Babak Jalali was born in September 1978 in Northern Iran. He has lived mainly in London since 1986.

He received a BA degree in Balkan / East European Studies and an MA degree in Politics from UCL, University of London. He graduated with an MA in Film-making from the London Film School in 2005.

His graduation film, HEYDAR. AN AFGHAN IN TEHRAN, was screened at 60 film festivals worldwide and received a BAFTA nomination as Best Short Film in 2006.

He was selected as one of 6 residents at the CANNES FILM FESTIVAL CINEFONDATION RESIDENCE in 2006-2007 (session 13). In the residence, he developed his first feature film called ‘FRONTIER BLUES’.

He completed his first feature film called FRONTIER BLUES in 2009 which was shot in and around his hometown of Gorgan on Iran’s northern frontier with Turkmenistan. It is the story of desperate men, longing, remembering, waiting and absent women.

The film premiered in the International Competition at the Locarno International Film fes- tival in 2009 and has gone on to screen at over 30 festivals worldwide including Ghent, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Gijon, Sofia, New Directors/ New Films in New York, San Francisco and Edinburgh.

It won the FIPRESCI award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

He is currently in the latter stages of development on his second feature film, LAND, which is set in the American Plains. The script won the main production grant at the Torino Film Lab 2012 as well as MEDIA development funding and MiBAC (Italian Ministry) funding. It was also selected for Paris Project, New Cinema Network (Rome Film Festival) and Sofia Meetings co-production markets. The film is scheduled to be shot in Spring 2014.

 

 

Filmography (as writer/ director)

2002- A Trip to the Coast. 4 mins. 16mm. B/W

2003- Nadja. 5 mins. 16mm. Colour

2003- The Guv’nor. 24 mins. 16mm. Colour

2004- Boxes. 15 mins. 35mm. B/W

2005- Heydar An Afghan in Tehran. 18 mins. 35mm. Colour

(BAFTA Nomination 2006)

2009- Frontier Blues. 95 mins. 35mm. Colour

(Developed at Cannes Film Festival Cinefondation Residency)

(Winner FIPRESCI- San Francisco International Film Festival)

(Official Selection at over 30 film festivals)

2013- Land. 100 mins. 35mm. Colour

(Winner of Torino Film Lab Production Award)

(Selected at Sofia Meetings, Paris Project and NCN Rome)

 

Filmography (as Producer)

2006- Fine Stagione. 20 mins. 35mm. Colour

2008- Lo Zio. 18 mins. HD. Colour

2012- Hit the Road, Granny. 64 mins. HD. Colour

2013- White Shadow. 115 mins. HD. Colour

(Winner of the Luigi de Laurentiis- Lion of the Future Award for

Best Debut Film at the Venice Film Festival)

 

Filmography (as Editor)

2005- One Fix. 15 mins. 35mm. Colour

2009- Frontier Blues. 95 mins. 35mm. Colour

2010- Simon Killer. 100 mins. HD. Colour

(Premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival)

2012- BBC World Documentary on Great Persians.

3 documentaries, each 30 minutes long. HD. Colour