Naser Taghvai (born 10 July 1941, Abadan) is an Iranian filmmaker, photographer and writer. Taghvai is one of the few Iranian filmmakers who is as well-versed in literature as he is in moving images. A genuine intellectual. His artistic career is rather short, but very fruitful and rich: a few short-films, 6 influential features and a generation-defining television series. Taghvai is not only a great artist for the films he’s made, but he’s also worthy of praise for all the films he hasn’t directed. He set the record straight with everyone and himself a few years ago: “I won’t make another film as long as there’s censorship.“

Compared to his contemporaries, Taghvai’s views on women are very progressive. He has repeatedly expressed regret over not exploring the female character further in “Sadeq The Kurd” (1973). Except that one instance, almost all the women in Taghvai’s cinema are active and non-cliche characters. They have actual desires, they can express their desires (more so than the men can), and if needed, they’re able to influence on the desires of men as well. The women of “Tranquility in the Presence of Others” and “Curse” hold a special place in Iranian cinema compared to other female characters of the time, as they are able to think about and make decisions based on their desires, as much as the men are. Among them, the female protagonist in “Unruled Paper” (2001), played by Hediyeh Tehrani, is without a doubt one of the most remarkable women in Iranian cinema. She has an incredible imagination and is far more creative and capablethan her husband is in many historically-male areas. She’s the one who’s able to grasp their life together and to retell it in a narrative structure. In this aspect, Hediyeh Tehrani’s character in “Unruled Paper” is very much like the classic women of Hollywood romantic-comedies: a woman with an extraordinary power to think, to speak, to answer, and to dream.
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In most of Taghvai’s filmography, features and documentaries alike, a form of anxiety and anguish hovers over his work which fills his films with fear and distress. His characters are usually dealing with some sort of mental or emotional crisis, which sometimes leads them to irrational behaviors. The locations also follow the trend; from uninhabited and bare deserts to claustrophobic rooms and mental hospitals. Evidently, Taghvai is greatly influenced by one of the most prolific Iranian writers ever: Gholam- Hossein Sa’edi. In Sa’edi’s work, there’s a omnipresent atmosphere of anxiety and an unexplainable fear which possesses the lives of every character.

Taghvai's commitment to addressing sensitive topics has not wavered, even in the face of governmental restrictions. His work often highlights the plight of marginalized groups and critiques the socio-political status quo. This aligns him with the broader goals of movements like Women, Life, Freedom, which advocate for gender equality and human rights in Iran.

Selected Filmography:

• "Tranquility in the Presence of Others" (1972) - Banned
• "Captain Khorshid" (1987)
• "The Last Act" (1990) - Faced Censorship
• "The Wind Will Carry Us" (1999)
• "Unruled Paper" (2002)

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