Sudabeh Mortezai
Sudabeh Mortezai (born 1968), is an Austrian–Iranian filmmaker and producer. She is best known as the director of critically acclaimed films Macondo and Joy which won several international awards at film festivals. Personal life She was born on 1968 in Ludwigsburg, Germany to Iranian parents. She spent her childhood and youth in Vienna and Tehran. Career She moved to Vienna and studied theater, film and media. Then she studied film at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles. During this period, she made various short and documentary films including 2006 documentary Children of the Prophet. It focuses on Iranian mourning rituals for Imam Hossein, the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson. In 2009, she made Im Bazar der Gender which describes the widespread practice of temporary marriage in Shiite Islam. Later in 2014, she made her maiden feature film Macondo. The film is the portrait of a Chechen refugee boy. It was invited to the 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale competition), and competed for Golden Bear Award. After the success of the film, she made her second feature film Joy in 2018. It revolves around the story of a Nigerian woman on a voyage to find freedom. The film received