Marzieh Meshkini facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marzieh Meshkini
مرضیه مشکینی
Meshkini at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema in 2009
Born	1969 (age 54–55) Tehran, Iran
Alma mater	University of Tehran
Occupation	Filmmaker writer
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Mohsen Makhmalbaf ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	Hana Makhmalbaf

Marzieh Meshkini (Persian: مرضیه مشکینی) (born 1969 in Tehran) is an Iranian cinematographer, film director and writer. She is married to filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who wrote the script for her debut film The Day I Became a Woman.

Personal life

Marzieh Meshkini was born in Tehran in 1969 and studied geology and biology at the University of Tehran.

She is married to director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, whose first wife (Meshkini's sister Fatemeh, who died in a fire) is the mother to his two children Samira and Meysam. Marzieh Meshkini also had a daughter with Makhmalbaf, Hana. All members of the family are filmmakers and are part of the Makhmalbaf Film House.

Work

Marzieh Meshkini studied cinema at the Makhmalbaf Film School, established as part of the Makhmalbaf Film House in the mid-1990s. She has worked on several films from the MFH, including serving as the assistant director on Samira Makhmalbaf's 1998 film, The Apple (Sib), and writing the script for Hana Makhmalbaf's first feature film, Buddha Collapsed out of Shame (Buda az Sharm foru Rikht, 2007).

During the presidency of Mohammad Khatami, there was a relative openness which allowed a number of women, including Meshkini, Samira Makhmalbaf, Rakhshan Banietemad and Mania Akbari to be involved in all types of film: feature, documentary, video art, shorts, etc. Meshkini was thus part of a new wave of female directors who could finally see filmmaking as a legitimate career for women.

In 2000, Meshkini became the first Iranian woman to win awards at the 57th Venice International Film Festival for her debut film, The Day I Became a Woman.

After this, she continued to work on numerous films with the MFH in different capacities. She also directed the Afghanistan-set Stray Dogs (2004) and co-directed The Man Who Came with the Snow (2009).

Censorship

Hana Makhmalbaf, Marziyeh Meshkini, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, cyclo d'or au festival international des cinémas d'Asie de Vesoul en 2009.

Similar to other prominent directors such as Abbas Kiarostami and Samira Makhmalbaf, Meshkini has positive views on the role of censorship in Iranian cinema. Since American films can not be shown in Tehran, Iranian filmmakers also cannot be influenced by them. This allows the Iranian film world to create a cinema of its own. Censorship forces filmmakers to approach their topics in a new way, and can therefore be a source of inspiration.[2] With The Day I Became a Woman, Meshkini is allegorically testing the limits and flexibility of the Iranian government's censorship rules, especially with regards to the restrictions imposed on the representation of women.

Honors and awards

• Silver Hugo (Best First Film) for The Day I Became a Woman, Chicago International Film Festival (2000)
• UNESCO Award for The Day I Became a Woman, 57th Venice International Film Festival (2000)
• Isvema Award for The Day I Became a Woman, 57th Venice International Film Festival (2000)
• Best First Film CinemAvvenire Award for The Day I Became a Woman, 57th Venice International Film Festival (2000)
• Open Prize for Stray Dogs, 61st Venice International Film Festival (2004)
• NETPAC/FIPRESCI Award for Stray Dogs, 18th Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Awards (2005)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Marzieh Meshkini para niños

• Cinema of Iran