Ali Zare Ghanat Nowi (; born 26 January 1981) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, translator, educator, and film producer. Considered the most internationally honored Iranian director in 2014, Zare has represented Iran at more than 130 festivals around the world. He has directed, produced, written, or edited more than 20 films, including animations, shorts, and documentaries. His two most popular films have been Dad's Fragile Doll (2013) and Empty View (2017), with the first film screening at more than 100 festivals. Outside of production, he has managed a film workshop school; translated two screenplays; published two books; and served on jury panels at festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival.
Early life and education Zare was born on 26 January 1981 in Shiraz. He became interested in film during his teenage years and started working as a playwright and assistant director at s Fars Central Broadcasting in 1998. Among his earliest assignments were television shows called Didgah (1998) and Dalavar Mardan Tah (1999-2000), for which he served as editor, assistant director, and writer. He studied animation directing at University of Tehran and Berlin Film School.
Career Zare wrote Iran, the Year Zero (1999), a radio play following an author who returns to Iran and reckons with how it has changed, and edited and directed HandiCrafts in Fars Province (2000), a 13-part television series. He then wrote and directed his first short film, Gray Autumn (2000), about a man experiencing memory loss and coping with the unfamiliarity—and familiarity—of his surroundings. He was editor of World View (2001), a travel documentary; writer and director of Winners Win Nothing (2001); and editor and director of the short film Vahe (2003). In 2004, he started the Shiraz Film Club, a group dedicated to discussing films. Meetings were usually held at Shiraz University or at Hafez Hall. He also founded the Shiraz Cinema School (Madreseh Kargahiye Cinema), where he developed, taught, and organized workshops focused on cinema, criticism, editing, screenwriting, and more. Guest lecturers included Farzad Motamen, , Jamal Mirsadeghi, and . The school would later be involved in the production of several of Zare's films, including Empty View, Umbilical Cord, and Red Mind. Zare was honored with a Management Excellence award in 2010, 2011, and 2012 from the Minister of Culture in recognition of the work he did at his film school. Zare also directed commercials between 2006 and 2016.
In 2006, Zare wrote and directed Makoo, video art about three women in different times and social classes who each seem to continue life where the previous left off. This was followed by work on two documentaries: Four Deaths of a Writer (2008) and Red Mind (2009), the latter of which gained him recognition outside of Shiraz. He established the Golbarg Film Company and assumed the role of chairman of the board in 2009. Documentaries Cries and Whispers (2010) followed the day-to-day life of blind and Deaf children in specialized schools and Sistan Itinerary (2011) examined the Baloch people in an adaptation of Mahmoud Dowlatabadi's book Meet the Baloch People. Sistan Itinerary was shown at Cinéma Vérité in Iran and won second prize for best film at the Naser Khosro Festival. The same year, he worked as television director of the Fajr International Film Festival. In 2012, Zare co-wrote, produced, and directed The Lights, an examination of Jamal Mirsadeghi's life and writing. This was shown in the portrait category at Cinéma Vérité, its first-ever public screening.
Dad's Fragile Doll, Zare's first animation, was released in 2013 and follows a girl who uses dolls to act out her revenge on the men who imprisoned and executed her father. The animation uses rotoscoping, the first time a film has done so in Iran. The screenplay was adapted from a story of the same name by Houshang Golshiri. It achieved runaway success, showing at more than 100 international film festivals and taking first place in Best Animation at a number of events, including the Shiraz Short Film Festival, Viewster Online Film Festival, Veterans Film Festival, and Mosaic Film Festival. It was nominated for Best Film at the Burien Film Festival and for Best Animation at the Erie International Film Festival and Athens Animfest. Other festivals that hosted the film included Piélagos en Corto, Animation Day in Cannes LA Shorts Fest, Anima Mundi, Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival, House of Cinema, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, and Kaohsiung Film Festival. In 2014, Zare was included in the Top 10 Filmmakers of Asia listing at the ifva Festival in Hong Kong.
In 2014, he co-wrote The Lives of Others with former student Bahareh Ahmadi. The following year, he worked with two former students on their film Jump In Love, which he produced and edited. He also produced and edited the short film Timology, then wrote and directed the experimental short film Umbilical Cord, which examines a mother's inner turmoil after losing her baby. The film was shown at the Ozark Foothills FilmFest and the Wiper Film Festival in the United States and at Experimental Superstars in Serbia. He wrote and directed the documentary Next Week (2015), which followed the day-to-day lives of disabled children. It was shown at Harrogate Film Festival, Wiper Film Festival, and International Children's Film Festival India. Zare's film school closed around 2016 due to finance-related declining attendance. Between 2015 and 2017, he worked on films including The Internationale and Essence, both of which were selected as finalists at CURTASTIK International Film Festival in 2017, and Pour with the Rain, a documentary about Amin Faghiri. Empty View, a short film about a mother waiting for her son to return from war, was animated using rotoscoping techniques. It won awards for Best Animation at the UK Monthly Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Awards, Asians On Film Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival, Mexico International Film Festival, and Amsterdam Film Festival Van Gogh Awards. The film score was composed by and the screenplay was translated and published in France in 2021.
Zare has written two books, Digital Photography Darkroom and Keywords in Cinema, and has published cinema and film reviews in newspapers such as Shargh, Etemad, and Bahar. In 2005, he translated the screenplay of the film 21 Grams and published it with Ayaneh Junob. In 2008, he translated the screenplay of the 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath, written by Nunnally Johnson, and published it with Afkar Publishing. He also designed the book covers for Jamal Mirsadeghi's Two Bright Blue Lights (2013) and World of Colors (2014). Zare has also sat on judge and jury panels at festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival, the inaugural Shiraz Film and Photo Festival, Shiraz Short Film Festival, Kolgrash Film Festival, Cinema Perpetuum Mobile Festival in Belarus, and Bangladesh International Independent Film Festival.
Filmography Year Title/Persian title Title in English Type Roles Synopsis Ref(s) 1999 Iran, Sale Sefr Iran, the Year Zero Radio play Writer An author returns to Iran and must reckon with how it has changed. 2000 Sanaye'e Dastiye Fars HandiCrafts in Fars Province TV documentary Editor and director 13-part documentary about locals in Fars province making handicrafts Paeeze Khakestari Gray Autumn Short film Writer, director A man experiencing memory loss copes with the unfamiliarity—and familiarity—of his surroundings, and with the reason he lost his memory in the first place. Dalavar Mardan Tah Gallant Heroes in Victory Reality TV Editor, assistant director, writer A TV match with military members participating to win. 2001 Barandegan Chizi Nemibarand Winners Win Nothing Short film Writer, director A shell-shocked soldier returns from war. Jahan Nama World View Short film Editor 2003 Vahe Oasis Short film Editor, director 2004 MIT Documentary Writer, director 2006 Makoo Makoo Video art Writer, director Three women in different times and social classes each seem to continue life where the previous left off. 2008 Chahar Marge Yek Nevisandeh Four Deaths of a Writer Documentary Director A writer describes how he dies four times in his work. Co-written with Shahriar Mandanipour. 2009 Aghle Sorkh Red Mind Documentary Producer, writer, director Based on notes written by Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi about humanity, God, and love. 2010 Faryadha o Najvaha Cries and Whispers Documentary Director and writer The life of blind and Deaf children in special schools. 2011 Safarnameh Sistan Sistan Itinerary Documentary Writer, director An adaptation of the book Meet the Baloch People by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi. 2012 Cheraghha The Lights Documentary Screenwriter, producer, director, editor The life and writing of Jamal Mirsadeghi. 2013 Arosake Chiniye Baba Dad's Fragile Doll Short film Director, screenwriter, editor, producer The daughter of a prisoner plays out her revenge on her father's executioners with dolls. Ba Baran Bebar Pour with the Rain Documentary Producer, editor, director The life and writings of Amin Faghiri. 2014 Zendegie Digaraan The Lives of Others Short Film Co-Writer A girl loses her hope to continue living. Co-production with Bahareh Ahmadi. Shahre man, Aabaadi My City, the Village TV film Editor Follows the problems of rural society in an Iranian village. 2015 Bande Naaf Umbilical Cord Short Film Writer, director The subconscious nightmares of a woman who has lost her baby. Timology Timology Short Film Editor, producer The life of a man who has been lost in time and existence. Paresh Dar Eshq Jump In Love Short Film Editor, producer Co-produced with Ali Lavarimonfared and Vahid Mobasheri. Hafteye Ayandeh Next Week Documentary Writer, director, producer Day-to-day lives of disabled children as they try to live normal lives. Khiabane Zand Zand Street Documentary Producer, editor, director Film about Shiraz 2017 Beynolmelali The Internationale Writer, producer, editor, director A concert is interrupted by a terrorist attack, but the performers force them to retreat and surrender with the power of their music. Chashmandaze Khali Empty View Short film Writer, director A mother waits for her son, a martyr, to return from war. 2018 Hasti Essence Short Film Inspired by Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss.
Honors and awards