I like complex characters that aren’t easy to pin down…
After writing, directing and producing two award-winning films, I’ve embarked on a different kind of storytelling journey. I’ve written my first novel — an epic tale depicting my grandmother’s life in pre-revolutionary Iran.
Behjat
Amidst the Great Unveiling of Reza Shah, Behjat's decision to marry for love fails, and salvation is promised only if she agrees to an arrangement she abhors: letting her husband take a second wife. But when the livelihood of her children is threatened, and her dreams turn into living nightmares, can she make the difficult choice again to free them from the second wife's clutches and crippling cultural and religious mores?
The Neighbor
“It takes only a single film like Hamsayeh (The Neighbor) to justify the Montreal World Film Festival.” The Montreal Gazette
Best Film AALA Milan 2011
Best Film Reel Fest Toronto 2011
Best Actress Los Angeles IFF 2010
Maki
“Shirkhan deftly creates a story of cultural displacement and romantic and sexual exploitation. Visually lovely, naturally acted and shot in only 18 days, this effective drama shows how much a confident filmmaker with a terrific cast and crew can do on a shoestring.” The Hollywood Reporter
Best Director Chelsea Film Festival 2019
I was born in Iran and came to America as a child. Displacement, loss, and summoning the will and passion to make it to the other side of despair are major themes in my films and fiction writing.
My stories explore how political and cultural earthquakes affect the internal lives of individuals and their families, and delve into the mysterious ways we reconcile with loss while existing between two cultures, two mindsets, two worlds.
I hope my upcoming novels will thrill and surprise, perhaps even change a few misconceptions along the way and give readers a greater understanding of the Persian Diaspora.
- Naghmeh Shirkhan