Paliz Khoshdel (Persian: پالیز خوشدل; born 25 November 1985) is an Iranian documentary filmmaker, producer, editor, cinematographer and painter. He was born in Rasht, Iran. His films have focused on Iranian youth culture, underground communities, street art, parkour and women's access to public life in Iran.
Khoshdel directed and produced films including Ancient Heritage, Street Sultans, Mutiny of Colours, Apnea, Makhoola Rises! and The Football Aficionado. In 2022, he co-directed and co-produced The Football Aficionado, a documentary about Zahra Khoshnavaz, an Iranian football supporter who challenged restrictions on women entering football stadiums. The film had its world premiere in the Wide Angle section of the 27th Busan International Film Festival, where it won the BIFF Mecenat Award for Asian documentary.
Career
Khoshdel began working as a documentary and experimental filmmaker in the late 2000s. DAFilms lists his early work as including Street Sultans and Mutiny of Colours, and credits him as producer of On Underground and Remission. His early work also included cinematography credits on documentary projects such as Asbe Chobi, Waltz for Tehran and I Am a Happy Actor, according to Iranian documentary and experimental-cinema listings.
Street Sultans documents young parkour practitioners in Iran and follows their attempts to organize a festival in Tehran. The film's subject includes the obstacles faced by the parkour community while trying to hold a public festival in the city. DAFilms credits Khoshdel as a director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer on the film.
Mutiny of Colours focuses on street art and graffiti in Iran. Coverage of the project described it as following several Iranian street artists and discussing the social and legal pressures surrounding street art in the country. Artists connected with the project included CK1, Icy & Sot and Omet.
On Underground is a documentary about two hip-hop dancers in Iran; Khoshdel produced and edited the film.
Makhoola Rises! continued Khoshdel's documentary work around Makhoola. The film concerns the Iranian alternative-rock group as the band worked on its first album and sought to stage concerts in Rasht and Tehran.
The Football Aficionado follows Zahra, a football fan in Tehran, and addresses the exclusion of women from Iranian football stadiums. The film was later distributed by Journeyman Pictures and screened at festivals including the Kerala International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Impact Human Rights Film Festival of Catalonia and the Iranian Documentary Film Festival Munich.
In 2026, Khoshdel co-directed the short science-fiction film ''Centaur'' with Sharmin Mojtahedzadeh. The film follows a woman who discovers that her pregnancy and her husband are part of a controlled experiment involving artificial creation. The project was produced using generative tools from Google AI Studio.
Documentary films
Title Time Format Year Ancient Heritage 20 min DV 2009 Street Sultans 40 min DV 2010 Mutiny of Colours 70 min HD 2017 Makhoola Rises! 70 min HD 2020-2024 Apnea 9 min HD 2019 The Football Aficionado 85 min 4K 2018-2022 Centaur 10 min 4K 2026
Filmography
Year Title Role(s) Notes 2009 Ancient Heritage Director, editor, Cinematographer Short Documentary 2010 Street Sultans Director, writer, editor, cinematographer, producer Documentary about parkour in Iran. 2011 Asbe Chobi Editor, Cinematographer Short Documentary 2011 Waltz for Tehran Cinematographer Documentary about Street Music in Tehran. 2012 On Underground Producer, editor Documentary about two hip-hop dancers in Iran; listed by DAFilms in Khoshdel's filmography. 2013 Better Than Life Producer, editor, Cinematographer Documentary about Video Game industry 2015 Without Ticket Editor Listed by Cinema Verite. 2017 Mutiny of Colours Director, producer, editor, cinematographer Documentary about Iranian street art. 2017 Watching the Other Editor Short documentary. 2018 Simulation of Mr. Yellow Editor Listed by Cinema Verite. 2019 I Am a Happy Actor Cinematographer Listed by Cinema Verite. 2019 Apnea Director, producer, editor, Cinematographer Experimental short. 2022 The Football Aficionado Director, producer, editor, cinematographer Winner of the BIFF Mecenat Award at the 27th Busan International Film Festival. 2023 Re/Cinema Producer, editor Short Documentary. 2024 Makhoola Rises! Director, producer, editor, Cinematographer Documentary. 2024 The Scar Producer, editor, VFX Feature film directed by Moein Rezaei Rad; FilmFreeway lists Khoshdel among the producers. 2026 Centaur Director, Producer, editor Short, Ai Movie Middle of Middle East Editor, producer Documentary.
Awards and screenings
Year Work Event Result 2010 Street Sultans Iranian Critics and Writers Association Special Award for Best Film 2010 Street Sultans Tehran International Short Film Festival International distributor award 2010 Street Sultans Image of the Year Festival Best Semi-Long Film 2010 Street Sultans Canada's 2nd Iranian Film Festival Certificate of Achievement 2011 Street Sultans City International Film Festival Nominated, Best Film and Best Director 2011 Street Sultans City International Film Festival Best Director, Semi-Long Documentary 2011 Street Sultans Iranian House of Cinema Nominated for editing, music, cinematography and directing 2011 Street Sultans Iranian House of Cinema Best Semi-Long Documentary Film 2012 Street Sultans Six Weeks of Iranian Art, Canadian Film Festival Best Film 2012 Street Sultans Online Women Filmmakers of Iran, Uppsala Film Festival Screening 2013 Street Sultans UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema Screening 2013 Street Sultans Mediawave Film Festival Participation 2014 Street Sultans DHfest, Mexico City Screening 2014 Street Sultans Cinéma(s) d'Iran Screening 2013 On Underground Image of the Year Festival Best Documentary 2014 On Underground Khorshid Independent Film Festival Honorary diploma 2014 On Underground Tehran International Short Film Festival Nominated for Best Director and Best Editing 2014 On Underground Cinema Verite Nominated for Best Director 2022 The Football Aficionado Busan International Film Festival BIFF Mecenat Award, Asian documentary 2023 The Football Aficionado Cinema of The World International Film Festival Best Documentary, sports category 2023 The Football Aficionado International Documentary Film Festival Flahertiana Official selection 2023 The Football Aficionado Kerala International Documentary and Short Film Festival Screening 2023 The Football Aficionado Festival del Cinema dei Diritti Umani di Napoli Screening 2023 The Football Aficionado Cinéma(s) d'Iran Screening 2024 The Football Aficionado Madrid International Festival of Independent Cinema Best Documentary Film 2024 The Football Aficionado Northern Character International Film Festival Diploma for Strong Character and Love for Football 2024 The Football Aficionado Impact Human Rights Film Festival of Catalonia Official selection 2024 The Football Aficionado Iranian Documentary Film Festival Munich Official selection
References
Further reading
External links
Paliz Khoshdel at DAFilms