An Iranian director and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Persian cinema of the twentieth century. He gained international recognition for the film Water, Wind, Dust (1989), which won a Golden Montgolfiere at the Nantes Three Continents Festival. He is known for Vegas: Based on a True Story (2008), A, B, C... Manhattan (1997), and Sound Barrier (2005). Many of his works were screened at several festivals and won numerous awards.