Rakhshān Banietemad (; born April 3, 1954, in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian film director and screenwriter. She is often referred to as the "First Lady of Iranian Cinema" due to her prominent role in the country's film industry and her ability to merge political themes with personal and family narratives in her work.Cobbey, Rini. "Under the Skin of the City; Under the Surface Contrasts." Film in the Middle East and North Africa. Ed. Josef Gugler. Austin: Texas UP, 2011. 84-93. Banietemad is known for exploring societal issues through characters, who often represent various segments of Iranian society.
Her films often address a wide range of issues such as: the evolving roles of women, poverty, war, domestic abuse, social mobility, and balancing a portrayal of harsh realities with a sense of hope for change.
Banietemad's films frequently focus on women, with characters such as Tooba (Golab Adineh), Nobar (Fatemah Motamed-Aria), and Sara (Baran Kosari) representing different facets of women's experiences in Iran. These characters are often revisited and reinterpreted over time, reflecting the changes in Iranian society and culture.
Her 2002 film OurTimes (Ruz-egar-e ma) became the first documentary to be released in theaters in Iran.
Early life and education Rakhshan Banietemad was born in Tehran, Iran, on April 3, 1954, into a middle-class family. Although her parents encouraged her to pursue a career in teaching, she demonstrated an interest in film from a young age. As a teenager, she decided to study film, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in film studies from the Dramatic Arts University in Tehran."Rakhshan BaniEtemad." Firouzan Films. 2011. 3 May 2012 Initially, Banietemad had planned to study architecture. Just before entering university, she took an exam for an intensive stage assistance course by the School of Television and Cinema, and was one of the 20 students accepted. She studied both architecture and stage assistance, but the following year, she took the national exam for the faculty of dramatic arts and chose to focus on film directing.
Career 1970s and 1980s In 1973, after completing her degree, Banietemad began working as a script supervisor for the Iranian television network IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting). Later, in 1980, she directed television documentary features. Her films are steeped in Iran's social and economic context.Alissa Simon. "Interview with Rakhshan Banietemad." Facets. 3 May 2012.
In 1981, Banietemad began working in cinema as a script supervisor on films such as The Liegemen and Chrysanthemum. She directed her first feature film Off the Limits in 1987. She followed this up Canary Yellow in 1988. 1990s and 2000s She earned critical and popular acclaim in 1991 with Nargess. She received the Best Director Award from the Fajr Film Festival, marking the first time in the history of the festival that a woman was awarded this prize.
Since then, she has received numerous awards for her films, including a Bronze Leopard Award for The Blue-Veiled at the 1995 Locarno Film Festival and, in 2001, won the Best Foreign Language Film Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Turin Film Festival for Under the Skin of the City (2001).
With her 2002 documentary film Our Times, Banietemad became the first female filmmaker to explicitly confront the Iran-Iraq war, placing her in an important role in Iranian film history. This was also the first documentary ever to be shown in Iranian movie theaters and was also shown in prominent film festivals such as IDFA and Sundance Film Festival. The film was also broadcast on the Franco-German network ARTE. She is considered a political film maker whose films to walk right up to the line of what Iranian censorship codes allow.Whatley, Sheri. "Iranian Women Film Directors: A Clever Activism." Off Our Backs 27.1 (2003): 30-32. JSTOR. McHenry Lib., Santa Cruz, CA. 2 May 2012.
Her 2004 film, Gilaneh, considered an anti-war film, was nominated for three Crystal Simorghs at the Fajr Film Festival and won for best make-up and a special jury prize. Fatemeh Motamedaria, who starred in Gilaneh, won best actress.
2010s to Present Banietemad continued to direct films during the early 2010s, including Mainline and Tales. In Tales (2014), Banietemad intertwines seven stories, where notable female characters from her past films reappear, reinforcing the historical and cultural relevance of her work and her impact on the portrayal of women in Iranian cinema. Tales was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.
She also continued making documentaries, and has collaborated with young filmmakers in Hey, Humans (2016), and The Karastan film series (2013-2017).
Style Banietemad’s unique style blends documentary techniques with fictional filmmaking. Her films frequently examine the hardships faced by Iran’s lower classes, single women, single mothers, and complex family dynamics. Often, her characters directly address the camera, contrasting with typical documentary conventions.
Her films also explore the complex relationships between mothers and their children, a theme rooted in her own experience as a mother in Iran. This focus reflects the societal expectations of Iranian women, who often find it difficult to separate their personal lives from their maternal roles within the country’s patriarchal structure.
Banietemad has mentioned that her feature films are often inspired by people she saw during her documentary film-making. For example, the story of Nargess comes from a documentary about homeless women, the character of Touba in Under the Skin of the City (2001) came about from a documentary on working women, and the character of "Kabootar" in the movie The Blue Veiled (1995) was inspired by a harsh woman called "Mr. Ghodrat" (Ghodrat means a power which is a male name).
Banietemad is known for her interest in strong female characters and she views Iranian women as central to the countries future and often highlights their strength and resilience.
Although her work prominently features strong female protagonists, Banietemad rejects being labeled a feminist filmmaker. She has expressed her discomfort with the term, particularly in the Iranian context, where "feminist" carries negative connotations. Instead, she focuses on the broader struggles of society’s lower classes, regardless of gender, and prefers not to be categorized under any specific label.Laurier, Joanne. Walsh, David. "An Interview with Rakhshan Banietemad, co-director of Gilaneh." World Socialist website. 3 Oct. 2005. International Committee of the Fourth International. 4 May 2012.
Legacy She was awarded an honorary degree from SOAS in 2008.
Personal life She is married to Iranian film producer Jahangir Kosari. Their daughter, Baran Kosari, is an Iranian film actress. Kosari began acting at a young age and is now a professional actress. She has appeared in her mother's films, as well as those of other Iranian filmmakers.
Humanitarian actions Banietemad donated her international prize for the movie Ghesseh-ha to build a shelter for homeless women. She also donated some of her awards to help disadvantaged women.
Filmography
Feature films +YearTitleRoleDirectorWriterProducer1987Off the Limits (Kharej az Mahdudeh)1988Canary Yellow (Zard-e Qanari)1989Foreign Currency (Poul-e Khareji)1991Nargess1995The Blue Veiled (Rusari Abi)1998The May Lady (Banu-ye Ordibehesht)1999Baran and the Native (Baran va Bumi)2001Under the Skin of the City (Zir-e Poost-e Shahr)2004Gilaneh2006Mainline (Khun Bazi)2009Heiran2014Tales (Ghesseh ha)
Documentaries Karestan Documentary films (artistic consultant), 2013–17: Poets of Life Puzzleys Mother of the Earth MAHAK: A World She Founded Friends at Work Flax to Fire Hey, Humans (Ay, Adamha), 2016 One Hour in a Lifetime (Yek saat az yek omr), 2015 All My Trees (Hameh derakhtan-e man), 2015 which exmained the work of Mahlagha Mallah The Other Side of Mirrors (An sooy-e ayeneh ha), 2014 The Mirrors Recital (Concert-e ayeneh ha), 2014 The Concert of the Lords of Secrets (concert-e khodavandan-e asrar), 2014 Mahak My Home (Khaneh man Mahak), a teamwork, 2014 Keep Children in School (Bacheh ha ra dar madreseh negahdarim), a teamwork, 2012 The Room No. 202 (Otahgh-e 202), part of Kahrizak 4 Views, 2012 I’ll see you Tomorrow Elina (Farda mibinamet Elina), 2010 We Are Half of Iran's Population (Ma nimi az jameiat-e Iranim), 2009 Angels of the House of Sun (Hayat khalvate khaneh khorshid), 2009 Second Home (producer), Director: Mahvash Sheikholeslami, 2008 3D Carpet (Farsh-e 3 Bodi), Part of "Iranian Carpet", 2007 Our Times… (Ruzegar-e ma…), 2002 The Last Visit with Iran Daftari (Akharin didar ba Iran Daftari), 1995 To Whom Do You Show These Films? (In filmha ra beh ki neshun midin?), 1993 Spring to Spring (Bahar ta bahar), 1993 The 1992 Report (Gozaresh-e 71), 1993 Centralization (Tamarkoz), 1986 The War Economic Planning (Tadbirha-ye eqtesadi-e jang), 1981 Occupation of Migrant Peasants in the City (Mohajerin-e roustai dar shahr),1980 The Culture of Consumption (Farhang-e masrafi), 1979
Honors and awards +YearTitleFestivalAwardCategoryResultNotesReferences1991Nargess10th Fajr International Film FestivalSimorghBest DirectorBest Screenplay1994The Blue Veiled13th Fajr International Film FestivalSimorghBest DirectorBest ScreenplayIranian Cinema Directors AssociationSeemeenBest Director1995Locarno International Film FestivalBronze Leopard1996Tessaloniki International Film Festival (Greece)FIPRESCI1997The May Lady16th Fajr International Film FestivalSpecial Jury PrizeBest Director1998Montreal World Film FestivalFIPRESCIHounarable Mention2nd Iranian Cinema FestivalBest Director2000Under the Skin of the City4th Iranian Cinema FestivalThe best film selected by the Critics and Writers AssociationBest ScreenplayJoint with Farid MostafaviBest FilmBest DirectorMoscow International Film FestivalSpecial Jury Prize2001Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech)NetpacTurin International Film Festival (Italy)Best ScreenplayJoint with Farid MostafaviAudience awardCinemavenireBest Film2002Seattle International Film FestivalSpecial Jury AwardOur TimesLocarno International Film FestivalNetpac2005GilanehKara International Film FestivalBest FilmIranian Women Film DirectorsGolden Lotus10th Holy defense Festival (Iran)Special Jury PrizeBest DirectorJoint with Mohsen Abdul Wahab2006Vesoul Asian Film Festival (France)NetpacJoint with Mohsen Abdul WahabLas Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival (Spain)Special Jury Prize2007MainlineAsia Pacific Screen AwardsBest DirectorJoint with Mohsen Abdul Wahab25th Fajr International Film FestivalSimorghBest ScreenplayJoint with Mohsen Abdul Wahab, Farid Mostafavi, Naghme SaminiAsiatica Film Mediale (Italy)Best FilmCity International Film Festival (Iran)Best Film11th Iranian Cinema FestivalBest ScreenplayJoint with Mohsen Abdul Wahab, Farid Mostafavi, Naghme SaminiBest DirectorJoint with Mohsen Abdul Wahab2008International Women's Film Festival (Creteil, France)Grand Jury PrizePyongyang International Film Festival (North Korea)Best ScreenplayJoint with Mohsen Abdul Wahab, Farid Mostafavi, Naghme SaminiDhaka International Film Festival (Pakistan)Special Jury Prize2014TalesVenice International Film Festival (Italy)Best ScreenplayJoint with Farid MostafaviKolkata International Film Festival (India)Golden Royal Bengal TigerBest FilmAsia Pacific Screen Awards (Australia)Special Jury Prize32nd Fajr International Film FestivalBest FilmThe 17th Iranian Cinema FestivalBest FilmBest DirectorBest ScreenplayJoint with Farid Mostafavi2015London Iranian Film Festival (UK)Best FilmGene Siskel Film Center (USA)Audience Award2016Prague Iranian Film Festival (Czech)Best Film Honorary Golden Cyclo, 23rd Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (France), 2017