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Iranian-American filmmaker and Award-winning documentarian Aryana
Farshad began her higher education in Paris, majoring in French Literature at La
Sorbonne, prior to receiving her degree from renown “L’ I. D. H. E. C” film institute in Paris, France, majoring in Film Production and
Editing. She began her film career as a documentary editor in France, continuing later on in Iran and the US. Continuing her film studies at USC, she joined the Editors Guild of America and worked as Assistant Film Editor and post-production supervisor at major Hollywood studios, including MGM and Columbia Pictures. overseeing more than 30 TV series and feature films to her credit. Since 2000, Aryana pursued her lifelong passion, returning to documentary film making as a producer and director. Her debut effort, “Mystic Iran: The Unseen World”, a full-length documentary filmed entirely in Iran, was praised at major film festivals including: International Film of India, Montreal World Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Cinema Paradiso, Tiburon International Film Festival, Beirut International Documentary Film Festival, Fes Sacred Music Festival, FilmFest, Zoroastrian Film Festival and screened at more than 30 universities, educational and spiritual events including: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The British Museum, Rumi Society at Stanford University, Fes Sacred Music Festival- Morocco, and Parliament of the World Religios - Barcelona and "Noor Film Festival" where Mystic Iran won the “Audience Favorite Award” in 2008. Mystic Iran was broadcast at more than 300 international channels and aired on PBS. "Age of Awakening" - filmed entirely in locations in Iran - was premiered at "British Museum", on November 2005, along with "Forgotten Empire" exhibition and premiered at "Los Angeles County Museum of Arts" on May 2006. In 2008, Aryana won a “Telly Award” and a “Davey Award”, in Directing and editing categories respectively for a short documentary film, “A Time to Reconcile.” Aryana lectures regularly at major universities, museum and organizations, including; UC Berkeley, University of Arkansas, University of Memphis, Asia Society - New York to name a few. Within the last 10 years, she has written, produced and directed 5 documentary films, with 3 more projects in pre-production and development states. Her last project "The Legacy of Dr. Hadi Parvarandeh", a full documentary film, 2010-2013 - was commissioned by "Hady's Signature", a non-profit foundation. She is currently in production of “Longing for the Soul: A Quest for Rumi”; this project has received an initial endowment from The Bijan & Soraya Fund, a non-profit foundation. Aryana’s work is punctuated with the underlying idea of gaining a more accessible grasp of long elusive social and spiritual enigmas that continue to impact and confound people the world over. Her approach has the ability to tap into the very essence of the subject, infusing the narrative with her seasoned cinematic touch. Celebrated internationally for her vision and daring,
she has the admiration and support of many world-renowned personalities,
including Prince Charles of England. In the tradition of the vast cultures she
has documented in her films, Aryana takes it all in stride, reminded by the
divine earthly humility of the mystics. |