Ramin Bahrani

Ramin Bahrani (born March 20, 1975) is an Iranian-American[1] director and screenwriter. Film critic Roger Ebert listed Bahrani's film Chop Shop (2007) as the sixth-best film of the 2000s and hailed Bahrani as "the new director of the decade."[2] Bahrani was the recipient of the prestigious 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship. Bahrani is also a professor of film directing at the Columbia University School of the Arts, his alma mater.[3]

Ramin Bahrani
Born (1975-03-20) March 20, 1975
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materColumbia University (BA)
OccupationDirector, writer, producer
Years active2005–present

Early life and education

Bahrani was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the son of Iranian Muslim immigrants.[4] His father, originally from Shiraz, initially exposed him to the poetic works of Hafez and encouraged him to pursue his passion for the arts.[1] He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1996.[5] Bahrani also studied filmmaking in Iran and briefly lived in Paris after graduating from college.[6]

Career

Bahrani first feature film, Man Push Cart (2005), premiered at the Venice Film Festival and screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. The film won over 10 international prizes, was released theatrically around the world, and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.

Bahrani's second film Chop Shop (2007) premiered at the 2007 Director's Fortnight of the Cannes International Film Festival, and then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (2007) and the Berlin International Film Festival (2008) before being released theatrically to wide and universal critical acclaim. Bahrani was awarded the prestigious 2007 Someone to Watch Award Independent Spirit Award. In 2008, he was nominated for Best Director Independent Spirit Award.[7]

Goodbye Solo, Bahrani's third feature film, premiered as an official selection of the Venice Film Festival (2008) where it won the international film critic's FIPRESCI award for best film,[8] and later had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (2008).[9] The film was called a "masterpiece" by numerous critics including Roger Ebert, and A. O. Scott of The New York Times.[10]

In 2009, he made a short film Plastic Bag which features the voice of German filmmaker Werner Herzog and an original score from Kjartan Sveinsson of the band Sigur Rós. Plastic Bag premiered as the opening night film of Corto Cortissimo in the Venice Film Festival where Bahrani was also on the jury for Best First Films. It later screened at Telluride and The New York Film Festival. In 2012 he made a music video of the song "Eg anda" for the Sigur Ros album Valtari.

Bahrani's fourth feature film, At Any Price (2013) stars Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron, Heather Graham, Kim Dickens, Clancy Brown and Chelcie Ross. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.[11] The film, despite its relative star power and a notable performance by Dennis Quaid, received mixed reviews from most critics and earned less than $500,000 at the box office.[12]

Bahrani's fifth feature film 99 Homes (2015) opened to strong reviews at the Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

Bahrani's film for HBO, Fahrenheit 451, an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel of the same name. was released on May 12, 2018, earning mixed-to-negative reviews.[13][14][15]

In 2021, he adapted Aravind Adiga's 2008 novel The White Tiger as a feature film of the same title on Netflix, to positive critical reception.[16]

Filmography
Year Title Festivals Awards and Notes
2005 Man Push Cart
  • 62nd Venice International Film Festival - Giornate Degli Autori, Venice-Days 2005
  • 49th London International Film Festival - World Cinema 2005
  • 46th Thessaloniki International Film Festival - Main Competition 2005
  • 2006 Sundance Film Festival
  • 34th New Directors/New Films Festival - 2006
  • FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, London Film Festival
  • Independent Spirit Award Best First Film, Ramin Bahrani, Nominee
  • Independent Spirit Award Best Male Lead, Ahmad Razvi, Nominee
  • Independent Spirit Award Best Cinematography, Michael Simmonds, Nominee
  • Gotham Award, Breakthrough Director, Nominee
  • Special mention of Jury at 54th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg
  • Audience Award at 46th Thessaloniki International Film Festival
  • Best First Film International Festival of Setubal, Portugal
  • Ecumenical Prize, Arsenals Film Festival, Latvia
  • Best Film Ojai Film Festival
  • Honorable Mention, Vienna Film Festival
2007 Chop Shop
  • Cannes Film Festival, Official Selection Director's Fortnight
  • Toronto Film Festival, Official Selection
  • A F I Film Festival, International Competition
  • Berlin Film Festival, Official Selection Generation
  • Gotham Award, Best Actor Alejandro Polanco, Nominee
  • Independent Spirit Award, Acura Someone To Watch Award 2007, Ramin Bahrani, Winner
  • Independent Spirit Award, Best Director, Ramin Bahrani, Nominee 2008
  • Independent Spirit Award, Best Cinematography, Michael Simmonds, Nominee 2008
2008 Goodbye Solo
  • Venice Film Festival, Official Selection
  • Toronto Film Festival, Official Selection
  • FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, Venice Film Festival
  • Independent Spirit Award, Producer Award, Jason Orans, Nominee 2008
  • Gotham Award, Best Actor Souléymane Sy Savané, Nominee 2009
2009 Plastic Bag
  • Venice Film Festival, Corto Cortissimo, Opening Night Film
  • Telluride Film Festival, Official Selection
  • New York Film Festival, Official Selection
  • SXSW Film Festival, Official Selection
2013 At Any Price
  • Venice Film Festival, Official Competition
  • Telluride Film Festival, Official Selection
  • Toronto Film Festival, Official Selection
  • SXSW Film Festival, Official Selection
  • Tribeca Film Festival, Official Selection
  • Nominated for the Golden Lion
2015 99 Homes
  • Nominated for the Golden Lion
  • Venice International Film Festival - SIGNIS Award Honorable Mention
  • Venice International Film Festival - Young Jury Members – Best Film
2018 Fahrenheit 451
  • HBO television film
2021 The White Tiger

Accolades

References
  1. ""The New Great American Director"- Iranian American Ramin Bahrani". www.payvand.com. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  2. Ebert, Roger (22 March 2009). "Roger Ebert's Journal". Blogs.suntimes.com. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2012-07-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Bahrani at IMDB
  5. "AitN: July 16, 2018". Columbia College Today. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  6. Walters, Ben (2009-03-04). "Ben Walters meets Ramin Bahrani, the chronicler of the new American reality". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  7. Bahrani at SpiritAwards.com Archived 6 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Fipresci.Org". Fipresci.Org. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  9. "Goodbye Solo at Toronto International Film Festival". Tiff08.ca. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  10. Goodbye Solo: Movie Review The New York Times
  11. "Venezia 69". labiennale. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  12. "At Any Price (2013)".
  13. "Fahrenheit 451".
  14. Jagernauth, Kevin (13 April 2016). "'99 Homes' Director Ramin Bahrani To Helm 'Fahrenheit 451' For HBO". IndieWire. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  15. Petski, Denise (4 August 2017). "'Fahrenheit 451′: Saad Siddiqui Cast In HBO Films' Adaptation Of Bradbury Classic". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  16. Rosario, Alexandra Del; Rosario, Alexandra Del (2021-01-29). "'The White Tiger': Read The Screenplay For Ramin Bahrani's Rags-To-Riches Drama". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  17. United States Artists Official Website Archived 2010-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
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