Ali Asgari (director)
Iranian film director (born 1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ali Asgari (Persian: علی عسگری; born 25 July 1982) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter and producer.
Life and career
Born in Tehran, after his 2007 graduation from the Islamic Azad University Asgari went to study cinema in Italy.[1] After directing several shorts, in 2016 he directed a segment of the anthology film In the Same Garden.[2]
Asgari made his solo feature film debut in 2017 with Disappearance, which premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival in the Horizons sidebar and was later screened at the 42nd Toronto Film Festival.[3][4] In 2022, his film Until Tomorrow was screened at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival.[4][5] The satirical film Terrestrial Verses he co-directed with Alireza Khatami was entered into the Un Certain Regard section of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival; upon his return in Iran, Asgari got his passport temporarily confiscated and was banned from directing other films.[6] In 2025, Asgari directed Divine Comedy, which was selected for the Orizzonti competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.[7]
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | English Title | Original Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | In the Same Garden | [8] | |
| 2017 | Disappearance | [9] | |
| 2022 | Until Tomorrow | تا فردا | [10] |
| 2023 | Terrestrial Verses | آیه های زمینی | Co-directed with Alireza Khatami[11] |
| 2024 | Higher Than Acidic Clouds | Documentary[12] | |
| 2025 | Divine Comedy | کمدی الهی | [13] |
| 2026 | A Bit of Light | کمی نور | |
Short films
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tonight Is Not a Good Night for Dying[14] | |
| 2012 | Barbie[14] | |
| 2013 | More Than Two Hours[15] | |
| 2014 | The Baby[16] | |
| 2015 | La douleur[14] | |
| 2016 | The Silence[17] | Co-directed with Farnoosh Samadi |
| 2018 | Delay[14] | |
| 2020 | Witness[14] | |
| Pilgrims[14] | Co-directed with Farnoosh Samadi | |
| 2022 | Over Mij[14] | |
| 2023 | My Name Is Aseman[14] | Co-directed with Gianluca Mangiasciutti |
Jury memberships
Asgari has served on the juries of several international film festivals. In 2022, he was a member of the International Competition jury at the 41st Istanbul Film Festival.[18]
In 2024, he served on the international jury of the Feature Film Competition at the Festival del Cinema Africano, d'Asia e America Latina in Milan,[19] the Short Film Competition jury at the 40th Warsaw Film Festival,[20] and the Orizzonti jury at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.[21]
In 2025, he served on the Feature Film Competition jury of the 21st Zurich Film Festival,[22] the Rebels With a Cause Competition jury at the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival,[23] and the Frontier Competition jury at the 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival.[24]
In 2026, he served on the Short Films and La Cinef Jury at the 79th Cannes Film Festival[25] and on the Burning Lights Competition jury at Visions du Réel.[26]
