Kourosh Ahari

I'm an Iranian filmmaker who moved to the US from Iran at the age of 18 and has spent more than a decade in the US with its dramatically different culture and beliefs, giving me a unique perspective that I subtly bring into the world of my films/work. After moving to the US, I graduated at the top of my university class, receiving the Excellence in Film Directing Award. My fascination with the human condition/psychology and mining the universe beyond what is generally perceived is at the core of my work. Films I worked on have landed at several internationally prestigious film festivals, including Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Fest, Napa Valley Film Festival, Edmonton Film Festival, Fajr Film Festival (Iran’s most prestigious film festival) and more, winning several awards. I most recently directed, co-wrote and edited the critically-acclaimed Iranian horror film ‘The Night’ starring Shahab Hosseini, which became the first US-produced film to receive a license to release theatrically in Iran since Iran’s revolution. I previously directed the award-winning short ‘Generations’, backed by Tom Hanks and have directed films for immersive new technologies, like Barco Escape’s three-screen cinema technology. I have also produced several short films, including the Iranian short, ‘Numbness’, which has been selected at over 80 film festivals around the world and has won more than 9 awards.