Houman Seyyedi (, born November 29, 1980) is an Iranian actor, director, screenwriter, and editor. He has received various accolades, including six Crystal Simorghs–making him the only director to have three wins in Special Jury Prize category–two Hafez Awards, five Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Awards, a NETPAC Award and an Asian New Talent Award. His sixth film, World War III (2022) won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Seyyedi introduced many actors to cinema through his films, most of whom had been trained at his 8mm Film School. Among these actors are Amir Jadidi, Navid Pourfaraj, Azadeh Samadi, Marjan Ettefaghian, Mahsa Hejazi, Amin Sherbaf, Yasna Mirtahmasb, Ladan Zhavehvand, Navid Nosrati, Nima Mazaheri, Ashkan Hassanpour, Ehsan Mansouri, and Hadi Taslimi.
Early life Houman Seyyedi was born on November 29, 1980, in Rasht, Iran. He is the second child in his family, with a sister named Hilda and two brothers, Hamoon and Hamed. His father is a retired employee of the Agricultural Bank, and his mother was formerly employed by the Iranian Navy. Seyyedi has a niece named Mobina. In 2006, he married Azadeh Samadi, but the couple divorced in 2013. He later remarried and has a daughter named Nil.
After completing high school and earning a diploma in graphic design, Seyyedi began his career by attending classes at the Rasht Branch of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, where he produced several short films. He subsequently moved to Tehran and enrolled in acting classes at the Karnameh Institute, managed by Parviz Parastui.
Career
Acting In the mid-2000s, Houman Seyyedi appeared alongside Reza Kianian in the film One Piece of Bread and later played a minor role in Asghar Farhadi's Fireworks Wednesday. He gained prominence for his starring role in Bahram Tavakoli's debut feature film, Barefoot in Heaven, which brought recognition to both Tavakoli and Seyyedi. His performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Iran Cinema Celebration Awards.
Seyyedi also performed in theater, taking roles in Hossein Kiani's plays The Neighbor of the Gentleman and Constitutional Lady. His television credits include the series Endless Path directed by Homayoun Assadian, Until Thurya by Sirus Moghadam, and telefilms such as Sayab by Mohammad Ali Sajjadi and If It Rains by Rouhollah Hejazi. His role in the series Asheghaneh garnered significant popularity, marking it as his most successful acting project to date.
Other notable films in Seyyedi's acting career include Night Out, Special Line by Mostafa Kiaei, Profiles by Iraj Karimi, In the Meantime, Sleep Bridge, Motherhood, Human Comedy, Confiscation, and Gold by Parviz Shahbazi. For his performance in I Am Diego Maradona, Seyyedi won the Best Supporting Actor award at both the Fajr Film Festival and the Iranian Film Critics and Writers Association.
Directing After directing several short films, including 35 Meters Above Water and Blue Tooth, which earned him numerous awards at the Tehran International Short Film Festival, Seyyedi made his feature directorial debut in 2010 with Africa. The film won Best Film and Best Actress (for Azadeh Samadi) in the video section of the 29th Fajr Film Festival. Seyyedi also served as the writer and editor for the film. Critics have categorized Africa as part of Iran's film noir movement, and some consider Seyyedi a successor to Asghar Farhadi's social cinema, albeit with distinct, non-classical framing and composition. He also wrote and directed the theater production An Unfinished Narrative of a Suspended Season.
Seyyedi has introduced several new actors to Iranian cinema through his films, including Amir Jadidi, Yasna Mirtahmasb, Navid Pourfaraj, Laden Zhavehvand, and Hamon Seyyedi. His directorial works include Africa, Thirteen, Confessions of My Dangerous Mind, Rage and Roar, Small Rusty Brains, and World War III. His film Small Rusty Brains was one of the highest-grossing films in Iran during its 2018 release.
Seyyedi's first foray into series production was The Frog, a home video distribution series that received widespread acclaim and became the highest-rated Iranian series on IMDb.
Teaching In addition to his work in film and theater, Seyyedi teaches acting at his own academy, mentoring aspiring actors.
Personal life
Political views After winning the Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Fajr Film Festival for his film Thirteen, Seyyedi dedicated his award to then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, describing him as someone who "brought smiles to people's faces." Years later, during the 2022 Iranian protests, Seyyedi expressed regret for this action on Instagram, writing:
On 4 February 2026, Seyyedi criticized celebrities attending the Fajr Film Festival in light of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests on his Instagram, saying: “Cinema has meaning when it stands next to humans; when it passes over them, it is just a worthless image.”https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/کنایه-هومن-سیدی-به-هنرمندان-حاضر-در-جشنواره-فجر
Awards and recognition Houman Seyyedi received an honorary doctorate from Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution for his domestic and international achievements. His works have earned numerous accolades from festivals such as Fajr, Warsaw (Poland), Busan (South Korea), Shanghai (China), the Iranian Film Critics and Writers Association, and the International City Film Festival. These include awards for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Film, Special Jury Prize, and Audience Choice for Best Film.
In 2020, Seyyedi directed his first home video series, The Frog. His film World War III won the Best Film award in the Horizons section of the 79th Venice Film Festival.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Director Notes 2005 A Piece of Bread Gheys Kamal Tabrizi 2006 Fireworks Wednesday Abdolreza Asghar Farhadi Barefoot in Paradise Yehya Bahram Tavakoli 2006 He Who Goes to the Sea Soldier Arash Moayerian 2007 Eve’s Shoulder Wound Hossein Ghena'at 2011AfricaHouman Seyyedialso as screenwriter and editor 2012 The Freeway Morteza Abbas Rafiee 2014ThirteenHouman Seyyedialso as screenwriter and editor Night, Outdoor Kaveh Sajjadi Hosseini The Exclusive Line Mostafa Kiaee 2015 Buffalo Kaveh Sajjadi Hosseini I Am Diego Maradona Babak Bahram Tavakoli Confessions of My Dangerous Mind iPod man Houman Seyyedias screenwriter and editor In the Specified Time Saeed Vahid Amirkhani 2016Profiles Iraj Karimi Nobody One Does Not Die Ashkan Hossein Kondori Bridge of Sleep Mohsen Oktay BaraheniSound and FuryHouman Seyyedialso as screenwriter and editor2017 Azar Saber Mohammad Hamzei Human Comedy Mohammad Hadi KarimiMotheringSaeedRoghayeh Tavakoli 2018 Confiscation Zakaria Mehran AhmadiSheepleHouman Seyyedialso as screenwriter and editor 2019 Gold Mansour Parviz Shahbazi2022Without HerArian Vazirdaftarias producerWorld War IIIHouman Seyyedialso as screenwriter and editor
Web Year Title Role Director Notes Platform 2016 The RomancePeyman RastagManouchehr HadiMain roleVideo CD 2018 GolshiftehHouman Behrouz ShoeibiMain roleFilimo 2020–2021 The FrogAmirali ShamsabadiHouman SeyyediSupporting role; also as screenwriter and editorNamava2021GisooPeyman RastagManouchehr HadiMain roleMutual FriendshipHimselfShahab HosseiniTalk show; 1 episode2022PartyHimselfIraj TahmasbGuest appearance2023VertigoReza BadieeBehrang TofighiMain role2024Viper of TehranHimself Saman MoghaddamCameoFilmnet 2025The SavageKhosrowHouman SeyyediAlso as screenwriter and editor Filmnet
Television Year Title Role Director Network 2007 Endless PathMansour Pourvatan Homayoun Assadian IRIB TV32009–2010 In the Eye of the Wind Masoud Djafari Djozani IRIB TV12010 The 30th DaySiavash Kiani Javad Afshar IRIB TV12011 Up to The SkyHamid Sirous Moghaddam IRIB TV12013 Mehr Abad Farid Sajadi Hosseini IRIB TV5
References
External links
Houman Seyyedi On SourehCinema (in Persian)