Majid Majidi was born on April 17, 1959, in the vibrant city of Tehran, Iran, to a middle-class family. From a tender age of fourteen, he began his journey in the world of amateur theater, honing his skills and developing his passion for the performing arts.
After completing his high school education, Majidi pursued his interest in the visual arts, enrolling in the Institute of Dramatic Art in Tehran. However, it was the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that brought about a significant shift in his career trajectory. His fascination with cinema led him to act in various films, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Boycott (1986) and Ali Asghar Shadravan's The Execution (1986),where he portrayed the roles of a frustrated communist and a real-life character, Andarzgoo, respectively.
As his interest in filmmaking continued to grow, Majidi began writing and directing short films. His feature film screenwriting and directing debut, Baduk (1992),was presented at the Quinzaine of Cannes and won several awards at the Tehran's Fajr Film Festival. This marked the beginning of a prolific career, as Majidi went on to write and direct numerous films that garnered worldwide recognition.
Some of his most notable works include Children of Heaven (1997),which won the Best Picture award at the Montreal International Film Festival and received a nomination for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. The Color of Paradise (1999) also won the Best Picture award at the Montreal International Film Festival and set a new record for box office sales for an Asian film. Baran (2001) won several major awards worldwide, including the Best Picture award at the 25th Montreal World Film Festival and a nomination for the European Film Academy Award.
In addition to his feature films, Majidi produced Barefoot to Herat (2003),an emotional documentary about Afghanistan's refugee camps, which won the Fipresci Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. He has also received several prestigious awards, including the Douglas Sirk Award in 2001 and the Amici Vittorio de Sica Award in 2003.
In 2005, Majidi directed The Willow Tree (2005),a poignant film about a blind man who falls in love with someone other than his wife when he is given the chance to see again. The film won four awards at the 2005 Fajr Film Festival in Tehran. Throughout his career, Majidi has established himself as one of Iran's most influential directors, known for his simple yet poetic storytelling style.
