Mehdi Shabani was born in Tehran in 1975. In addition to his artistic career as a filmmaker and writer, Mehdi's past jobs have included being a taxi driver, bookseller, carpenter, cook, IT manager and more.

 

Work Experience in Cinema:​

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• Directed "The Red Illusions of a Wild Anemone", A tribute to and reinterpretation of Furug Farakhzad's 'The House is Black' [ Turkey, 2021]. 

• Directed "In Praise of ICE CREAM", [ Short expremental movie, Turkey, 2019-2021]

• Directed "Rishology, Living Bearded Society", [feature-length documentary, Turkey, Iran, Afganestan, UK, 2018-2020] Aired on BBC Persian, March 2018.

• Directed "Lenin, O Angel of Grace" [feature-length documentary, Moscow, Baku, Amsterdam, 2018] Aired on BBC Persian, October 2018.

• Directed "SALALLOGIA" [feature-length documentary, Turkey, 2017]

• Directed "Meyhane, A Home For My Grandfather" [feature-length documentary, Turkey, 2014], Aired on BBC Persian.

• Directed "Shesh Besh: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Play Backgammon” [feature-length documentary, Turkey, 2013]. Aired on VOA (Voice Of America), September 2014.

• Directed “Emigration: An Unfinished Life” [feature-length documentary, Iran/Turkey, 2011-2013]

• Directed “The Bathhouse that Wanted to Keep on Being a Bathhouse” [feature-length documentary, Iran, 2009-2010. Aired on BBC Persian, October 2012.

• Directed and produced “Such as It Was, Nevertheless a Fine Life: The Life of Contemporary Iranian Poet Shams Langroodi” [short documentary, Iran, 2008]

• Created and directed numerous advertising clips for a variety of industries  [Iran, 2004-2009]

• Directed and produced “Street-Style Politics” [short fictional film, Iran, 2003]

• Directed and produced “The Revenge” [short fictional film, Iran, 2002]

 

Work Experience in Other Arts/Media:​

 

• Wrote and published essays on art, history and politics in Persian and Turkish media (various websites and print publications included BBC, DW, VOA and etc.)

• Hosted radio programs on a number of Farsi-language TV and radio stations 

• Narrated and voice-dubbed for films and videos

• Wrote and published “The News Was Already Bleak, Crow Notwithstanding” [collection of poems, Iran, 2004]