Sibling Films has added director Ashkan Memarian to its roster.
Memarian brings to Sibling a body of work which includes brands ranging from Adobe to American Express, Ubisoft and the non-profit Primary Children’s Hospital.
“I try to portray stories that feel genuine to me,’’ said Memarian. “I’m not trying to make people cry or feel happy, rather I’m trying to make stories that connect with the viewer and resonate with how I make sense of the world.”
“Ashkan’s directorial work forces you to feel something and is beautiful simultaneously,” said Sibling’s managing director Darren Foldes. “It’s a rare balance that is often strived for but rarely achieved at such a high level of excellence.”
Memarian was born to immigrant parents of Iranian and El Salvadoran descent. He grew up in Southern California skateboarding, playing soccer, and drumming in a band. It wasn’t until attending college at BYU that he discovered his passion for filmmaking, eventually graduating from its film program. Memarian got his start in the industry working his way up from a production assistant to an editor, to then directing small local spots. Eventually, he went on to direct for Namesake Content, Saint Cloud and Holiday Films.
“Through my work, I’m striving to build a world that feels beautiful and distinct, but also grounded in the everyday,” added Memarian.
Full Lineup Set For AFI Fest; Official Selections Span 44 Countries, Include 9 Best International Feature Oscar Submissions
The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the full lineup for this yearโs AFI Fest, taking place in Los Angeles from October 23-27. Rounding out the slate of already announced titles are such highlights as September 5 directed by Tim Fehlbaum, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, The Luckiest Man in America directed by Samir Oliveros (AFI Class of 2019), Zurawski v. Texas from executive producers Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence and directors Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, and Oh, Canada directed by Paul Schrader (AFI Class of 1969). A total of 158 films are set to screen at the 38th edition of AFI Fest.
Of the official selections, 48% are directed by women and non-binary filmmakers and 26% are directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Additional festival highlights include documentaries Architecton directed by Victor Kossakovsky; Cheech & Chongโs Last Movie directed by David Bushell; Devo directed by Chris Smith about the legendary new wave provocateurs; Gaucho Gaucho directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw; Group Therapy directed by Neil Berkeley with Emmyยฎ winner Neil Patrick Harris and Tig Notaro; No Other Land directed by a Palestinian-Israeli team comprised of Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor and Hamdan Ballal; Pavements directed by Alex Ross Perry; and Separated directed by Errol Morris. Notable narrative titles include Black Dog (Gou Zen) directed by Guan Hu; Bonjour Tristesse directed by Durga Chew-Bose with Academy Awardยฎ nominee Chloรซ Sevigny; Caught By The Tides directed by Jia Zhangke; Hard Truths directed by Mike Leigh with... Read More