With only two feature films in release, and a third set to open in New York at the end of this month, independent American filmmaker Ramin Bahrani has already accomplished what many filmmakers never achieve: his films have found distributors—and great acclaim—at home, and they have been celebrated at festivals abroad. There is an admirable consistency and integrity to Bahrani’s vigorously humanist cinema. Shooting on location and often using first-time actors, Bahrani focuses on individuals at the margins of society who are vulnerable, under pressure, and determined to cope. Born and raised in the U.S., Bahrani studied film at Columbia University in New York City before moving to his parents’ homeland of Iran, where he lived for three years. He returned to the United States to make Man Push Cart in 2005, followed by Chop Shop (2007) and Goodbye Solo, which premiered at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.
Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, Department of Film.