Narges Kalhor

Born and raised in Tehran in 1984. After her graduatin in 2001, she started studying feature film directing at the Tehran Film School. She was mentored by various well-known filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami. In 2007, she continued to study visual communication at Kamalolmolk University. At the same time, she worked as a film editor at the ARASB advertising film agency in Tehran and shot five short films. In 2009, Narges Kalhor went from Iran to Nuremberg for the International Nuremberg Film Festival of Human Rights with her short film THE HARROW. There, she, daughter of the highest-ranking cultural advisor to the then Iranian President Ahmadinehjad, applied for political asylum in Germany. She was granted asylum in Germany and started studying at the University of Television and Film in Munich. In 2010, she received a scholarship from Vodafone Chance for her entire studies. Her second film at the film school as co-director SHOOT ME was nominated for the German Short Film Award and awarded as best film of the Nonfiktionale 2014. Narges Kalhor now works in film art for various exhibitions and museums. In 2014, she received the best video art award for the film KAFAN at Underdox Festival, in 2016 the video installation NOSFERATU IS NOT DEAD was realised as a group work for the Lenbachhaus Museum in Munich. Her third film at the film school GIS was nominated for the Starter-Filmpreis. Her graduation film IN THE NAME OF SCHEHERAZADE celebrated its world premiere at Vision Du Réelin 2019 and was awarded the prize best German documentary by the Goethe Institut at the Dok-Leipzig Filmfestival. It also received in the Kulturpreis Bayern 2019 and Starter-Filmpreis 2020.