Sahand kabiri

'Sahand Kabiri' is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known for his debut feature film, The Crowd (2025 film) which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won major awards at the Istanbul Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival.

Early life and education

Kabiri was born in 1991 in Tehran, Iran. He studied screenwriting at the University of Art of Tehran, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Cinema.

Career

Kabiri began his filmmaking career in 2012. Since then, he has written and directed several short fiction films, including Ava (2013), Quadrumvirate (2015), and Bro (2020).

The Crowd (2025)

The Crowd () is Kabiri's feature directorial debut. The film is a personal portrait of middle-class Gen-Z and millennial life in contemporary Tehran, following a group of friends planning a goodbye party for one of their own who is preparing to emigrate. It was shot independently over 12 days in Tehran.

The Crowd had its world premiere in the "Bright Future" section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in 2025. It subsequently screened at the Istanbul Film Festival, where it won the Kariyo & Ababay Special Jury Prize. The film also won the Grand Jury Prize in the New Directors Competition at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Awards and nominations

| 2025 || International Film Festival Rotterdam || The Crowd || World premiere (Bright Future section)

| 2025 || Istanbul Film Festival || The Crowd || Won – Special Jury Prize

| 2025 || Seattle International Film Festival || The Crowd || Won – Grand Jury Prize (New Directors Competition)

External links

Sahand Kabiri at IFFR