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Hojatollah Seifi

the artist

Hojatollah Seifi

1981 Bachelor's in Painting from Payame Noor University Master's in Art Research from Payame Noor University The era of the Iranian Painters' Association
About
the artist about Getting to know him

Born in 1954, Hojatollah Seifi began his artistic career in Ahvaz in 1967 with photography and story writing. He joined the Free Cinema Group in 1969, creating over 50 short documentary and narrative films. His first 35mm film, “Gray People”, was produced in 1976.

He has directed over 45 long-form documentaries in 35mm, 16mm, and television formats, including the cinematic documentaries “On the Wings of Angels” (about controlling the Nowruz oil well fire in the Persian Gulf) and “The Tale of Iron.”

He has written and directed ten feature films, including:

  • Kilometer 5 (1981-1983)
  • A House Like a City (1985)
  • Search in the City (1984)
  • Honeymoon (1991)
  • The Paper Bride (1995)
  • Condemned to Paradise (2005)
  • For My Sister (2007)
  • Crossing the Dust (2008)
  • My Share of Life (2009)
  • Bold Kids (2011)
  • The Wind Rider (sequel to Bold Kids, 2015-2017)

Awards:

  • Short Film “Year 1999”: Best Film and Best Cinematography at the First Iranian Youth Festival (1974).
  • Short Film “Epic”: Diploma for Best Film at the Tous Festival (Ferdowsi Week, 1975).
  • Feature Film “Kilometer 5”: Best War Film at the War Film Festival (1983).
  • Feature Film “For My Sister”: Best Humanitarian Film Award at the 22nd International Children’s Film Festival (2007).
  • Screenplay “Mother’s Kisses”: Awarded at the International Children’s and Youth Film Festival (2010).

Cultural Activities:

  • Member of the Islamic Ministry of Culture and Guidance Council.
  • Member of the Farabi Cinema Foundation Council.
  • Member of the Sima Film Council.
  • Member of the Center for Performing Arts Council, Ministry of Culture and Guidance.
  • Advisor at the Film Training Center, Ministry of Culture and Guidance.
  • Founder and CEO of Young Cinema (Amateur Filmmakers Society) after the revolution.
  • Head of the Cultural-Artistic Committee, Jihad of Reconstruction (Tehran).
  • Member of the Cultural-Artistic Office of Imam Khomeini’s Works and founder of Arooj Film.
  • Member of the Shalamcheh Cultural Institution.
  • Member of the Imam Khomeini Reception Committee.
  • Member of the Council for the first Milad Film Festival (1982).
  • Member of the Evaluation Council for Alborz Provincial TV.

Judging and Festival Committees:

  • Judge at Unity Film Festival (multiple terms).
  • Judge at Fajr Film Festival (two terms).
  • Judge at Provincial TV Film Festivals (multiple terms).
  • Judge at the Student TV Festival.
  • Selection Committee Member for the first Fajr Theater Festival.
  • Judge at the first Street Theater Festival.

Festival Management:

  • Secretary of the Mehrab Film Festival (1982).
  • Co-founder and Secretary of the Fajr Film Festival (1982-1983).
  • Secretary of the 7th International Documentary Film Festival of Kish.
  • Secretary of the National Setayesh Festival, Khuzestan (two terms).

Productions (Film and Series):

  • Short Film: “The Last Glance” (1979).
  • “Great Little Painters” (TV Program).
  • “Cinema Eight” (About Iranian cinema).
  • “The Flourishing of Iran” (1999).
  • “Bitter and Sweet Days”.
  • “Iran at the Threshold of Tomorrow”.
  • “Pure, Flowing, Like a River” (Documentary).
  • Feature Story: “The Missing Grandfather” (2008).
  • Docu-story “Leaves and Wind” (2018).
  • Cinematic Docu-story: “Prince of Bubbles” (2019).
  • Feature Film “The Silence of the Mountain” (Dir. Yadollah Noasari, 1995).
  • Producer and Production Manager for “Resistance” (Dir. Ahmad Nikazar, 1986).

Participation in International Festivals:

  • Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Italy: Film “Season of Tulips’ Blooming.”
  • Pyongyang Film Festival: Film “Honeymoon.”
  • Iran Film Week in Pyongyang: Film “Search in the City.”
  • Iran Film Week in Morocco: Film “Search in the City.”

Acting:

  • “Season of Blood” (Dir. Habib Kavosh).
  • “Bloody Rice” (Dir. Amir Ghavidel and Asadollah Niknejad).
  • “Heavenly Land” (Dir. Mohammad Ali Najafi).

Teaching:

  • Children’s and Youth Cultural Centers (1978).
  • Iran University of Science and Technology (1978-1979).
  • Art University Complex (1985).
  • Teaching Cinema at the Islamic Propaganda Organization in Qom (1980).

Publications:

  • Film Production in Simple Language (1983).
  • The Sound in Cinema (1988).
  • Screenplay “Hidden Secret” (1989).
  • Play “Kids from the Last Asphalt” (Directed by Danial Hakimi, City Theater, 1983).

Press Activities

  • Collaborated with the renewed Khandaniha Magazine (1979-1981).
  • Published Mehrab Magazine (1982).
  • Edited Qamous Literary-Art Quarterly (1983-1984).
  • Articles and stories in Jomhouri Islami, Ettelaat, Javan, and Jihad Sazandegi magazines.

Experimental Short Films (8mm):

  • The Long Silence (1969).
  • Pilgrimage.
  • Throughout the Day.
  • Elegy.
  • The Incident (Banned by SAVAK in 1973).
  • Epic.
  • Year 1999.
  • If I Go, I Am a Wave.
  • Every Dawn.
  • Seven Stones.
  • The Bugle.

Short Documentaries (16mm and 35mm):

  • Gray People (First 35mm experience, 1976).
  • The Last Glance (16mm).
  • The Earth Must Be Planted (16mm, 1979).
  • Savage Action (35mm, oil well fires set by Saddam Hussein).
  • Pipe Journey (16mm).
  • Journey to Khangiran (35mm).
  • First Birth (16mm).
  • The Tale of Iron (16mm).
  • Growth (16mm).
  • Post Everywhere (16mm).
  • The Secret of the Sea (16mm).
  • Man Yesterday, Man Today.
  • We Will Return.
  • Dead End (35mm).
  • Blessing (Digital).
  • Journey to Africa (Digital).
  •  

Feature Films:

  • Kilometer 5.
  • On the Wings of Angels (35mm, about controlling Nowruz oil well fires).
  • Search in the City.
  • A House Like a City.
  • Honeymoon.
  • The Paper Bride.
  • Condemned to Paradise.
  • For My Sister.
  • My Share of Life.
  • Crossing the Dust (Directed).
  • Bold Kids.
  • The Wind Rider.

Unproduced Works:

  • Five series (13-40 episodes).
  • Fifteen feature and television scripts.
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