Tara Aghdashloo

Tara Aghdashloo is a writer, director, and poet born in Iran. She received a BA in Journalism (TMU, formerly Ryerson University) and an MA in Global Media and Postnational Communication (SOAS, University of London), with a focus on political philosophy and literature. She worked on a number of docs and doc-series for television (BBC, Channel 4), as well as publishing her essays, short stories, articles, and poetry (The Guardian, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, etc.), covering current affairs and culture primarily in the Middle East, before transitioning to film. In 2020 she completed a masterclass by renowned filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who remains as her mentor.

Her debut short film THE RIDE was commissioned by BFI Network with the support of Canada Council of the Arts and Toronto Arts Council, and competed in festivals internationally, winning Best Short Film at Nostalgia Film Festival. Her second short film BRIDGE was produced by Kusini Productions for BBC, was nominated for Best UK Short by Unrestricted View Film Festival, and is currently in the circuit. EMPTY YOUR POCKETS is Tara’s third short film produced by OPC Film and Intermission Films supported by Canada Council of the Arts and Ontario Arts Council and premiers in summer 2024. She is set to participate in RIFF Talent Lab (Reykjavík International Film Festival) while developing her debut feature, which is a UK-Canada co-production supported by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates.

Tara is an intersectional feminist, human rights activist and an advocate for women, diversity and MENA representation in film. She regularly participates in panels and workshops and has served as jury on festival and funding committees.