Gelareh Kiazand
GRANTEE
Gelareh Kiazand has worked in Iran's media industry for six years, initially working as a film photographer for feature films and later as a director of photography for documentaries. During her time in Iran she won Best Documentary award, was nominated three times for Best Film Photographer, and had her work displayed among the top 100 photos exhibited at the Museum of Modern Arts in Tehran.
In 2010 she moved to Afghanistan, working as a creative director and filmmaker. As a freelancer, she worked for various news outlets and other organizations, including VICE, Paramount Studios (serving as second camera unit in Afghanistan for "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot"). This led her to become Iran's first female director of photography for a cinematic feature film.
She was born in Iran, studied in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, London, and Toronto. Her student short films toured festivals in Toronto and Montreal and featured in the New York Independent Film Festival.