Mahboubeh Honarian
President, Executive Producer/Director
Mahboubeh Honarian is an award-winning producer and director. Mahboubeh holds an MSc in ‘Engineering Multimedia’ and a BA in ‘Media and Cultural studies’ from United Kingdom.
As an independent filmmaker, Mahboubeh has produced and directed a variety of documentary films and TV series for over 15 years. The main concerns of her films are emphasized on women and children.
In 2007, she founded the VeraMedia film production company based in Toronto, Canada. Her travels to Europe, Middle East and North America have greatly influenced her works. Her extensive works have been featured internationally. In 2014, her latest documentary ‘Unknown Beauty’ won the best documentary award in Moscow.
In addition to being a filmmaker, Mahboubeh has also been engaged with building communities through various social/cultural activities. With the aim of empowering youth to tell their own stories, she facilitated a photography workshop for CCVT (Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture) youth in Toronto and also conducted Photography/Video Journalism workshop for Syrian Refugee Youth in Greece and Lebanon. The Photography workshops resulted in Photo Exhibitions with stunningly beautiful photos and also an in-depth, personal tale of war by children.
Mahboubeh is a member of the ‘Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’ and a member of the ‘International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ (Emmy), USA.
She was a Guest Lecturer in Criminology at Eastern College, Halifax in 2016. Mahboubeh has also served on the juries of several international film festivals, among them the ‘Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’, Canada in 2016, the ‘International Emmy Awards‘, New York in 2010 – 2015, the ‘Documentary Voices Festival, Pulling Focus‘, Dubai in 2008, the Great 11th Festival of ‘Iranian Cinema’, Iran, in 2007.
As a guest filmmaker, she has been invited to the World Congress of Science & Factual Producers (WCSFP), Germany in 2010, at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival-Images of the 21st Century, Greece in 2010, Hot Docs in 2008 and at the GZDOC Film Festival on International Producer’s Day, China, 2008, 2012 and 2013.
She has been a member of Program Supervisory Board for the Conference of Visual Representations of Iran, University of St-Andrews, Scotland in 2008 and a member of Scientific Board for the First Symposium on Visual Anthropology of Iran, Anthropology Society of Iran, Tehran University in 2007.
Mahboubeh was among 20 women from around the world involving in a Project called “Women as Peacemakers Through Religion”, a Joint Workshop of Muslims and Christians by Inter-religious Relations and Dialogue, World Council of Churches, Geneva and The Institute for Inter-religious Dialogue (IID), Tehran,Iran (2007-2009).
Mahboubeh has been the President of the Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association for 4 years (2004-08) and as an Information/Documentation Officer for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) after the Disastrous Earthquake in Bam, Iran (2004).
E-mail: honarian@veramedia.com
CV:
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
– MSc. Engineering Multimedia, The Nottingham Trent University, UK. 1998 – 1999
– BA. Humanities: English, Media & Cultural Studies, The Nottingham Trent University, UK. 1994 – 1997
– Multimedia Applications , Cambridge University, UK. 1997
– Video Production, Inter-media Film and Media, UK. 1995
– Journalism/Media Techniques, Loughborough College, UK. 1993 – 1994
– Photography, Algonquin College, Canada. 1985 – 1987
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TV PRODUCER / DIRECTOR:
– China , A co-produced documentary with CCTV’s Documentary Channel in collaboration with British Museum and V&A Museum. 2012
– DOCUMENTARY FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE, 26 parts of Documentary films with different subjects, 2010 – 2012
– HIDDEN IN FOG, (People and life in London), 5 episodes, UK. 2007
– OUR TOMORROW’S HOPES, (Teenagers) Channel 1, 72 episodes, Iran, 2004
– THE ANXIOUS EYES, (Children Of Addiction) Channel 5, 13 episodes, Iran, 2003
– SUCCESSFUL WOMEN, Jam-e Jam Channel, (10 episodes), Iran, 2002
– STREET CHILDREN, Channel 4, 13 episodes, Iran, 2001
– CHILDREN’S RIGHTS, Channel 4, 3 episodes, Iran, 2000
– PHOTOKINA 2000, 5 episodes, Germany, 2000
– CHILDREN, FILM, VIOLENCE, Channel 4, 7 episodes, Iran, 2000
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FREELANCE DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER:
– ‘UNKNOWN BEAUTY’ , 47min., 2014
Screening/Awards:
. Best Directing, at the “Global Motion Picture Awards” Festival, 2018
. The Best film award at the ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ Moscow film festival, section ‘Shattering Stereotypes’, Russia, 2014
. Selected at the Noor Iranian Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2016
. Selected at the Festival ‘Assim Vivemos’, Brazil, 2015
. Selected at the ‘Extraordinary ‘film festival, Belgium, 2015
. Selected at the “Cinema Vérité” International Documentary Film Festival, Tehran-Iran, 2014
. At the “INTERdoc 2014” , Serbia, 2014
– ‘HIDDEN IN DUST’ (Drug Addicted People), 40m., 2007
Screening:
. At the “Bangkok Harm Reduction” Film Festival, Thailand, 2009
. At the 4th annual “In the Mind’s Eye” Film Festival, Canada, 2008
. At the “Documentary Voices, Pulling Focus” Film Festival, Dubai, 2008
– ‘THE BAM THAT WE ALL WANT’, UNDP activities in Bam, Iran, after the Earthquake, 60m., 2005
– ‘THIS IS NOT A GAME’ (3 Primary School girls researching on addiction of young people) 30m., 2003
– ‘THE BITTER AWAKENING’ (Homeless People), 30m. 2002
– ‘PLAYING WITH LIFE’ (Runaway Girls), 20m. , 2000
Screening/Nominations:
. At the ‘Dortmund/Cologne International Women’s‘ Film Festival, Germany, 2006
. Nominated as one of the best films at the ‘Iranian Cinema’ Film Festival, Iran, 2000
. Nominated at the ‘Kish Documentary’ Film Festival, Iran, 2000
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
– Producer/Director of Documentary films, since year 2000
– Founder/President of ‘VeraMedia’ Corporation, Canada, since 2007
– Conducting/Organizing ‘Photography/Video Journalism Workshops’ for refugee youth in Greece, Lebanon and Canada since 2014
– Organizing/Holding successful ‘Photo Exhibitions’ in Lebanon and Canada, 2014-2015
– A member of the Project ‘Women as Peacemakers through Religion’, A Joint Workshop of ‘Muslim and Christian Women’ by Geneva’s World Council of Churches (www.oikoumene.org) and Tehran’s Institute for Inter-religious Dialogue (www.iid.org.ir), 2007-2009
– As the Director of International Relations for the Iranian Alliance of Motion Picture Guilds (House of Cinema) at the Cannes Film Festival, France, 2009
– President of the ‘Iranian Documentary Filmmaker’s Association’, 2002-2003, 2005-2008
– A member of Program Supervisory Board for the ‘Conference of Visual Representations of Iran’, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK. 2008
– A member of Scientific Board for the ‘First Symposium on Visual Anthropology’, Anthropology Society of Iran, Tehran University, Iran, 2007
– A member of the ‘International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ (Emmy), USA, 2015
– A member of the ‘Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, Canada, 2016
– A member of the ‘European Documentary Network’ (EDN), Denmark, since 2008
– A member of ‘Documentary Organization of Canada’, Canada, since 2007
– A member of ‘Women in Film and Television’ – Toronto (WIFT-T), Canada, 2007
– Information / Documentation Officer, ‘United Nations Development Programme’ (UNDP), Bam, Iran, 2004
– Quality Assurer and Team Leader, ‘PEROT SYSTEMS’, Europe Limited, Nottingham, UK, 1995 – 97
– Newspaper Reporter, ‘Loughborough University’, Loughborough, UK, 1993 – 94
– Official Translator, ‘Abrar Newspaper’, Tehran, Iran, 1989-1990
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AS A JUROR:
– A Juror at the ‘Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’, Canada, 2016-2017
– A Juror at the ‘International Emmy Awards’, Documentary Category,
New York, 2010 – 2016
– A member of Jury for the ‘Avini’ Film Festival, Iran, 2009
– A member of Jury for the ‘Documentary Voices’ Festival, Pulling Focus, Dubai, 2008
– A member of Jury for the ‘Jam’ Film Festival, Iran, 2008
– A member of Jury for the Great 11th Festival of ‘Iranian Cinema’, Iran, 2007
– A member of Jury for the ‘Varesh’ Film Festival, Iran, 2003
AS A GUEST:
– A Guest Lecturer in Criminology at Eastern College, Halifax in 2016
– A Guest Filmmaker at the ‘World Congress of Science & Factual Producers’ (WCSFP), Germany, 2010
– A Guest Filmmaker at the ‘GZ DOC’ Film Festival on International Producer’s Day, China, 2008, 2012 – 2013
– A Guest Filmmaker at the ‘Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’ – Images of the 21st Century, Greece, 2010
– A Guest Filmmaker at the ‘HotDocs’ Film Festival, Discussion Panel “Spotlight on Iran”, Canada, 2008