Our new film When There Were Trees takes place in Iran. Azar, alongside a traveling theater troupe, embarks on a journey to find her deceased lover she was forced to leave because of society’s taboos.

Our latest work in development is MaaaHa, which is a collaboration of Maaa Art with other artists and children specialists to create original TV shows for children. This platform has focused on research, ideation, and writings that are both educational and entertaining for children and young adults.  Negar Behbahani has joined Mohammad Aghebati and Mehrnoush Alia for these series of work and together we have created the following concepts for web platforms:

“Dastan Mastan” (a.k.a Table Top Stories) are original stories for pre-school children that encourage creativity, DIY games, and storytelling.

“Kar o Mar” (a.k.a. What Do You Know About Me?) is a talk show that empowers children to look at the world from the point of view of lesser-known people.

“Chera Mera” (a.k.a. Guess What?) explores everyday issues that are often left out of education material.

Our latest production, Faranak is about a new driver at a ride hailing company at the lowest point of his life accepts to deliver a dog unaware that the dog is experiencing a crisis like himself.  Faranak finished post-production in 2021.  

Written & Directed by: Mehrnoush Alia
Produced by:    Mohammad Aghebati
Cast:    Mir Saeed Molavian, Mojdeh Daei, Ebrahim Azizi, and Michelle
Cinematographer: Ali Ehsani
Editor:  Pooyan Sholevar
Music:  Bamdad Afshar

AWARDS

Enderby Entertainment Fellowship Award at Austin Film Festival 2021
Best Female Director at FOLCS International Film Festival 2022
Best Short Film @ Rainbow Film Festival London 2022
Honorable Mention @ Slow Draft Film Festival 2023
Best Dramatic Short @ Vero Beach Film Festival 2023

FESTIVALS 

2021 Austin Film Festival (Texas)
2021 Asian American International Film Festival (New York)
2021 St. Louis International Film Festival (Missouri)
2021 Ojai Film Festival (Los Angeles)
2021 Bogota Short Film Festival (Colombia)
2022 Kalpanirjhar Short Film Festival (India)
2022 Iranian Short Film Academy Awards (Tehran)
2022 Dhaka International Film Festival (Bangladesh)
2022 FOLCS International Short Film Competition (New York)
2022 Rainbow Film Festival London (UK)
2022 CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival (Bellingham)
2022 Alpinale International Film Festival (Austria)
2022 Emruz Film Festival (New York)
2022 Iranian Film Festival of Cologne (Germany)
2022 Farhang Foundation (Los Angeles)
2023 Lower East Side Film Festival (New York)
2023 Pambujan International Film Festival (Philippines)
2023 UCLA Celebration of Iranian Films (California)
2023 Vero Beach International Film Festival(Florida)
2023 Sioux City International Film Festival (Ohio)
2023 San Diego International Film Festival (California)

Chains and Jinns is a feature documentary currently in production. It takes place in a remote part of Iran and amongst the minority Sunni population of affluent Qeshm Island, eight people have lived in chains for over a decade because their psychological disorder is misdiagnosed as being possessed by evil spirits (Jinns).  This film captures their lives and a woman’s fight to free them.

If you have interest to take part in financing, please email maaafilm@gmail.com For a look at the trailer please visit:

Contact maaafilm@gmail.com for password

Rojalat to Rojava is a feature documentary in development directed by Negin Ahmadi.  For the Kurdish women fighters, the war with Daesh started in their home and against their patriarchal society.  Negin (29) travels from her hometown of Rojalat in Iran’s Kurdistan to Syria’s Rojava to capture what women have gained and lost in this fight.  She does not stop until she reaches Nesrin Abdullah, the commander of all women in YPJ Army.

https://vimeo.com/298687518

Contact maaafilm@gmail.com for password

Nilou is an art house thriller written and directed by Mehrnoush Alia and slated to shoot in Tehran in 2019.  Nilou was a selection to Cinephilia’s Production Cannes Residency.

When the wife and the leading actress of a prominent Iranian filmmaker dies under mysterious circumstances in the middle of the production of his latest film, the director is forced to re-evaluate his life, his relationship, and his work as he learns things he never knew about his wife and himself.

“Scheherazade” is an award-winning psychological thriller about a series of actresses in a mysterious audition.

FESTIVALS 
2015 Champs-Elysées Film Festival, Paris, France
2015 DC International Shorts Film Festival, Washington DC
2015 Female Eye International Film Festival, Toronto
2015 Snake Alley Film Festival, Burlington
2015 Imperfectu Film Festival, Mexico
2015 Humphrey Bogart Film Festival, Key Largo, Florida
2015 Underexposed International Film Festival, Rock Hill, SC
2015 Qabila International Film Festival, Cairo
2015 Tulsa Film Festival, Oklahoma
2015 Flickers: Rhode Island International Film Festival, New Port
2015 Visionaria International Film Festival, Sienna, Italy
2015 Blackbird Film Festival, Cortland
2015 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, Brooklyn
2015 Unreal Film Festival, Memphis
2016 Kinofilm Manchester International Film Festival
2016 China Women’s Film Festival, Beijing
2016 Manchester International Short Film & Animation Festival, UK
2016 Garden State Film Festival, Atlantic City
2016 Taos Shortz Film Fest, Taos, New Mexico
2016 Princeton Film Festival, Princeton, NJ
2016 West Chester Film Festival, West Chester, PA
2016 SokerCon Film Festival, Las Vegas, NV
2016 Bogota International Shorts Film Festival, Bogota, Colombia
2017 Chalon Tout Court

RECOGNITION
2016 Won Best Picture at Literally Shorts Film Festival
2016 Won Best International Film at Literally Shorts Film Festival
2016 Won Best International Short Film at Kinofilm Manchester International Film Festival
2016 Won Best Drama at West Chester Film Festival
2016 Nominated for Best Female Director at West Chester Film Festival
2015 Won Best American Short film at Champs-Elysées Film Festival
2015 Won Best Director at Unreal Film Festival
2014 Jury and Faculty Selects (Columbia University Film Festival) 2015
2014 Adrienne Shelley Award Nomination for Best Female Director