Saeed Roustayi
Saeed Roustaee (Persian: سعید روستایی, born August 14, 1989), also spelled Saeed Roustayi, is an Iranian director, screenwriter and producer. He has won the Crystal Simorgh for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best First Director at the 34th Fajr Film Festival for his feature directorial debut drama film Life and a Day (2016). In 2022, his second film, Just 6.5 (2019), was nominated for the César Award for Best Foreign Film. In April 2022, his third film, Leila's Brothers (2022), was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2]
Saeed Roustayi | |
|---|---|
 Roustayi at the 39th Filmfest München (2022) | |
| Born | August 14, 1989 Tehran, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Education | Soore University (BFTV) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Notable work | Life and a Day Just 6.5 Leila's Brothers |
Early life
He graduated from Soore University with a Bachelor of Film and Television in Directing.[3]
Career
Life and a Day is his first major cinematic work. At the Fajr International Film Festival, Roustayi won 2 Crystal Simorghs for best directing and best screenplay. He received the 2016 Reflet d'Or for Best Feature at the Geneva International Film Festival Tous Ecrans.[4][5]
His works primarily focus on issues of social injustice, as well as his portrayals of women in Iranian society.
His third feature film Leila's Brothers competed in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Prize for films screened in the main competition section.
Conviction
In August 2023, the Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced Roustayi to six months in prison for entering Leila's Brother's in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, claiming that the film participated in "the opposition’s propaganda against the Islamic system".[6] Roustayi alleged that Iran's Ministry of Culture had requested a series of scene changes to Leila's Brothers which he had refused to implement. Roustayi is due to serve nine days of his sentence and a suspended period of five years, as well as participating in other punitive measures such as completing a course on "creating movies aligned with national interests and national morality".[7]
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Life and a Day | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2017 | Blockage | No | Yes | No |
| 2019 | Just 6.5 | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2022 | Leila's Brothers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Saturday | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 | The Very Secluded Street | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ceremony | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 2022 | Palm d'Or | Leila's Brothers | Nominated | [8] |
| FIPRESCI Prize | Won | [9] | |||
| Citizenship Prize | Won | [10] | |||
| Chicago International Film Festival | 2019 | Best New Director | Just 6.5 | Nominated | [11] |
| César Awards | 2022 | Best Foreign Film | Just 6.5 | Nominated | [12] |
| Entrevues Film Festival | 2020 | Grand Prix | Just 6.5 | Nominated | |
| Fajr Film Festival | 2016 | Best Director | Life and a Day | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Best First Director | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Best Director | Just 6.5 | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| FEST International Film Festival | 2020 | Best Film | Just 6.5 | Nominated | |
| Hafez Awards | 2016 | Best Director | Life and a Day | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Best Director | Just 6.5 | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Iran Cinema Celebration | 2016 | Best Director | Life and a Day | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Best Director | Just 6.5 | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association | 2016 | Best Director | Life and a Day | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2020 | Best Director | Just 6.5 | Third Place | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Munich International Film Festival | 2022 | Best International Film | Leila's Brothers | Nominated | |
| Nahal Short Film Festival | 2013 | Best Fiction Short Feature | Ceremony | Won | |
| Tokyo International Film Festival | 2019 | Best Director | Just 6.5 | Won | |
| Grand Prix | Nominated | ||||
| Venice International Film Festival | 2019 | Best Feature Film – Horizons | Just 6.5 | Nominated | |
| Zurich Film Festival | 2019 | Best International Feature Film | Just 6.5 | Nominated | |
| Special Mention – International Feature Film | Won |
References
- ""برادران لیلا"ی سعید روستایی در مسابقه اصلی کن". ایسنا (in Persian). 14 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- عباسیزاده, مریم (14 April 2022). "دو فیلم ایرانی "برادران لیلا" و "عنکبوت مقدس" در بخش مسابقه جشنواره کن ۲۰۲۲". euronews (in Persian). Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- tnews.ir. "بیوگرافی کامل سعید روستایی (کارگردان ابد و یک روز) +عکس های جدید ایشان". جستجوگر اخبار تی نیوز tnews.ir (in Persian). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- "Geneva International Film Festival Tous Ecrans | 3–11 November 2017". Festival tous écrans | Geneva international film festival. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- "Life+1 Day Receives Best Film Award At Geneva Festival". Kodoom.com. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- Keslassey, Elsa (16 August 2023). "Iranian Director Saeed Roustaee Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Showing 'Leila's Brothers' at Cannes". Variety. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- Kuo, Christopher (16 August 2023). "Iran Sentences Director to 6 Months After He Screened Film at Cannes". NYTimes. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- Tartaglione, Nancy (14 April 2022). "Cannes Film Festival: Michel Hazanavicius' 'Z (Comme Z)' To Open; James Gray, David Cronenberg, Cristian Mungiu, Kelly Reichardt In Competition – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ""Leila's Brothers" wins Fipresci prize in Cannes". Honaronline. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- Hopewell, John (28 May 2022). "Fipresci Prizes 'Leila's Brothers,' 'The Blue Caftan,' 'Love According to Dalva'". Variety. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- VB, Andy (16 September 2019). "Announcing Competitions for the 55th Chicago International Film Festival". Cinema Chicago. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- Tartaglione, Nancy (26 January 2022). "César Awards Nominations: 'Lost Illusions', 'Annette', 'Aline' Dominate; 'Titane' Shut Out Of Best Film Race – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 3 July 2022.