Jafar Panahi was born in Mianeh, Iran, in 1960. He is one of the most influential and internationally renowned filmmakers of Iranian post-revolutionary cinema. His film career began when he served as assistant director on Abbas Kiarostami's Through the Olive Trees (1994). Panahi's debut feature The White Balloon (1995), which was written by Kiarostami, won the Camera dOr at Cannes. His most recent film, Offside (2006), won the top prize at the Berlin film festival; it is currently banned in Iran.
