membership to the Australian Screen Directors Association (ASDA).
Granaz published her first book Khatkhati Rooye Shab خط خطی روی شب (Sketching On Night) underground in Tehran in 1996 which had an extensive reception. Her second book, Paberahneh Ta Sobh پابرهنه تا صبح (Barefoot Till Morning) was the winner of جایزه شعر کارنامه یاجایزه شعر امروز ایران Karnameh’s best poetry book of the year award in 2001 and is currently in its forth edition. She published her third collection "Avazhaye Zan e Biejazeh آوازهای زن بی اجازه " (The Songs Of The Forbidden Woman) in 2003. It has reached its second edition so far. Her poems have been in a few anthologies worldwide and her solo bi-lingual collection was published in France by MEET publishers. Granaz published " Les Rescapes De La Patience" (translated by Farideh Rava) after a sponsored literary residency in Saint Nazaire, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Jean Baptiste Para has written a preface on this latter book. Also, in 2004 a DEA thesis at Sorbonne University (Paris III) was lodged on her poetry (by Etienne Forget).
After receiving an Honours degree from Flinders University, Granaz got accepted in AFTRS, the Australian Film TV and Radio School in Sydney. She graduated from Postgraduate degree in film editing
Film editing
Film editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
in 2006. Currently, she is a Doctorate candidate with a scholarship at the University of Western Sydney
University of Western Sydney
The University of Western Sydney, also known as UWS, is a multi-campus university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
researching "The Aesthetics of Poetic Cinema". She has made several short films and documentaries and has participated in various roles in a few feature films. In the field of poetry, she has conducted many poetry readings world wide, including her participation in the Paris Autumn Festival in 2000 (introduced and translated by Media Kashigar, managed by Alain Lance), SOAS/London University in 2001, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Mondorf/Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
in 2003, Saint Nazaire, Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Arles/France in 2004-5, Sydney/Australia in 2005, “Caravan of poetry” through Paris, La Rochelle, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Poitier, and Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
/France in 2006, the fifth International festival of poetry,“merci poesie”, Goteborg/Sweden in 2008, the Iranian Arts and Literature Festival, San Francisco/USA in 2009, and Luxemburg in 2009. Her latest presentation was a lecture followed by poetry reading at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Feb. 2009 and University of California at Irvine in Jan 2011.
There are a number of accounts, articles, and critiques written on Granaz's poetry including the articles of some renowned Iranian writers and critics such as M. Azad, Dr. Jalil Doustkhah, Mohammad Rahim Okhovat, Shahrnoush Parsipour, and Ali Babachahi. Her poetry has been so far translated and published in French, English, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, and Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
. In 2006, being shortlisted in local, state wide, and across the country competitions she won the Holding Redlich prize for her script 'pitch' at the Screen Producers Association of Australia. Her prize was a sponsorship for her trip to Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 2007 in order to present her project idea in the film market. Her first feature film My Tehran for Sale
My Tehran for Sale
My Tehran for Sale , is an internationally acclaimed 2009 Australian-Iranian feature film written and directed by avant-garde poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi, produced by Cyanfilms and starring Marzieh Vafamehr, Amir Chegini and Asha Mehrabi.Officially selected by Toronto, Rotterdam, Pusan...
(tehran-e-man ,haraj تهران من، حراج ) a 2009 production was shot in July/Aug 2008 in Tehran. The film written and directed by Granaz Moussavi is the first feature collaboration of Iran and Australia, premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival
Adelaide Film Festival
The Adelaide Film Festival is a biennial and non-competitive film festival held over two weeks in late February, in Adelaide, South Australia....
(Feb 2009), and an official selection of Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
(Sep 2009), Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
, Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
(Oct 2009) and International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of...
(Nov 2009), The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
) New York (Jan 2010), International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
(Jan 2010), International Film Festival Prague - Febiofest
Febiofest
Febiofest is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic and the second most prestigious festival in the country . The festival presents a wide spectrum of contemporary and retrospective examples of high-quality film including alternative, film-school and amateur works to a diverse viewing...
, 2010 Cinema Novo Film Festival Brugges, 2010 CPH:PIX Copenhagen International Film Festival, 2010 Guadalajara International Film Festival Mexico, Sydney Travelling Film Festival, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, HRAFF 2010, Fukuoka International Film Festival 2010, Global Lens USA 2010 and Dialogue of Cultures Film Festival New York 2011.
My Tehran for Sale
My Tehran for Sale
My Tehran for Sale , is an internationally acclaimed 2009 Australian-Iranian feature film written and directed by avant-garde poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi, produced by Cyanfilms and starring Marzieh Vafamehr, Amir Chegini and Asha Mehrabi.Officially selected by Toronto, Rotterdam, Pusan...
is the winner of Independent spirit Inside Film Awards
Inside Film Awards
The Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
2009. It won the jury award for best feature Film at the TriMedia Film Festival in 2010.
Moussavi was the jury for 60th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of...
(Germany) 2011, as well as Independent Spirit IF Award 2010 (Australia).
Filmography
- 2008 My Tehran for SaleMy Tehran for SaleMy Tehran for Sale , is an internationally acclaimed 2009 Australian-Iranian feature film written and directed by avant-garde poet turned filmmaker Granaz Moussavi, produced by Cyanfilms and starring Marzieh Vafamehr, Amir Chegini and Asha Mehrabi.Officially selected by Toronto, Rotterdam, Pusan...
, a feature film (as writer/director/produced by Cyan Films) an official selection of Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film FestivalThe Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
(Sep,2009), winner of Independent spirit Inside Film AwardsInside Film AwardsThe Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
2009
- 2008 Into Pieces, a video art.
- 2007 Rats Sleep at Night, a short drama.
- 2006 1001 Nights, a documentary on Persian poetry in exile.
- 2005 Narrative Theatre Workshop, a 5 hour video, Producer: Relationships S.A
- 2004 Just Tenants Of The Earth, a 30 minutes documentary on young refugees and migrants in Australia
- 2004 A Slice Of Tehran Girls, a 30 minute documentary on young girls in Tehran.
- 2002 A Short Film About Colour, a 10 minute short fiction, Honours production, Flinders University.
- 2002 An uncompleted documentary on Woomera detention centre.
- 2000 A Letter To A Friend, an 8 minute documentary, University of S.A.
- 1999 The Restroom, an 8 minute doco-drama, Flinders University.
- 1999 Smoke, a 27 second advertisement.
as Editor:
- 2006 Love On Track, a 4 minutes drama, Director: Alison Heather.
- 2005 Karma, 3 minutes experimental short film, Director: Josh Tylor, AFTRS.
- 2005 Look Sharp, an 8 minutes drama, Director: Amy Gebhardt, AFTRS. Winner of Best student film at The International Melbourne Film Festival.
- 2005 Rock! I gave you the best years of my life, a 6 minutes documentary, Director: Mathew Walker, AFTRS.
- 2003-2004 Turtles Can FlyTurtles Can FlyTurtles Can Fly Kurdish: Kûsî Jî Dikarin Bifirin) is a 2004 film written and directed by the Kurdish Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, with notable theme music composed by Hossein Alizadeh. It was the first film to be made in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.-Plot:The film is set in a Kurdish...
, A feature film by Bahman Ghobadi,Tehran-Iran & Kurdistan-Iraq. (on-set digital editing)