Draft:Parvin Ansari

• Comment: The images used would all seem to breach copyright (as they claimed to be the own work of the draft's author): please see WP:IUP. Cabrils (talk) 23:42, 31 October 2024 (UTC)

• Comment: Well done on creating the draft, and it may potentially meet the relevant requirements (including WP:GNG, WP:ANYBIO) but presently it is not clear that it does.
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  Once you have implemented these suggestions, you may also wish to leave a note for me on my talk page and I would be happy to reassess. As I said, I do think this draft has potential so please do persevere. Cabrils (talk) 23:40, 31 October 2024 (UTC)

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Parvin Ansari
Born	15 January 1939 Tehran, Iran
Died	20 July 2024 Rome, Italy
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter, journalist
Children	2

Parvin Ansari (January 15 1939 – July 20 2024) was an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and journalist. As Iran’s first female filmmaker, Ansari paved the way for women in Iran in a traditionally male-dominated industry. She directed documentaries, translated and dubbed films into Farsi, and published writings critical of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Early Life and Education

Parvin Ansari was born in Tehran on January 15, 1939 into a prominent Iranian aristocratic family with deep-rooted ties to Iranian history and public service. Her father, Ali Reza Saeed Ansari, served as the Consul General for the Shah of Persia in Moscow during the 1930s. From her paternal side, Ansari traced her ancestry to Mirza Saeed Khan Ansari, Prime Minister of Iran under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar between 1853 and 1873.

Filmmaker Parvin Ansari with a portrait of herself

Her mother, Faranghis Vali, was from the influential Vali family, known for its prominence within the Persian Empire. Through her maternal lineage, Ansari was a descendant of Mohammad Ghassem Khan Vali, who served as governor (Vali in Persian), he was the Persian ambassador for the Shah of Persia Naser al-Din Shah Qajar to Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Her maternal great-grandfather, Ghassem Khan Vali, known as Sardar Homayoun, was the first Iranian Army general to graduate from the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, which was founded by Napoleon in 1802. During the collapse of the Qajar dynasty, Sardar Homayun chose loyalty over ambition, declining an offer to take the Persian throne, which was later assumed by Reza Shah Pahlavi.

Filmmaker Parvin Ansari

Ansari graduated from the French college, Jeanne d'Arc School of Tehran, before pursuing her studies abroad.

Career

Rome and Italian Cinema

In the 1950s, Ansari moved to Rome, immersing herself in Italian cinema and arts. She began her career in dubbing, founding a company to translate and dub Italian films into Persian. Working with notable Italian filmmakers, she translated works by Vittorio De Sica, including Bicycle Thieves and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, and collaborated on productions by Carlo Ponti.

Filmmaker Parvin Ansari holding film

Filmmaking

Parvin Ansari with Italian director Vittorio De Sica

In Rome, she studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, where she graduated in 1963. At the film school, Ansari studied film theory, music, and various technical aspects of filmmaking, working alongside future Italian cinema greats like Michelangelo Antonioni and Paolo Germi.

Parvin Ansari with Italian actor Alberto Sordi

Ansari’s early works focused on documentaries about Iran for Italian audiences, including films on Isfahan, Shiraz, and one on Persian miniatures called The Drunkenness of Omar Khayyam. These films aired on RAI (Italian National Radio and Television) and celebrated Iran’s cultural heritage.

Filmmaker Parvin Ansari with Greek magnate Aristotle Onassis

Her feature films, The Travels of Pietro Della Valle and Sarab-e-Soltanieh, explored historical and philosophical themes, merging Persian history with Western perspectives. The Travels of Pietro Della Valle, which premiered at the Monte Carlo Film Festival in 1978, was praised for its artistic depth and unique blending of Monteverdi and Persian traditional music. Critics hailed her work as “metaphysical” and “jewel-like,” though political shifts in Iran led to some of her projects being shelved due to their content.

Return to Rome and Journalism

The Iranian Revolution interrupted Ansari’s film Sarab-e-Soltanieh, which had received partial funding from NIRT (National Iranian Radio and Television). Following increased restrictions, she returned to Rome in 1982. There, she became an outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic and Ayatollah Khomeini, writing for Italian newspapers and advocating for political change. Ansari interviewed Shapour Bakhtiar for the Corriere della Sera following the revolution. Her outspoken criticism against the regime led to her receiving political refugee status from the United Nations.

Personal Life and Later Years

Ansari’s contributions to cinema paved the way for future Iranian female filmmakers, blending Iranian cultural narratives with Western cinematic artistry. Though not widely popularized, her films are celebrated as classic art films among critics and enthusiasts of Iranian cinema.

Parvin Ansari

Living in Rome, she continued to reflect on her dual identity as both an Iranian and an expatriate. Parvin Ansari passed away on July 20, 2024, in Rome. She is survived by her two daughters and two grandchildren, who continue to carry forward her legacy.