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Untitled Ramin Bahrani Western Project

– by Ramin Bahrani

    1. Fiction

    2. Date Awarded: Winter 2009

    3. Directors(s): Ramin Bahrani

    1. Company Credit: Noruz Films

    2. Location: USA

    1. Film Status: Development

    2. URL: » Noruz Films site

About the Film:

A new project in development from the writer and director of Goodbye Solo, Chop Shop and Man Push Cart.

About the Filmmakers:

Born and raised in North Carolina in 1975, American writer and director Ramin Bahrani received his BA in Film Studies from Columbia University in New York City. He made several short films including Backgammon (1998) and a medium length student thesis film entitled Strangers (2000).

Bahrani’s first feature film, Man Push Cart (2005), premiered at The Venice International Film Festival (2005) and later screened at The Sundance Film Festival (2006). The film won over 10 international prizes, including the FIPRESCI international critics prize in The London Film Festival (2005), before being released around the world to wide critical acclaim. The film was nominated for a Breakthrough Director Gotham Award (2006), and for three Independent Spirit Awards (2007): Best First Film, Best Lead Actor (Ahmad Razvi) and Best Cinematographer (Michael Simmonds).

Bahrani’s second film, Chop Shop (2007), was co-written by Bahareh Azimi and produced by Lisa Muskat (George Washington) and Big Beach Films (Little Miss Sunshine) and premiered in the Director’s Fortnight at the 2007 Cannes International Film Festival, and then screened as an official selection at both the Toronto Film Festival (2007) and the Berlin Film Festival (2008). Chop Shop was released worldwide to universal critical acclaim, winning several prizes including the Acura “Someone to Watch” Independent Spirit Award (2008) for Bahrani. In 2008 lead Actor Alejandro Polanco was nominated for a Gotham Breakthrough Acting Award, and Bahrani key collaborator, Michael Simmonds, was again nominated for Best Cinematographer at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards, where Bahrani was also nominated as Best Director. Chop Shop was on countless top 10 lists for 2008, including critic Roger Ebert’s, who hailed it as a “Masterpiece!”