Golshifteh Farahani
Golshifteh Farahani (Persian: گلشیفته فراهانی, born 10 July 1983) is an Iranian actress.[1] She has appeared in 35 films, many of which have received international recognition. She was nominated for the Most Promising Actress Award for The Patience Stone at the 2014 Cesar Awards in France, and won the Best Actress Award for Boutique from the 26th Nantes Three Continents Festival (France). In recent years, she has had prominent roles in movies by well-known Iranian and international directors, including Asghar Farhadi, Bahman Ghobadi, Rasool Mollagholipoor, Jim Jarmusch, Ridley Scott, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg.
Golshifteh Farahani | |
|---|---|
 Farahani at 2018 Cannes Film Festival. | |
| Born | Rahavard Farahani 10 July 1983 Tehran, Iran |
| Alma mater | Islamic Azad University |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) | Amin Mahdavi
(m. 2003; div. 2013)Christos Dorje Walker
(m. 2015; div. 2017) |
| Parent(s) | Behzad Farahani Fahimeh Rahiminia |
| Relatives | Shaghayegh Farahani (sister) |
She starred in the drama About Elly, which won Best Picture at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Due to her appearance in the Hollywood movie Body of Lies, seen by Iranian authorities as a collaboration with American propaganda and disrespectful to Islamic modesty in dress, she has not been allowed to return and work in Iran since 2009 and has since resided in France.[2]
Early life
Farahani was born on 10 July 1983 in Tehran, the daughter of Behzad Farahani, a theatre director and actor, and Fahimeh Rahim Nia. Her sister is actress Shaghayegh Farahani.[3] Golshifteh began studying music and piano at age five, and later entered a music school in Tehran. At 14, she was cast as the lead in Dariush Mehrjui's The Pear Tree, a role for which she won the Crystal Roc for Best Actress from the International Section of the 16th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran.[4]
Career
Farahani starred in The Patience Stone (2012), directed by Atiq Rahimi from his novel; it was favorably received by most reviewers.[5] She also starred in a 2012 César Award video in the Most Promising Actors category.
In 2016, Farahani played Anna Karenina on stage in Paris and received laudatory reviews. She also played the lead role of Laura in director Jim Jarmusch's American feature film Paterson, opposite actor Adam Driver. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews, scoring 96% approval on the movie site Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2017, she appeared in the fantasy film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales as the sea witch Shansa.[6]
In 2020, she was in the action film Extraction (2020 film) as Nik Khan.[7]
She was slated to appear in director Dariush Mehrjui's film Rumi's Kimia,[8] which will be based on Saideh Ghods's novel "Kimia Khatoon".
Non-film work
Farahani is involved in environmental causes, and is an advocate for the eradication of tuberculosis in Iran.[4]
In Iran, she was a member of Kooch Neshin (Nomads), a band that won the 2nd Tehran Avenue underground rock competition. Since leaving Iran, she has teamed up with another exiled Iranian musician, Mohsen Namjoo; their album Oy[9] was released in October 2009.
In December 2014, she took 6th place in the annual Independent Critics Beauty List of 2014.[10]
Since moving to Paris,[11] she has worked with directors Roland Joffe, Hiner Saleem and Marjane Satrapi, among others, and was a member of the international jury at the 63rd Locarno Film Festival.
Controversy
After Farahani's appearance in the U.S. film Body of Lies, it was reported that government authorities had prevented her from leaving Iran,[3] though this was denied by her colleagues, and she appeared at the movie's American premiere.[12] Her last film performance in Iran was in About Elly directed by Asghar Farhadi.[2]
In January 2012, it was reported that Farahani would not be welcome in her homeland after posing nude in the French Madame Figaro.[13] According to Britain's Daily Telegraph, Iranian government officials told her, "Iran does not need actors or artists like you. You may offer your artistic services somewhere else."[14] A picture from the shoot on her Facebook page initiated a lively debate about her behavior.[15] She also appeared topless in a short black-and-white film by Jean-Baptiste Mondino called Corps et Âmes (Bodies and Souls).[16]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Derakht e Golabie (The Pear Tree) | Mim (Mitra) | Simorgh Prize for Best Actress at the Fajr Film Festival |
| 2000 | Haft Parde (Seven Acts) | The Angel | Banned in Iran |
| 2001 | Zamaneh (Times) | Zamaneh | |
| 2002 | Jayee Digar (Somewhere Else) | Raha | |
| 2003 | Deux fereshté (Two Angels) | Azar | Banned in Iran Selected for the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes Film Festival |
| Boutique | Eti | Best Actress at the Nantes Three Continents Festival Best Actress at the House of Cinema Festival (Tehran) | |
| 2004 | Ashk-e Sarma (The Tear of the Cold) | Ronak | Best Actress at the Kazan International Film Festival Best Actress at the House of Cinema Festival (Tehran) |
| Bab'Aziz: Le prince qui contemplait son âme | Noor | Banned in Iran | |
| 2005 | The Fish Fall in Love | Touka | Selected at Rotterdam Film Festival |
| Be Nam-e Pedar (In the Name of the Father) | Habibeh | ||
| 2006 | Gis Borideh | Maryam | |
| Niwemang (Half Moon) | Niwemang | Banned in Iran Selected at the Toronto Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival | |
| 2007 | Mim Mesle Madar (M for Mother) | Sepideh | Best Actress at the Kazan Film Festival |
| To Each His Cinema | Self | Short film Banned in Iran Shown at the Cannes Film Festival | |
| Santouri (The Music Man) | Hanieh | Banned in Iran | |
| 2008 | Shirin | Self | Shown at the Venice Film Festival |
| Hamisheh Paye Yek Zan Dar Miyan Ast (There's Always a Woman in Between) | Maryam | ||
| Divar (The Wall) | Setareh | Selected at the Tokyo Film Festival and the Taormina Film Festival | |
| Body of Lies | Aisha | ||
| 2009 | About Elly (Darbareye Elly) | Sepideh | |
| 2010 | Si Tu Meurs, Je Te Tue (I'll Kill You If You Die) | Siba | |
| 2011 | There Be Dragons | Leila | |
| Chicken With Plums (Poulet Aux Prunes) | Iran | ||
| 2012 | Just Like a Woman | Mona | |
| The Patience Stone | The Woman | ||
| 2013 | My Sweet Pepperland | Govend | |
| 2014 | Eden | Yasmin | |
| Exodus: Gods and Kings | Nefertari | ||
| Rosewater | Maryam Bahari | ||
| 2015 | Les Deux Amis | Mona | |
| Go Home | Nada | ||
| Ports of Calls | Clara | ||
| 2016 | Altamira | Conchita | |
| Paterson | Laura | ||
| Sophie's Misfortunes | Madame de Réan | ||
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Shansa | |
| The Song of Scorpions | Nooran | ||
| Shelter | Mona/Lina Haddad | ||
| The Upside | Maggie | ||
| Santa & Cie | Amélie | ||
| 2018 | Les filles du soleil (Girls of the Sun) | Bahar | |
| The Night Eats the World | Sarah | ||
| Red Snake | Rebel | ||
| 2019 | Gen:Lock | Yasamin "Yaz" Madrani | Web series Voice only |
| Arab Blues | Selma | ||
| Blind Spot (L'Angle mort) | |||
| 2020 | Extraction | Nik Khan | Netflix movie |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Fajr International Film Festival | Best Actress from the International Section | Derakht e Golabie (The Pear Tree) | Won |
| 2004 | Three Continents Festival (Nantes, France) | Prix d'Interpretation Feminine | Boutique | Won |
| Fajr International Film Festival | Best Actress | Ashk-e Sarma (The Tear of the Cold) | Nominated | |
| House of Cinema Festival (Tehran) | Best Actress | Ashk-e Sarma (The Tear of the Cold) Boutique |
Won | |
| 2005 | Fajr International Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | Mahiha Ashegh Mishavand (The Fish Fall in Love) | Nominated |
| 2006 | Kazan International Film Festival | Best Actress | Ashk-e Sarma (The Tear of the Cold) | Won |
| 2007 | Roshd International Film Festival (Tehran) | Special Prize for the Best Actress | Mim Mesle Madar (M for Mother) | Won |
| Kowsar Film Festival (Mashhad) | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 2008 | Fajr International Film Festival | Best Actress | Divar (The Wall) Hamisheh Paye Yek Zan Dar Miyan Ast (There's Always a Woman in Between) |
Nominated |
| Kazan International Film Festival | Best Actress | Mim Mesle Madar (M for Mother) | Won | |
| Asolo Film Festival (Italy) | Eleonora Duse Award | International Recognition for a Prominent Figure in Theater or Cinema | Won | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Actress | Darbareye Elly (About Elly) | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Gijón International Film Festival | Best Actress | The Patience Stone | Won |
| Abu Dhabi Film Festival | Best Actress | Won | ||
| 2013 | Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Best Actress | My Sweet Pepper Land | Nominated |
| Asian Film Awards | Best Actress | The Patience Stone | Nominated | |
| Favorite Actress | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Stony Brook Film Festival | Outstanding Performance | My Sweet Pepper Land | Nominated |
| César Awards, France | Most Promising Actress | The Patience Stone | Nominated | |
| 2015 | International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA) | Best Actress | Darbareye Elly (About Elly) | Nominated |
| 2016 | Lumières Awards, France | Most Promising New Actress | Les Deux Amis (Two Friends) | Nominated |
| 2018 | Chlotrudis Awards[17] | Best Supporting Actress | Paterson | Nominated |
Theater performance
| Year | Play | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Maryam and Mardavij | Mayan | |
| 2004 | The Black Narcissus | Workshop | |
| 2005 | Mofatesh (The Inspector) | Firoozeh | Banned in Iran |
| 2013 | A Private Dream | Sarah | Toured North America (March–April 2013)[18] |
| 2016 | Anna Karenina | Anna Karenina | Toured around the France and in Paris at the Théâtre de la Tempête directed by Gaëtan Vassart |
Music video
| Year | Song | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Pola" | Jabberwocky (featuring Clara Cappagli) | [19] |
| 2018 | "Paradis" | Orelsan |
Concerts
| Date | Venue | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 10 August 2009 | Sala Verdi, Milan Conservatory | With Mohsen Namjoo, presentation of the new album Oy |
| 9 November 2009 | Lido, Venice | With Mohsen Namjoo, during the Venice Film Festival |
See also
References
- https://www.parismatch.com/Culture/Cinema/Golshifteh-Farahani-le-charme-de-la-comedie-1671384
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Tehrani, Souraya, "Hollywood postponed : Golshifteh Farahani has been prevented from heading to the US to discuss future film roles", Guardian (UK), Friday 22 August 2008.
- "Actress Golshifteh Farahani was appointed as the ambassador of TB" Archived 9 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, News, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- "The Patience Stone". Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "IMDB". IMDB.com. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- "Rumi's Kimia – Selected Conversations on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- "100 Most Beautiful Faces 2014... – Independent Critics by TC Candler | Independent Critics by TC Candler". Tccandler.com. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- "DiCaprio Co-Star in Islamic Hot Water? at Hollywood.com". Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 10 December 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- "Colleague denies Iran actress faced travel ban: report", AFP, Tehran, 26 August 2008.
- Tait, Robert (17 July 2012). "Iran imposes travel ban on star actresses". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- McElroy, Damien (18 January 2012). "Iranian actress banned from homeland after naked magazine shoot". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- "Iranian reactions to Golshifteh Farahani's nude photo". Tabeer. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- Omid Memarian (20 January 2012). "Nude Photo of Iranian Actress Golshifteh Farahani Roils Iran". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- "Golshifteh Farahani – Awards – IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Home". Stage1 Production. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- "Jabberwocky: Pola, le titre lancinant et addictif dévoilé". Lefigaro.fr. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
