Rafi Pitts
Encyclopedia
Rafi Pitts is an internationally acclaimed Iranian film director.
Rafi spent his childhood in Tehran, where he lived in a basement flat underneath a post-production studio. He describes himself as having been a 'very bad' child actor, starting in films at the age of eight. He came to England (his father is English) in 1981 during the Iran Iraq war. He graduated in 1991 from Harrow College - Polytechnic of Central London with a BA (Hons) degree in Film and Photography. His first short film, In Exile (1991) was presented the same year at the London International Film Festival. In the 90's Pitts moved to Paris and worked on films by Leos Carax, Jacques Doillon and Jean-Luc Godard.
Educated in France
and England
, Rafi Pitts belongs to the new wave of Iranian cinema
, which received numerous prestigious prizes in the international festival circuit.
In 1996 he had the opportunity to film in Iran and describes himself as having been the first film director (in exile) to do so since the Revolution in 1979. His first feature Season Five (1997) was the first Franco-Iranian coproduction since the Revolution.
In 2006, he was nominated for Golden Bear award of Berlin Film Festival for his movie, It's Winter. His 2010 film The Hunter
was nominated for the Golden Bear
at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
.
2010 The Hunter (Shekarchi)
2006 It's Winter (Zemestan)
2003 Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty (documentary from the series "Cinema de Notre Temps)
2000 Sanam
1997 Season Five (Fasl-e-Panjom)
Rafi spent his childhood in Tehran, where he lived in a basement flat underneath a post-production studio. He describes himself as having been a 'very bad' child actor, starting in films at the age of eight. He came to England (his father is English) in 1981 during the Iran Iraq war. He graduated in 1991 from Harrow College - Polytechnic of Central London with a BA (Hons) degree in Film and Photography. His first short film, In Exile (1991) was presented the same year at the London International Film Festival. In the 90's Pitts moved to Paris and worked on films by Leos Carax, Jacques Doillon and Jean-Luc Godard.
Educated in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Rafi Pitts belongs to the new wave of Iranian cinema
Cinema of Iran
The cinema of Iran is a flourishing film industry with a long history. Many popular commercial films are annually made in Iran, and Iranian art films win praise around the world....
, which received numerous prestigious prizes in the international festival circuit.
In 1996 he had the opportunity to film in Iran and describes himself as having been the first film director (in exile) to do so since the Revolution in 1979. His first feature Season Five (1997) was the first Franco-Iranian coproduction since the Revolution.
In 2006, he was nominated for Golden Bear award of Berlin Film Festival for his movie, It's Winter. His 2010 film The Hunter
The Hunter (2010 film)
The Hunter is a 2010 drama film directed by and starring Rafi Pitts. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Rafi Pitts as Ali Alavi* Mitra Hajjar as Sara Alavi* Ali Nicksaulat as Officer Nazem...
was nominated for the Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival
60th Berlin International Film Festival
The 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 11 to February 21, 2010, with Werner Herzog as President of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama Apart Together, in competition, while the closing film is Japanese...
.
Representative awards and honors
- Golden Bear, nominated, Berlin Film Festival, 2006.
- Grand Prix, Paris Film Festival, 2001.
- Golden Moon of Valencia, Cinema Jove - Valencia International Film Festival, 2001.
- OCIC Grand Prix, Amiens International Film Festival, 1997.
- Special Prize of the Jury, Mannheim-Heidelberg International FilmfestivalInternational Filmfestival Mannheim-HeidelbergMannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival is an annual film festival held jointly by the cities of Mannheim and Heidelberg in Baden-Württemberg. The festival was established in 1952. In Mannheim there are six cinema centres and 19 single cinemas.The festival presents arthouse films of...
, 1997.
Filmography
2010 The Hunter (Shekarchi)
2006 It's Winter (Zemestan)
2003 Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty (documentary from the series "Cinema de Notre Temps)
2000 Sanam
1997 Season Five (Fasl-e-Panjom)