Person Biography:
Mehdi Mosaffa was born in Tehran, Iran, to a family of renowned scholars and poets. His father, Mozaher Mosaffa, is a professor of Persian literature at the University of Tehran, while his mother, Amir Banoo Karimi, is a leading scholar and professor of Persian literature. Mosaffa's maternal grandfather is the legendary Persian poet, Amiri Firuzkuhi.
As a child, Mosaffa developed a passion for storytelling and English, which contributed to his fluency in the language. He pursued a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Tehran, where he also discovered his interest in acting. Mosaffa made his film debut in the 1991 film "Omid" and went on to win the prize for best male actor at the Fajr International Film Festival in 1992 for his role in "Pari".
Mosaffa met his future wife, Iranian actress Leila Hatami, on the set of Dariush Mehrjui's 1996 film "Leila". The couple married in 1999 and have two children, a son named Mani (born February 2007) and a daughter named Asal (born October 2008).
Mosaffa's experience in directing began with short films, including "Incubus", "The Neighbor", and the documentary feature "Farib-e-She'r or The Deceit of Poesy". He then directed his first feature film in 2005, "Portrait of a Lady Far Away / Sima-ye Zani Dar Doordast", starring Leila Hatami and Homayoun Ershadi, which won the Sutherland Trophy at the BFI London Film Festival.
Mosaffa's subsequent films, including "The Last Step / Pele ye Akhar", have received critical acclaim and international recognition. His second film was nominated for the Crystal Globe at the 2005 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI prize for best film at the 2012 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Mosaffa's latest project, "Le Passé" or "The Past", a foreign language film directed by Asghar Farhadi, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013.
