Not many years ago, a young Iranian girl would act in front of mirrors and talk to herself as characters she imagined herself to be.
She was in love with cinema and wanted to be an actor, but the social circumstances meant she had to take the conventional road – find a job to support her family.
Then, something magical happened.
Her uncle, a filmmaker, auditioned her for his film, and the rest, as they say, is history.
That girl, Sadaf Asgari, is today one of the most influential young faces in Iranian cinema, having already won a Special Jury Award for Acting at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival for her role in 'Exam' (2019).
Addressing youth jurors at the Ajyal Spotlight section of the Special 10th Edition of the Ajyal Film Festival, Asgari said that building an acting career is not easy.
“There are hundreds of people out there, who attend acting classes, and have immense talent,” she said. “But what matters is your passion for acting. If you are passionate, you will follow it, and it will get you going.”
Thankful to her uncle Ali Asgari, who cast her in a break-out role, Asgari said: “No doubt, my uncle supported me, but it is your real passion for cinema that will define your career.”
“Acting classes help you in understanding the techniques, but, to be honest, acting comes from deep down,” she continued. “You have to be in touch with your emotions and feelings and be the person you are portraying.”
Asgari plays the lead role in 'Until Tomorrow' (Iran, France, Qatar/2022) directed by Ali Asgari, in which she portrays a young mother, trying to hide her two-month-old baby from her parents.
A compelling portrait of the millennial generation vis-à-vis traditions, Asgari captures the vulnerabilities of her character impeccably.
She said the film is closest to her heart now.
“I really like all my films and even when a film doesn’t turn out to be what we expected, the experience we gain is invaluable. With every experience, I was learning more and more,” said the actress, who prefers short form content because it fits with her approach to acting.
“When I did my first film 'Disappearance' (a Doha Film institute-granted film that premiered at Venice International Film Festival), I didn’t really get into reading the script,” Asgari said.
“Even today, typically, I don’t spend too much time reading scripts because the more you read, the more your approach to the character becomes ‘technical’,” she added. “I like to go before the camera with raw emotions, by deeply getting involved into why the character behaves and responds in a particular way.”
“I like to get under the skin of the character and their environment,” Asgari said.
She has also starred in 'Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness' by Massoud Bakhshi, which was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and marked its Mena Premiere at Ajyal Film Festival 2020.
Asgari said she was overjoyed and excited after winning the award at Sundance in the beginning, but “unfortunately in Iran, these recognitions do not have the same kind of impact as in other countries”.
“Of course, I got congratulatory messages and was offered jobs and positions, but, for me, the real impact is when I know the films touch people,” she said. “At several screenings, women come to me and say they have gone through similar experiences as the characters I did.”
“I feel honoured I can do work that move people,” Asgari said.
In recognition of her outstanding work and for being the inspiration for young people by being the change they want to see in the world, Asgari was presented a special “Ajyal Honorary Award” by the youth Ajyal jurors.
The Ajyal Film Festival screened a specially curated programme of important stories from around the world to 613 youth jurors from over 50 countries.
They also took part in the Ajyal Talks and Spotlight sessions in addition to several lively discussions on cinema.
Katara is the Cultural Partner of the Special 10th Edition of the Ajyal Film Festival.
Contributing Partners include Darwish Holding, the Official Electronics Provider, with FNAC, Sony and 51 East; Qommunication is the Social Media Partner; and Friends of the Festival include Alkalive, the Official Water Sponsor, Giffoni, Qatar Museums, and Leisure (Virtuocity).
She was in love with cinema and wanted to be an actor, but the social circumstances meant she had to take the conventional road – find a job to support her family.
Then, something magical happened.
Her uncle, a filmmaker, auditioned her for his film, and the rest, as they say, is history.
That girl, Sadaf Asgari, is today one of the most influential young faces in Iranian cinema, having already won a Special Jury Award for Acting at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival for her role in 'Exam' (2019).
Addressing youth jurors at the Ajyal Spotlight section of the Special 10th Edition of the Ajyal Film Festival, Asgari said that building an acting career is not easy.
“There are hundreds of people out there, who attend acting classes, and have immense talent,” she said. “But what matters is your passion for acting. If you are passionate, you will follow it, and it will get you going.”
Thankful to her uncle Ali Asgari, who cast her in a break-out role, Asgari said: “No doubt, my uncle supported me, but it is your real passion for cinema that will define your career.”
“Acting classes help you in understanding the techniques, but, to be honest, acting comes from deep down,” she continued. “You have to be in touch with your emotions and feelings and be the person you are portraying.”
Asgari plays the lead role in 'Until Tomorrow' (Iran, France, Qatar/2022) directed by Ali Asgari, in which she portrays a young mother, trying to hide her two-month-old baby from her parents.
A compelling portrait of the millennial generation vis-à-vis traditions, Asgari captures the vulnerabilities of her character impeccably.
She said the film is closest to her heart now.
“I really like all my films and even when a film doesn’t turn out to be what we expected, the experience we gain is invaluable. With every experience, I was learning more and more,” said the actress, who prefers short form content because it fits with her approach to acting.
“When I did my first film 'Disappearance' (a Doha Film institute-granted film that premiered at Venice International Film Festival), I didn’t really get into reading the script,” Asgari said.
“Even today, typically, I don’t spend too much time reading scripts because the more you read, the more your approach to the character becomes ‘technical’,” she added. “I like to go before the camera with raw emotions, by deeply getting involved into why the character behaves and responds in a particular way.”
“I like to get under the skin of the character and their environment,” Asgari said.
She has also starred in 'Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness' by Massoud Bakhshi, which was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2019 and marked its Mena Premiere at Ajyal Film Festival 2020.
Asgari said she was overjoyed and excited after winning the award at Sundance in the beginning, but “unfortunately in Iran, these recognitions do not have the same kind of impact as in other countries”.
“Of course, I got congratulatory messages and was offered jobs and positions, but, for me, the real impact is when I know the films touch people,” she said. “At several screenings, women come to me and say they have gone through similar experiences as the characters I did.”
“I feel honoured I can do work that move people,” Asgari said.
In recognition of her outstanding work and for being the inspiration for young people by being the change they want to see in the world, Asgari was presented a special “Ajyal Honorary Award” by the youth Ajyal jurors.
The Ajyal Film Festival screened a specially curated programme of important stories from around the world to 613 youth jurors from over 50 countries.
They also took part in the Ajyal Talks and Spotlight sessions in addition to several lively discussions on cinema.
Katara is the Cultural Partner of the Special 10th Edition of the Ajyal Film Festival.
Contributing Partners include Darwish Holding, the Official Electronics Provider, with FNAC, Sony and 51 East; Qommunication is the Social Media Partner; and Friends of the Festival include Alkalive, the Official Water Sponsor, Giffoni, Qatar Museums, and Leisure (Virtuocity).