Ida Panahandeh was born in Tehran, Iran. She obtained a degree in Film Photography in 2002 and a master’s in Film Direction in 2005, both from the Arts University of Tehran, where she began her film career with several short films. After university she was invited to direct films for Iranian television, with which she won awards at numerous national festivals. In 2009 she took part in the Berlin ‘Talent Campus’. Having as a central theme a woman’s place in modern society she has, throughout her work, focused on women’s rights. This she did with her first feature, ‘Nahid’, which won her worldwide acclaim.’Nahid’ was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where it won a special prize (Prix de l’Avenir) and released in France by Memento films. Israfil (2017) is second film of Ida Pnahandeh that was screened in BFI London film festival.

Now that I look at the list of my short films to be screened, I recall all the short films in the college and unfinished films, all of which were not meant to survive. These films, which have been featured thanks to the Art and Experience group, have already been noted and have now become, part of the my known works and those which stayed unfinished and will be unfinished films are part of my yearning .
It is a joy to me that the short films of the new generation that have come out are lucid, cheerful and courageous and promising a generous generation for our cinema, and I hope that there will be no yearning for any unfinished film.