Niki Karimi


Niki Karimi is an Iranian actress, director, and screenwriter.

Early life

Niki Karimi was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. Her parents are both from Tafresh. She has been active in theater since elementary school, and has said that her early interest in film and literature inspired her to become an actress.

Career

In 1990, she was cast as a young bride in Behrooz Afkhami's hit film The Bride.
Karimi has won many awards nationally and internationally for "Sara" such as San Sebastian film festival award for best actress. She has also recently been on the jury for more than 20 renowned film festivals, including Karlovy Vary Film Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Locarno International Film Festival and Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival and also the 60th Cannes Film Festival. She was the assistant of Abbas Kiarostami from 1992 to 2007.
Expanding on her career as an actor, she wrote and directed the documentary To Have or Not to Have.
In 2001, she won her first award as a director in Iran's Rain film festival for her work To Have or Not to Have, which was produced by renowned Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.
Nominated at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival for her feature film directorial debut One Night, she said that acting no longer satisfied her and she would like to direct more movies.
In addition to the film, Karimi has also done some translating work. In 1999 she released her first translation work, Marlon Brando's biography Songs My Mother Taught Me, which she translated from English to Persian. She also translated two books by Hanif Kureishi, a Pakistani-English writer.
Her third film as director, Final whistle, won three awards at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema in Vesoul, France.
She has been nominated for best actress award in Fajr Film Festival in 2011 for I Am His Wife, directed by Mostafa Shayesteh.
She has been awarded recently by the jury of the Iranian Fajr Film ّFestival for her last film as best director, actress and producer. She also got a jury award for acting in two films, Wednesday, May 9 and Death of Fish.

Filmography

As director

YearTitleNotes
2015Shift-e ShabJury award at Iranian Fajr International Film Festival as best screenwriter, director and producer
2011Final WhistleThree awards at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema , Mannheim film festival award for best film
2006A Few Days LaterScript won the Rotterdam festivals Hubert Bals Fund
2005One NightScreened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival Un certain regard
2001To Have or Not to HaveLondon International Film Festival

As an actress

YearTitleDirectorAwards
2015TakenBijan Mirbagheri
2015Wednesday, May 9Jury diploma of honor for best Actress in Fajr Film Festival
2015Death of FishJury diploma of honor for best Actress in Fajr Film Festival
2014I'm his wifeMostafa ShaysehNominated for best Actress in Fajr Film Festival
2007Three WomenManijeh Hekmat
2007Two WomenSiroos Alvand
2006A Few Days Later...Niki Karimi
2002The Fifth ReactionTahmineh MilaniBest Actress in Fajr Film Festival
2002Gone with the WindSadra Abdollahi
2001One Flew Over Cuckoo’s NestAhmad Reza MotamediBest Actress in Fajr Film Festival
2000The Hidden HalfTahmineh MilaniBest Actress in Cairo Film Festival
1999Thousand woman like meReza Mir-Karimi
1999The Burned GenerationRassoul Molagholipour
1999Eve's Red AppleSaeed Assadi
1998The Waiting GirlsRahman Rezai
1998The ActorMohammad Ali Sadjadi
1998Two WomenTahmineh MilaniBest Actress in Taormina Film Fest
1997TakhtiBehrooz Afkhami
1997PshycoDariush Farhang
1995Minoo's TowerEbrahim Hatamikia
1995Shadow-by-ShadowAli Jakan
1995The Scent of Joseph's CoatEbrahim Hatamikia
1993PariDarioush Mehrjouii
1992SaraDarioush MehrjouiiBest Actress in San Sebastian film festival, and in Nantes Film Festival
1991The Footsteps of the WolfMassoud Kimiaii
1990The BrideBehrooz AfkhamiNominated for best Actress in Fajr Film Festival
1989Temptation''Jamshid Heydari

As a screen writer

As a translator

As a film critic

YearTitle
2016Member of Jury at 35th Istanbul Film Festival, Istanbul
2016Member of Jury at 34th Fajr International Film Festival, Tehran
2015Member of Jury at 60th Valladolid International Film Festival, spain
2015Member of Jury at 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn
2015Member of Jury at 10th Batumi International Art-house Film Festival, Batumi
2015Member of Jury at 33rd Fajr International Film Festival, Tehran
2014Member of Jury at 20th Kolkata International Film Festival, India
2014Member of Jury at 68th Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh
2014Member of Jury at 4th International Parvin E'tesami Film Festival, Tehran
2014Member of Jury at 12th Pune International Film Festival, India
2013Member of Jury at 27th Isfahan International Children Film Festival, Isfahan
2012Member of Jury at Abu Dhabi Film Festival
2011Member of Jury at International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival
2009Member of Jury at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
2008Member of Jury at Dubai International Film Festival
2007Member of Jury at Berlin Film Festival
2007Member of Jury at Cannes Film Festival
2007Member of Jury at Durban International Film Festival
2006Head of Jury at Reykjavik International Film Festival
2005Member of Jury at Locarno International Film Festival
2005Member of Jury at Thessaloniki Film Festival

Awards