Ali Mosaffa (born December 1, 1966 in Tehran) is an Iranian actor and director. His parents are professors for Persian literature at the University of Tehran. His father, Mozaher Mosaffa, is a renowned Persian poet and his mother, Amir Banoo Karimi is the eldest daughter of the Persian poet, Amiri Firuzkuhi.

He is a graduate of Civil Engineering from the University of Tehran where he showed an interest in acting. His acting film debut was 1991 in Omid. In the following year he won the Best Actor Award at the 10th Fajr International Film Festival for his role in Darius Mehrjui’s film, Pari. On the set of Leila, Mehrjui’s 1996 film, met Mosaffa his future wife, Iranian actress Leila Hatami.

He directed his first short film, Incubus, in 1991. Neighbors (Hamsaye-ha) in 1999 was chosen Best Experimental Film at the Iranian Short Film Fest. His first feature film, Portrait of a lady far away (Sima-ye zani dar doordast) starring Leila Hatami and Homayoun Ershadi, in 2005. The film was shortlisted for the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival.

Portrait of a lady far away subsequently won the People’s Choice Award at the Chicago International Film Festival and was nominated for the Crystal Globe at the 2005 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

In 2012 was the international premiere of his second film, The last step (Pele-ye akhar) starring Leila Hatami, at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where Leila Hatami received the Best Actress Award and Ali Mosaffa the FIPRESCI Prize.

In October 2012, Mosaffa joined Oscar winning director of A Separation, Asghar Farhadi in Paris; starring alongside Bérénice Bejo and Tahar Rahim for Farhadi’s first foreign language film The Past (Le Passé) which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2013.

Filmography (as an actor)
– 2014: What’s the time in your world? (Dar donya-ye to saát chand ast?) by Safi Yazdanian
– 2013: The past (Le passé) by Asghar Farhadi
– 2012: The last step (Pele-ye akhar) by Ali Mosaffa
– 2011: Beloved sky (Aseman-e mahboob) by Dariush Mehrjui
– 2010: There are things you don’t know (Chizhaie hast ke nemidani) by Fardin Saheb-Zamani
– 2006: Who killed Amir? (Che kasi Amir ra kosh?) by Mehdi Karampoor
– 2003: Another place (Jayi digar) by Mehdi Karampoor
– 2001: Mix by Dariush Mehrjui
– 2000: Dear Cousin is Lost (Segment in Tales of an Island by Dariush Mehrjui)
– 2000: Party by Saman Moghadam
– 1999: Lost Girls
– 1998: Leila by Dariush Mehrjui
– 1996: Minou Tower (Borje Minou) by Ebrahim Hatamikia
– 1994: Pari by Dariush Mehrjui
– 1992: All My Daughters by Esmail Soltanian
– 1991: Omid by Habib Kavosh

Filmography (as a director)
– 2012: The last step (Pele-ye akhar)
– 2005: Portrait of a lady far away (Sima-ye zani dar doordast)
– 1996: The deceit of poesy (Farib-e-she’r), a documentary short film
– 1999: Neighbors (Hamsaye-ha), short film
– 1991: Incubus, short film

Television Series
– 2000: The English Bag (Keef-e Eenglisi)
– 2007: Paridokht

Awards
– Best Supporting Actor Award at the 13th Fajr International Film Festival for Pari in 1995
– People’s Choice Award for “Portrait of a Lady Far Away”, from Chicago International Film Festival, 2005
– Crystal Simorgh (Phoenix) for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 30th Fajr International Film Festival in 2012 for The last step (Pele-ye akhar)
– FIPRESCI at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for The last step (Pele-ye akhar) in 2012
– Best Adapted Screenplay at the 16th Iranian House of Cinema Film Festival for The last step (Pele-ye akhar) in 2014

Sources: Wikipedia | Ali Mosaffa, Festival Scope | Ali Mosaffa