I may be the youngest on the team but I promise, I can give you the most thorough rundown of Iranian experimental cinema in the Bay Area you’ve ever seen! My journey with film and video began at a young age when my dad sat me down to watch movies every weekend; I would watch classics from The Godfather Trilogy, Frankenstein, Dr. Strangelove, every-John-Wayne-western -ever-made- and I can safely say, by the time I was 14, I had watched every James Bond, at least once.
During middle school, my favorite band was obsessed with David Lynch, so naturally, I watched the entirety of Twin Peaks in a couple of weeks and spurred my interest in more cult film-type cinema. In that time I also began to notice my enjoyment of documenting photos/videos of my friends and family, as well as portraiture in drawing and sketching. As I made those advances towards media and eventually left high school, I moved from my hometown of Sacramento to Vancouver, Canada to start my BA.
Whilst in University I became extremely involved in the arts and music scene, specifically local shows catered to emerging musicians. I began hosting events at 17 with friends and small venues and eventually started booking and coordinating shows on my own. Through that experience, I was able to tap into my love for art but also to bring people together while giving artists a platform to be seen. In the process, I could give back to the community I was working in by being able to donate a portion of my profits with every event. I expanded the breadth of my events eventually to cater towards a wider variety of artists within the same spaces ( jewelry makers, tattoo artists, photographers, clothing designers, independent filmmakers, and more! ) and began to work as a freelance event coordinator by the time I was 18. During that time, I took my first elective in Film studies in my 3rd year at the University of British Columbia and knew immediately that my passion was filmmaking. Shortly after, I tried to start my first documentary and started working with friends on independent shorts. I eventually graduated in 2020 and completed my degree with a major in Sociology with a focus in Film Studies.
Once completing my degree, I began working in the world of acting and attempted to make it in front of the camera. Which, alas, I realized I should leave to the likes of Viola Davis and Stanley Tucci. I did learn, however, the mechanisms of the script to actor translation and the components of directing actors on screen. I also took classes in color-grading with DaVinci Resolve and began working more on my own independent shorts, eventually working freelance as a remote colorist. During the summer of 2021, I decided it was time to head home to California and pursue my dreams of living in the Bay Area while working in film and video, and found Four Winds!
My passion is people and media, and I’m here to bring those two together for you no matter what it takes! So, let’s make it happen!