Samira Makhmalbaf

Awards & Honours

Awards Won

Honours

Rankings

Covers

Records

Samira Makhmalbaf's career, though brief, is marked by extraordinary achievement. She is one of the youngest directors ever to premiere at Cannes, and her films have won major awards at Venice and Cannes. Her work has been praised for its poetic realism and its unflinching look at the lives of women in Iran and Afghanistan. She was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2002, a recognition of her advocacy through cinema. Her legacy continues to inspire filmmakers and audiences worldwide.

AwardsSamira Makhmalbaf has won several prestigious awards for her films. The Apple won the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival and the Critics' Week Grand Prize at Locarno. The Day I Became a Woman earned the UNESCO Award and FIPRESCI Prize at Venice. Five Minutes to Dawn won the François Chalais Award at Cannes. At Five in the Afternoon won the Jury Prize at Cannes, and Two-Legged Horse won the Special Jury Prize at Venice.

Honours & Distinctions

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

UNESCO·2002

Appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for her contributions to cinema and advocacy for women's rights and education.

Rankings & Lists

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One of the best modern directors

The New Yorker·2020

Magazine Covers

The Guardian

2004-04-02

Interview feature profiling her at age 24

The New Yorker

2020-10-19

The Wunderkind Iranian Director Who Stopped Making Films

Records & Feats

One of the youngest directors to premiere at Cannes

Historic First·1998

At age 17, her debut film The Apple premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, making her one of the youngest feature film directors in history.