Mohammad Shirvani
Mohammad Shirvani is an Iranian alternative filmmaker. He was born in 1973 in Tehran; he quit painting to follow his passion for cinema. Shirvani has escaped from military service to make his first short film "The Circle" in 1999. This film was selected for the Critics' Week International Cannes festival in the same year., Shirvani has made 18 films; the last one "Fat Shaker" won the Golden Tiger for the best film in Rotterdam Film Festival. His films have been screened in more than 500 international events where he won many prices, such as; Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno, Toronto, Tribeca and Busan. Although he could not screen them widely in his homeland.
In 2014, Shirvani published 18 films which he produced on his personal website as a protest against censorship in Iranian cinema. A month later his website was banned and making new films became temporarily forbidden for him. However, since 2012, he has been trying to keep Iranian alternative cinema movement alive and fresh by improving young talents through his "Alternative Cinema Workshop".
Filmography
Short Films
Title | Time | Format | Year |
The Circle | 12 MIN | 35MM | 1999 |
The Candidate | 15 MIN | DV-35MM | 2000 |
To Consent | 20 MIN | DV | 2001 |
Souvenir | 20 MIN | DV | 2001 |
The Cherries Which Were Canned | 13 MIN | 35MM | 2002 |
Iranian Conserve | 14 MIN | DV | 2003 |
The Calm City | 2 MIN | DV | 2005 |
Six Eyes | 23 MIN | DV | 2014 |
Tight Skin of the Ambiance | 15 MIN | IPHONE 4 | 2014 |
Documentary Films
Video Art
Feature Films
Performance Art
Installation Art
Title | location | Year |
Elephant in the Darkness | Rotterdam | 2013 |
Awards
- The Circle, Best Short Film - Fajr IFF - Tehran- 1999
- The Circle, Selected for Critics' Week International -Cannes IFF, France- 1999
- The Candidate, Grand Prize - Marseilles IDFF, 2000
- Iranian Conserve, Best Short Film - Cinema Tout Ecran IFF, Geneva - 2004
- Iranian Conserve,Jury Prize - Cracow IFF, Poland - 2005
- Navel,Grand Prize - Split IFF, Croatia - 2004
- President Mir Qanbar, Award of Excellence - Yamagata - IDFF, 2005
- President Mir Qanbar, Magnolia Award for Best Social Documentary - Shanghai TV IFF, 2006
- Iranian Cookbook, Best Experimental Documentary Film - Cinema Verite IDFF, Tehran - 2010
- Iranian Cookbook, Best Film of Audience Award . Yamagata IDFF, 2011
- Iranian Cookbook, Japan Community Cinema Center Award - Yamagata IDFF, 2011
- Fat Shaker, Tiger Award for The Best Film - Rotterdam IFF, 2013