| Babak Anvari | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982 or 1983 (age 41–42) Tehran, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian British |
| Alma mater | University of Westminster |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | c. 1999–present |
Babak Anvari (Persian: بابک انوری; born 1982 or 1983) is a British-Iranian filmmaker. He is best known for directing horror films such as Under the Shadow (2016) and Wounds (2019).
Early life
Anvari grew up in Tehran, Iran, with his older brother at the time of the Iran–Iraq War and the Iranian Cultural Revolution. He said in 2016, "We've both grown up with night terrors, being afraid of being left alone, of being in the dark for too long." At age 19 in 2002, Anvari moved to London, going on to graduate from the University of Westminster in 2005.
Career
In 2016, Anvari made his directorial debut with the horror film Under the Shadow. It was submitted by the United Kingdom for an Oscar nomination. The film was nominated for six British Independent Film Awards and won three, and won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut.
In 2019, Anvari's follow-up film Wounds, a horror film based on the novella The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud, was released. The cast includes Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson and Zazie Beetz, and it screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
Anvari was announced as the director of an upcoming Cloverfield film in September 2022. In November 2023, Anvari's film Hallow Road started production. The film's cast includes Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys.
Personal life
Anvari lives in London.
In 2022, Anvari participated in the Sight & Sound film polls of that year. Anvari's selections were Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Batman Returns, Jurassic Park, Stalker, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mulholland Dr., Beetlejuice, The Dark Knight, Heat and Se7en.
In October 2022, Anvari wrote an open letter urging the entertainment industry to "amplify the voice" of the Mahsa Amini protesters and "give hope to the youth of Iran that the world is listening to their chants for freedom."
Filmography
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | What's Up with Adam? | Yes | No | No |
| Creed | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2007 | Solitary | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Two & Two | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Under the Shadow | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2019 | Wounds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 | I Came By | Yes | Yes | Co-producer |
| 2025 | Hallow Road | Yes | No | Executive |
| TBA | Untitled Cloverfield film | Yes | No | No |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Monsterland | Yes | Yes | Directed episode "Newark, NJ" |
References
- ^ Chris Newbould (9 July 2015), "Filmmaker Babak Anvari on how his newest film uses horror to explore hysteria of Iran-Iraq war", The National, archived from the original on 4 June 2017, retrieved 1 June 2017
- ^ Seymour, Tom (29 September 2016). "Terror in Tehran: Under the Shadow and the politics of horror". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ "UK submits Farsi-language 'Under The Shadow' for Oscars". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- "Oscar, BAFTA and Sundance Success for Graduates" (PDF). University of Westminster. 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (25 January 2019). "'Wounds' Director Babak Anvari on His Hollywood "Water Bottle Tour" After Indie Hit 'Under the Shadow'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- Kroll, Justin (23 September 2022). "New 'Cloverfield' Film At Paramount Sets Babak Anvari as Director". Deadline. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- Grobar, Matt (15 November 2023). "Rosamund Pike & Matthew Rhys Board 'Hallow Road,' XYZ Thriller From Babak Anvari". Deadline. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- "Babak Anvari | BFI". Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- Ritman, Alex (10 October 2022). "Be the "Voice" of Iranian People, Urges Director Babak Anvari in Open Letter to Entertainment Industry as Protests Continue to Grip Country". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- "New 'Cloverfield' Film At Paramount Sets Babak Anvari as Director". Deadline Hollywood. 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
External links
| BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | |
|---|---|
| 1998–2008 Carl Foreman Award |
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| 2008–present |
|
 | This article about an Iranian film director is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- Living people
- Alumni of the University of Westminster
- British horror film directors
- Film people from Tehran
- Iranian diaspora film people
- Iranian emigrants to England
- Iranian film directors
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer BAFTA Award winners
- Iranian film director stubs