Ramin Bahrani was born on March 20, 1975 and is an Iranian-American director and screenwriter. Bahrani was born in North Carolina, to Iranian parents. He received his BA from Columbia University in New York City. His first feature film, Man Push Cart (2005), premiered at the Venice Film Festival (2005) and screened at the Sundance Film Festival (2006). The film won over 10 international prizes, was released theatrically around the world, and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.
Bahrani’s second film Chop Shop (2007) premiered at the 2007 Director’s Fortnight of the Cannes International Film Festival, and then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (2007) and the Berlin International Film Festival (2008) before being released theatrically to wide and universal critical acclaim. Bahrani was awarded the prestigious 2007 someone to Watch Independent Spirit Award. In 2008, he was nominated for Best Director Independent Spirit Award. Film critic Roger Ebert listed Bahrani’s film Chop Shop as the 6th best film of the decade and hailed Bahrani as “the director of the decade.”
Goodbye Solo, Bahrani’s third feature film, premiered as an official selection of the Venice Film Festival (2008) where it won the international film critic’s FIPRESCI award for best film, and later had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (2008). The film was called a “masterpiece” by numerous critics including Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott of The New York Times.
In 2009, he made a short film Plastic Bag. Plastic Bag premiered as the opening night film of Corto Cortissimo in the Venice Film Festival where Bahrani was also on the jury for Best First Films.
Bahrani’s fourth feature film, At Any Price (2013) stars Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron, Heather Graham, Kim Dickens, Clancy Brown and Chelcie Ross. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.
Bahrani is a professor of film directing at Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program in New York City.
