Rakhshan Banietemad

Directing

Rakhshan Banietemad

Born

1954-04-04 (72)

Place of birth

Tehran, Iran

Known for

Directing

Credits

45 titles

Rakhshan Banietemad is a director who was born in 1954 in Tehran, Iran. She started her career in cinema and starred as a director in “Kharej az Mahdoodeh” in 1987. She has won a lot of awards such as the Crystal Simorgh of Best Director for “Narges”, Best Script Award and Best Second Role Actress for “The Blue-Veiled”, the Crystal Simorgh of Best Script for “The May Lady” from Fajr Film Festival. Her other activities are “Mainline” and “Tales”.

Known for

The last meeting with Iran Daftari poster
NR

A documentary about life and career of an eighty-year-old Iranian actress, Iran Daftari.

The last meeting with Iran Daftari

1995

No artwork available
NR

Sebastian, a Dutch man, runs a hotel in Yazd. ‌ He is interested in Iran and has made this his second home.

The Second Home

2008

A Good Time for Tragedy poster
5.0

A documentary dealing with the life of Ahmadreza Ahmadi, an Iranian Poet.

A Good Time for Tragedy

2005

Nargess poster
6.1

A sharp-edged look at people who live outside the constraints of Islamic law.

Nargess

1992

Touran khanom poster
NR

Touran Mirhadi (Khomarloo) is the founder of Farhad School, the Children's Book Council, and the Encyclopedia for Young People. She was also actively involved with close to 20 other institutions dealing with child development and education and supported the formation of dozens of others. She is known as the preeminent architect of childhood institution and the mother of modern education in Iran. This film follows the efforts and preoccupations of Ms. Touran Mirhadi in the last four years of her life. It shows how she strove to enrich the field of child education in Iran to the age of 89, always maintaining that peace was to be cultivated at childhood.

Touran khanom

2018

The May Lady poster
6.2

Forough Kia is a film-maker who got divorced from her husband many years ago and now is living with her son Maani. She decides to make a documentary about perfect mothers. In order to do so she meets many mothers to chose the perfect mother among them. She finally decides to quit making this film because of tiredness but doctor Rahbar wants her to continue. Maani is teasing her every day preventing her from marrying doctor Rahbar but she finally decides that she wants to marry him.

The May Lady

1998

Film credits

2010s · 2 titles

Behind the camera

The last meeting with Iran Daftari poster
NR

A documentary about life and career of an eighty-year-old Iranian actress, Iran Daftari.

The last meeting with Iran Daftari

1995

No artwork available
NR

Sebastian, a Dutch man, runs a hotel in Yazd. ‌ He is interested in Iran and has made this his second home.

The Second Home

2008

Nargess poster
6.1

A sharp-edged look at people who live outside the constraints of Islamic law.

Nargess

1992

Nargess poster
6.1

A sharp-edged look at people who live outside the constraints of Islamic law.

Nargess

1992

Nargess poster
6.1

A sharp-edged look at people who live outside the constraints of Islamic law.

Nargess

1992

Touran khanom poster
NR

Touran Mirhadi (Khomarloo) is the founder of Farhad School, the Children's Book Council, and the Encyclopedia for Young People. She was also actively involved with close to 20 other institutions dealing with child development and education and supported the formation of dozens of others. She is known as the preeminent architect of childhood institution and the mother of modern education in Iran. This film follows the efforts and preoccupations of Ms. Touran Mirhadi in the last four years of her life. It shows how she strove to enrich the field of child education in Iran to the age of 89, always maintaining that peace was to be cultivated at childhood.

Touran khanom

2018

The May Lady poster
6.2

Forough Kia is a film-maker who got divorced from her husband many years ago and now is living with her son Maani. She decides to make a documentary about perfect mothers. In order to do so she meets many mothers to chose the perfect mother among them. She finally decides to quit making this film because of tiredness but doctor Rahbar wants her to continue. Maani is teasing her every day preventing her from marrying doctor Rahbar but she finally decides that she wants to marry him.

The May Lady

1998

The May Lady poster
6.2

Forough Kia is a film-maker who got divorced from her husband many years ago and now is living with her son Maani. She decides to make a documentary about perfect mothers. In order to do so she meets many mothers to chose the perfect mother among them. She finally decides to quit making this film because of tiredness but doctor Rahbar wants her to continue. Maani is teasing her every day preventing her from marrying doctor Rahbar but she finally decides that she wants to marry him.

The May Lady

1998

Under the Skin of the City poster
7.1

Tuba works daily at a grueling textile factory in Iran, returning home every night to deal with the rest of her problematic family, which includes: a pregnant daughter whose husband beats her regularly; a teenage son, who's been getting into trouble due to his burgeoning career in radical politics; and an older son who goes to great lengths--such as attempting to sell the family's meager house--in order to get an engineering job in Japan as a means of getting out of Iran.

Under the Skin of the City

2005

Under the Skin of the City poster
7.1

Tuba works daily at a grueling textile factory in Iran, returning home every night to deal with the rest of her problematic family, which includes: a pregnant daughter whose husband beats her regularly; a teenage son, who's been getting into trouble due to his burgeoning career in radical politics; and an older son who goes to great lengths--such as attempting to sell the family's meager house--in order to get an engineering job in Japan as a means of getting out of Iran.

Under the Skin of the City

2005

Under the Skin of the City poster
7.1

Tuba works daily at a grueling textile factory in Iran, returning home every night to deal with the rest of her problematic family, which includes: a pregnant daughter whose husband beats her regularly; a teenage son, who's been getting into trouble due to his burgeoning career in radical politics; and an older son who goes to great lengths--such as attempting to sell the family's meager house--in order to get an engineering job in Japan as a means of getting out of Iran.

Under the Skin of the City

2005

No artwork available
NR

The emergence of the Coronavirus disease in late 2019 and its rapid spread throughout the world in 2020 made an indelible impact upon countless lives, transforming so many in a multitude of ways. This profoundly personal narrative details the efforts of a documentary filmmaker to portray the lives of six characters in quarantine and how it affects them. There is also the filmmaker’s own personal situation – he cannot go to his wife because of the curfew imposed by the government. Through this, he finds common ground with his subjects.

Narratives ad hominem

2023

No artwork available
NR

The emergence of the Coronavirus disease in late 2019 and its rapid spread throughout the world in 2020 made an indelible impact upon countless lives, transforming so many in a multitude of ways. This profoundly personal narrative details the efforts of a documentary filmmaker to portray the lives of six characters in quarantine and how it affects them. There is also the filmmaker’s own personal situation – he cannot go to his wife because of the curfew imposed by the government. Through this, he finds common ground with his subjects.

Narratives ad hominem

2023

Canary Yellow poster
6.0

After spending all his money buying a piece of land that was already sold to someone else, Nasrallah Madadi finds himself in trouble. To solve his money problems, he then decides to be the offender of fraud rather than its victim. Getting himself involved with a pair of criminals, he begins a crooked business selling a same yellow taxi to different buyers, only to steal it back from them and sell it again. In a fascinating portrayal of human nature, Canary Yellow follows Nasrallah through the ups and downs of his double-sided experience of crime. But will it all end with the better life for his family he hopes for?

Canary Yellow

1989

The Blue-Veiled poster
5.3

An elderly owner of a tomato farm and sauce factory, after his wife's death, falls in love with one of the workers of the factory endangering his relationship with his daughters and in-laws. While everybody in the big family persuades the old man to abandon the relationship with the poor girl, the old man makes his final choice of love.

The Blue-Veiled

1995

The Blue-Veiled poster
5.3

An elderly owner of a tomato farm and sauce factory, after his wife's death, falls in love with one of the workers of the factory endangering his relationship with his daughters and in-laws. While everybody in the big family persuades the old man to abandon the relationship with the poor girl, the old man makes his final choice of love.

The Blue-Veiled

1995

Foreign Currency poster
8.0

Morteza Olfat is an ordinary employee who has lots of problems in his life. One day, he happens to find fifty thousand dollars. He says nothing to anyone and tries to exchange the cash.

Foreign Currency

1989

Gilaneh poster
6.5

A mother's courage, hardship, and love, in times of war. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war, Gilane escorts her pregnant daughter, Maygol, from the relative calm of their village, Espili, into war-torn Tehran to search for Maygol's husband, Rahman. The journey is arduous and what they find when they reach the capital is dismaying and frightening. Fifteen years later, as another war begins in Iraq, Gillane is at home caring for her son Ismael, who suffers from epilepsy, a byproduct of war. As she cares for him, she hopes for a visit from the doctor and from another daughter, Atefah. "Better be a dog than a mother," she says.

Gilaneh

2005

Gilaneh poster
6.5

A mother's courage, hardship, and love, in times of war. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war, Gilane escorts her pregnant daughter, Maygol, from the relative calm of their village, Espili, into war-torn Tehran to search for Maygol's husband, Rahman. The journey is arduous and what they find when they reach the capital is dismaying and frightening. Fifteen years later, as another war begins in Iraq, Gillane is at home caring for her son Ismael, who suffers from epilepsy, a byproduct of war. As she cares for him, she hopes for a visit from the doctor and from another daughter, Atefah. "Better be a dog than a mother," she says.

Gilaneh

2005

No artwork available
NR

Renowned Iranian director Rakhshan Banietemad presents Lords of the Secrets, a visual album featuring maestro Homayoun Shajarian, Sohrab Pournazeri, and the Siavash Ensemble. The film captures a live concert blending classical Persian poetry with traditional music.

The Lord of The Secrets

—

Tales poster
6.5

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Rakshan Banietemad ends her eight-year hiatus from feature filmmaking with this ingenious, mosaic-like narrative, which knits together the stories of seven characters to create a microcosm of Iranian working-class society.

Tales

2014

Tales poster
6.5

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Rakshan Banietemad ends her eight-year hiatus from feature filmmaking with this ingenious, mosaic-like narrative, which knits together the stories of seven characters to create a microcosm of Iranian working-class society.

Tales

2014

Tales poster
6.5

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Rakshan Banietemad ends her eight-year hiatus from feature filmmaking with this ingenious, mosaic-like narrative, which knits together the stories of seven characters to create a microcosm of Iranian working-class society.

Tales

2014

Persian Carpet poster
5.0

Persian Carpet is an omnibus film produced by Iran's National Carpet Center and Farabi Cinema Foundation where 15 renowned Iranian directors contributed films on the subject of Persian carpet. Carpets are the reflection of the cultural and historical identity of Iran.

Persian Carpet

2007

Persian Carpet poster
5.0

Persian Carpet is an omnibus film produced by Iran's National Carpet Center and Farabi Cinema Foundation where 15 renowned Iranian directors contributed films on the subject of Persian carpet. Carpets are the reflection of the cultural and historical identity of Iran.

Persian Carpet

2007

Off-Limits poster
6.5

Mohammad Javad Halimi is a simple government's employer who manages after years to buy a house for himself outside the city's limits. But in the second night in his new house a thief is coming to his house. He manages to catch the thief but delivering him to the authorities is another story.

Off-Limits

1986

Baran and the Native poster
8.0

Aboard the top deck of a cruise ship, Baran, a young wealthy girl, notices a native boy who is dancing joyfully to beating drums. Baran arrives at a plush hotel on the mainland, however she seems somewhat disconsolate. Later she finds the native boy again and they begin to bond, playfully exploring the beach resort together. Later, the two go aboard a row-boat and the native dives down into the water to collect a pearl from the seabed for her. However, the ending leaves the audience to wonder if he was a figment of Baran's longing imagination all along. Well-shot and with a strong performance from Baran Kosari, this film perfectly captures the bittersweet pangs of young love.

Baran and the Native

1998

Baran and the Native poster
8.0

Aboard the top deck of a cruise ship, Baran, a young wealthy girl, notices a native boy who is dancing joyfully to beating drums. Baran arrives at a plush hotel on the mainland, however she seems somewhat disconsolate. Later she finds the native boy again and they begin to bond, playfully exploring the beach resort together. Later, the two go aboard a row-boat and the native dives down into the water to collect a pearl from the seabed for her. However, the ending leaves the audience to wonder if he was a figment of Baran's longing imagination all along. Well-shot and with a strong performance from Baran Kosari, this film perfectly captures the bittersweet pangs of young love.

Baran and the Native

1998

Baran and the Native poster
8.0

Aboard the top deck of a cruise ship, Baran, a young wealthy girl, notices a native boy who is dancing joyfully to beating drums. Baran arrives at a plush hotel on the mainland, however she seems somewhat disconsolate. Later she finds the native boy again and they begin to bond, playfully exploring the beach resort together. Later, the two go aboard a row-boat and the native dives down into the water to collect a pearl from the seabed for her. However, the ending leaves the audience to wonder if he was a figment of Baran's longing imagination all along. Well-shot and with a strong performance from Baran Kosari, this film perfectly captures the bittersweet pangs of young love.

Baran and the Native

1998

Angels of the House of Sun poster
NR

Angels in the House of Sun remains one of Rakhshan Banietemad’s most articulate critiques of the treatment of women in contemporary Iranian society. Male-on-female violence is an all-too-common occurrence in Iran. It’s part of a wider exploration of gender imbalance that permeates so much of Banietemad’s work. Here, the filmmaker journeys into the backstreets of one of the poorer districts of Tehran, to a shelter where women can find safety, community and a sense of belonging with others who understand their situation – whose lives have been marked by suffering and humiliation.

Angels of the House of Sun

2009

Angels of the House of Sun poster
NR

Angels in the House of Sun remains one of Rakhshan Banietemad’s most articulate critiques of the treatment of women in contemporary Iranian society. Male-on-female violence is an all-too-common occurrence in Iran. It’s part of a wider exploration of gender imbalance that permeates so much of Banietemad’s work. Here, the filmmaker journeys into the backstreets of one of the poorer districts of Tehran, to a shelter where women can find safety, community and a sense of belonging with others who understand their situation – whose lives have been marked by suffering and humiliation.

Angels of the House of Sun

2009

Hey, Humans poster
NR

A compassionate portrait of the Chain of Hope charity organisation, which treats underprivileged children from all over Iran.

Hey, Humans

2016

Our Times poster
6.6

Documentary by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, an Iranian female director. This film portrays two aspects of the Iranian presidential election of 2001.

Our Times

2002

Our Times poster
6.6

Documentary by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, an Iranian female director. This film portrays two aspects of the Iranian presidential election of 2001.

Our Times

2002

See You Tomorrow Elina poster
NR

Stories of Iran’s past and present intersect in Rakhshan Banietemad’s reflective, absorbing and personal portrait of how political life shapes infant’s lives.

See You Tomorrow Elina

2011

Tales of an Island poster
4.6

An anthology directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Testing Democracy) and Dariush Mehrjui (Dear Cousin is Lost)

Tales of an Island

2000

Tales of an Island poster
4.6

An anthology directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Testing Democracy) and Dariush Mehrjui (Dear Cousin is Lost)

Tales of an Island

2000

No artwork available
NR

A searing documentary about the homeless people and shantytown dwellers of Tehran that has been banned.

Who Will You Show These Films To?

1992

Mainline poster
6.6

The uneasy relationship between a mother and daughter is made all the more turbulent by drug abuse in this downbeat drama from Iranian filmmakers Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Mohsen Abdolvahab

Mainline

2011

Mainline poster
6.6

The uneasy relationship between a mother and daughter is made all the more turbulent by drug abuse in this downbeat drama from Iranian filmmakers Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Mohsen Abdolvahab

Mainline

2011