Tina Gharavi ( fa, تینا غروی) is an Iranian-born British-American BAFTA and

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada *Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood *Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated place ...

nominated artist, director and screenwriter. Gharavi is known for her innovative cross-platform stories about outsiders, misfits and rebels as well as people in extraordinary situations. According to ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'', Gharavi's work is simultaneously intimate and lyrical, as well as poignant and political. Her debut,

I Am Nasrine ''I Am Nasrine'' ( fa, من نسرین هستم) is a 2012 British-Iranian drama film written and directed by Tina Gharavi. The film was nominated at the 66th British Academy Film Awards The 66th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly k ...

, was nominated for a BAFTA. Sir Ben Kingsley called it "an important and much-needed film" and Peter Bradshaw of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' gave the film 4 stars, writing that it was "a valuable debut, shot with a fluent kind of poetry." Gharavi has TV credits to her name including directing on ''

The Tunnel ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'', the UK equivalent of ''

The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

'' for Sky and '' Ackley Bridge'' for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. She is showrunner for an Icelandic/British Detective series, ''Refurinn'' (The Fox), an adaptation of an Icelandic best-selling detective series by Sólveig Pálsdóttir. Gharavi's award-winning work has been broadcast worldwide on the BBC,

(UK), ITV,

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...

, Educational Broadcasting System South Korea, and in the contemporary art world, including multiple screenings at the ICA in London, the

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (also known simply as (the) Baltic, stylised as BALTIC) is a centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. It hosts a frequently changing varie ...

(UK). Her films are housed in the permanent collections of MIT, Museum of Fine Arts Boston,

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Harvard University Library Harvard Library is the umbrella organization for Harvard University's libraries and services. It is the oldest library system in the United States and both the largest academic library and largest private library in the world. Its collection ...

, Tyne & Wear Archives,

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three ...

, and the

Donnell Library The 53rd Street Library is a branch of the New York Public Library at 18 West 53rd Street, just west of Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The library is composed of three floors, including two basement levels, and contains a glass facade. The bu ...

in New York amongst others. She was awarded a

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...

Fellowship, received a UK Arts Council Decibel Spotlight Award and served as a diversity champion for a variety of organisations (UK Refugee Council, Arts Council North-East, Tyneside Cinema and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts). Gharavi is an Associate Professor in Film & Digital Media at the University of Newcastle. She was invited to join the BAFTA Academy in 2017 and received a Fellowship from the MIT Documentary Lab in Boston.

Early life and education

Born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...

, Gharavi lives in the UK and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

. She is a global citizen; raised in the Iran, New Zealand, and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. Gharavi attended high school in suburban New Jersey, spending part of her life in Red Bank, close to the Jersey Shore. Gharavi initially trained as a painter at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. She later studied in France at Le Fresnoy studio national des arts contemporains. She currently splits her time between Newcastle, England and Venice Beach, California.

Production

Gharavi established the film company, ''Bridge + Tunnel Productions'', based in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is a ...

, England in 1998. In 2000, Gharavi set up the ''Kooch Cinema Group'', a media training project, for asylum seekers and refugee participants; a project started after returning to Iran to make a

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

commissioned documentary, ''Mother/Country'', where she revisited her mother's house after 23 years. In 2005, she established a separate media charity, ''Bridge + Tunnel Voices'', to undertake the charitable and educational work she initiated mainly working with refugees and asylum seekers; stepping down as the lead creative director in 2015. In 2014, she co-established ''Bridge + Tunnel France'' in Paris, with James Richard Baillie, to specialise in European co-productions. In 2019, she set up ''Which Witch'', a new banner to undertake long form TV drama.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gharavi, Tina Living people 1972 births Iranian film directors British film directors British directors American film directors New Zealand film directors Iranian women film directors British women film directors Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom Iranian emigrants to the United States People from Tehran Women screenwriters