Tara Aghdashloo

Tara Aghdashloo is an Iran-born writer and director developing bold, politically resonant films that examine the human experience within social and institutional structures. Working across fiction and adapted material, her storytelling is emotionally driven, formally inventive, and grounded in questions of power, identity, and resistance.

Tara’s background spans journalism, political philosophy, and visual arts. She holds a BA in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and an MA in Global Media and Postnational Communication from SOAS, University of London. Her essays have been published in London Review of Books, The Guardian, and Financial Times, and her early documentary and broadcast work aired on Channel 4 and the BBC. Her background in art informs her process and shapes her cinematic language.

Since transitioning to narrative filmmaking, Tara directed three short films that collectively received over 30 nominations and 26 awards, screening at major Oscar-, BAFTA-, CSA-, and BIFA-qualifying festivals including BlackStar, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Cinequest, deadCentre, and HollyShorts. Her debut short The Ride (2022) was commissioned by BFI Network with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and Toronto Arts Council. Bridge (2023), funded by the BBC, adapted an award-winning poem, and her latest short Empty Your Pockets (2024) was produced by OPC and Intermission Films.

Tara is currently developing her debut feature film, a UK–Canada co-production supported by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates led by London’s Caspian Films. The project participated in the Academy-backed Cine Qua Non Lab under the mentorship of Oscar-nominated writer Christina Lazaridi, was presented at the Berlinale European Film Market, and selected for the RIFF Talent Lab. In 2026, the project is participating in the BFI-backed UK Impact Lab with Georgie Paget and Thembisa Cochrane.

An alumna of Women in the Director’s Chair Canada, Tara brings a strong human rights perspective to her work and is committed to expanding representation both on screen and behind the camera. Alongside her filmmaking practice, she mentors emerging talent through Film London and the Roundhouse and is a member of Directors UK and Cinesisters.