Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh is an Iranian pioneer film composer, songwriter, and filmmaker. He is recognized for his contribution to film and pop music in Iran. His major works include Qeysar, Toughi, Dash Akol, Tangna, The Deers .
Career
Early years
He started his career early in his teens as percussionist and accordionist in the National Iranian RadioChildren's Program. In 1958, he joined the Youth Orchestra of National Iranian Radio as contrabassist where shortly after he would be trusted with all the music arrangement and the conductor duties.
Cinema
From his early ages, he was fascinated by cinema and filmmaking. This was the dream which he and his long-life friend Masoud Kimiai shared. Finally, in 1967, when Masoud Kimiai got a chance to direct his first film that made history. Months before Qeysar was released, he had left Iran to continue his studies in Germany where he had the opportunity to be acquainted with the Confederation of Iranian Students which helped him to reshape and deepen his social and political ideas. Hence, the Qeysar outbreak made him give up his studies and come back to Iran to pursue his cinematic career. The quality of his work inQeysar, along with the success of the film at the box office and among the critics, put more attention on the music for films in Iran which until that day was not taken seriously by the Iranian film industry. The following year, he won the Best Film Score award for Qeysar at the second "Sepas Awards" ceremony which would be repeated the next year for his third collaboration with Masoud Kimiai. His film scores continued with Toughi, Window, Dash Akol, Topoli, Balouch, Soil, Tangna, and The Deers .
Pop music
In 1965 and after working on the National Iranian Radio and later the University of Tehran orchestra, he began his collaboration with the Tanin Recording Studio, and along with his comrades contributed to shape a new atmosphere in the Iranian pop music. In parallel to his cinematic activities and through his well-known songs such as "Friday" and "Nightly 1", he tried to represent Iranian people by picturing their pains and sorrows under the totalitarian Shah’s regime. In 1973, he was sentenced to jail for his social and political ideas. However, after his release he would not remain silent and with his works, he accompanied and supported people in the upcoming revolution.
Shortly after the Iranian Revolution in February 1979, he concluded that this was not what he has wished for, so he expressed his concerns with the songs "Unity" and "Whisper". He decided to leave Iran and go to a self-imposed exile which continues to this day. During the exile, his artistic activities were extremely limited; however, he still believes in change for his country and his people.
