Mohsen Amiryoussefi

Mohsen Amiryoussefi was born in 1972. He graduated with a degree in mathematics from Isfahan University. After writing several screenplays for both screen and stage, he completed his first short film in 1997, based on a story by Kafka. His short film Stony Hands, and the documentary Caravan are some of the best-known and most influential short films in Iranian Cinema and have received numerous national and international awards. In 2004 he directed his first feature film. Bitter Dream is the story of a corpse washer who is visited by death. This film was screened at the Director's Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival where it received rave reviews. Deborah Young the film critic for Variety magazine called it Iran's first dark comedy, showing a new side of Iranians with its destructive sense of humor. Bitter Dream received special mention of Golden Camera Award at Cannes, as well Young View Award at Director's fortnight. It was eventually screened at more than 50 international film festivals, receiving numerous awards including the Golden Alexander at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece (2004). The movie was widely screened in France in 2005. Bitter Dream received praise from Iranian critics as well and was being considered for submission to the Oscars in 2005, but was suddenly banned! State media considered it offensive to Azrael, (the angel of death), humanistic and political. In 2006 Amiryoussefi produced and directed Fire Keeper loosely based on Dante's Divine Comedy. The film is the story of a laborer who is planning on getting a vasectomy to avoid having children, but his father's ghost is against this idea. This film was banned before being screened and was severely criticized by state newspapers and various officials. After this, Amiryousefi was not able to work on any movies for several years. Fire Keeper was submitted to the Montreal Film Festival in 2009, where it received the Innovation Award. Following this Amiryoussefi produced and directed the documentaries My Home (winner of the best documentary in 2011), and Kahrizak, Four Views (winner of the special jury prize at the Dubai Film Festival in 2012). In the latter film Amiryousefi directed the Hamlet in Kahrizak episode, which documents the efforts of a blind handicapped man in staging Hamlet at the Kahrizak asylum. The film was warmly received by the audience. After six years, Mohsen Amiryoussefi was finally able to receive a permit for directing his third feature film in 2012. Lovable Trash is the story of an elderly woman who has one night to clear her house of any problematic items during the protests following the presidential elections of 2009. Amiryousefi wrote, directed and produced this film. While in mid-production many hardliners began expressing their opposition to this film hoping to have it stopped. However, Amiryousefi's latest project was eventually completed in total media silence.