Hamid Rahmanian

Hamid Rahmanian (born 1968) is a New York–based Iranian filmmaker and graphic artist. Since the late 1980s, he has combined his love of traditional Persian art forms with modern technology to create new works of art that visually bridge the gaps of East and West. As a story-teller, his works have focused on people and issues that are rarely covered in the mainstream media, offering audiences new perspectives and intimate glimpses into otherwise little known worlds.

He was educated in Tehran, Iran where he gained his Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Tehran University. He has worked as a graphic designer since 1987. In 1992, he received the highest honor and was awarded recognition as the youngest professional designer in Iran. Rahmanian has continued to work as a graphic designer in the US and has been commissioned to do work for cultural organizations and commercial companies including the United Nations, GQ magazine, the Lincoln Center, the Tribeca Film Institute, Pacifica Radio/Democracy Now! and the Eurasia Foundation.

Rahmanian moved to the United States and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Computer Animation in 1994 from Pratt Institute. His thesis animation The Seventh Day (1996) received The First place College Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was nominated for a Student Academy Award and was in competition at Annecy International Animation Festival. In 1996, he was the youngest recipient ever to receive the National Interest Waiver from the U.S. for his outstanding work as an artist. After completing his studies, he was hired by Disney Feature Animation Company as a Look Development Artist where he worked on Tarzan, The Emperor's New Groove, and Dinosaur. In 1998, Mr. Rahmanian left Disney and established his own production company, Fictionville Studio. His first 35 mm short film An I Within (1999), received Kodak's Best Cinematography Award, Best American Short from the LA International Short Film Festival and Special Achievement Award from the USA Film Festival. He went on to make three documentaries. Breaking Bread (2000) and Sir Alfred Of Charles De Gaulle Airport (2001) were well received by the media and worldwide audiences. Shahrbanoo (2002) first premiered on PBS station WNET where it received among the highest ratings for an independently produced documentary and has been broadcast on networks around the globe. His first feature length fiction film Dame sobh (2005) (Persian: دم صبح, Dam-e Sobh, English title: Day Break) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, went on to screen at festivals and theaters all over the world, including the Venice Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival and won Special Jury Prize at the International Film Festival of Prime in 2006.Variety called it, "An impressive debut feature that works like a ticking time bomb".The Glass House (2008 film) a feature-length documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam and was the winner of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Human Rights Award, among other awards.

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