Rafi Pitts

Birthday: 1967, Mashhad, Iran

Height: 178 cm

Rafi Pitts' films have attained acclaim and awards around the globe. Pitts' first feature, Fasl-e panjom (1997), premiered in the Venice Film Festival. His second, Sanam (2000) was hailed by French critics and compared to Les quatre cents coups (1959). In 2003, Pitts presented his controversial feature documentary, Cinéma, de notre temps: Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty (2003) in the Official Selection of the Locarno Film Festval . It's Winter (2006) premiered in the Berlin Competition, and one year later, the Seattle International Film Festival honored Pitts with the Emerging Masters Award for his work. In 2010, Pitts' fifth feature The Hunter (2010) was also nominated for the Berlin Golden Bear as well as Best Actor for his performance in the leading role. In 2012 Ben Affleck invited Pitts to join him as an actor as well as his personal consultant on the feature film Argo (2012), which went on to win the Oscar for Best Motion Picture the following year. In 2016 Pitts premiered Soy Nero (2016) in the Berlin Film Festival and for the third time running he was nominated the Golden Bear. Born 1967 in Iran, Pitts spent his childhood in Tehran, where he lived in a basement flat underneath a post-production studio. During the war between Iran and Iraq, in 1981, he fled the country and moved to Britain. In 1991 Pitts graduated from Harrow College - Polytechnic of Central London with a BA (Hons) Degree in Film and Photography. His first short, In Exile (1991), was presented the same year at the London International Film Festival. In the 90's, Pitts moved to Paris and worked on films by Leos Carax, Jacques Doillon and Jean-Luc Godard. Show less «

[on living in exile] I have made four films in Iran, all censored in the country. The Hunter (2010) ...Show more »

[on living in exile] I have made four films in Iran, all censored in the country. The Hunter (2010) is the film that got me into trouble. The government thought I was involved with the 2009 riots since the film is about a man who loses his wife and daughter in a shoot-out between police and demonstrators. It was just a coincidence that the riots happened after the filming. When I went to Berlin to show the film to the producers, I was told by officials not to come back. So I haven't been back since 2009. I don't like to say I 'can't' come back, but under the constitution they should have never imprisoned Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, who were both given six-year prison sentences and banned from making films for 20 years. That is the situation I am dealing with. So I am in exile - so what? [2016] Show less «

A political film is a film that is shown to an audience that disagrees.

Dealing with censorship has become our art, how to say something, with certain rules.

At its best, a film is completely unpredictable.

For any film, whether Iranian or not, a podium like the Berlin Film Festival, obviously, is beautifu...Show more »

For any film, whether Iranian or not, a podium like the Berlin Film Festival, obviously, is beautiful. Because it helps art exist. If you work in art house cinema, how else are you going to get people to find out about it? How else are you going to give that podium for smaller distributors to be helped and they release it. So it's a question of telling the world the film exists. Show less «

In my film-making, I am always questioning the authorities and why they disregard the marginal guy. ...Show more »

In my film-making, I am always questioning the authorities and why they disregard the marginal guy. They have the right to have a life, too. Nobody worries about the guy on the street. It's not right. [2016] Show less «

America is a vast country that is populated with immigrants, yet also gives a hard time to these imm...Show more »

America is a vast country that is populated with immigrants, yet also gives a hard time to these immigrants. Other countries are doing the same, but I felt I was in neutral ground since I am not American, and I am not pinpointing a specific area or group of people. Prior to shooting, I spent 10 months in Los Angeles. I didn't want to get any information wrong. (...) When I saw that politicians are thinking of putting up a wall on the US-Mexico border, I started looking into the options for work permits and came across the US Green Card Soldier programme, which has been in existence since the Vietnam War. (...) I went to Tijuana, just over the US border in Mexico, where I met with Hector Barajas. He was deported 18 years ago for getting into a fight after he had served in the Gulf War. He created a shelter called The Bunker for deported veterans. I spoke to many people there and it made me think, "War is violent enough. After serving on the frontlines for your country, being deported for getting into a small amount of trouble seems inhumane." For me, this is a story that refers to Europe and everywhere else as well. I strive for people to know these issues exist, and to encourage people to talk about it. [2016] Show less «

I'm more interested in the human condition than in governments and the politics they do.

I feel that I always have to find a reason to make a film beyond cinema itself. [2016]

Rafi Pitts

Rafi Pitts's FILMOGRAPHY

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