Filmmaker Tells Stories With Drawings

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- F ilm director Amir Shahab Razavian tells stories with his simple drawings. For the first time in Iran, Razavian is planning an exhibition of drawings he created since 1996.

Razavian, 52, has tried his hand in filmmaking, writing, photography and film producing and demonstrated success. He has founded a renowned school of filmmaking and acting in Tehran named ‘Hilaj.’ Also an influential businessman in the movie industry, he has supported many young and emerging filmmakers.

Now he wants to reveal another side of his lively character. He will display 12 drawings on September 1 at Hilaj Café Gallery, a new facility added to Hilaj School. It is a 10-day event for the public from 4 to 8 pm, ISNA reported.

“Memories, dreams and war are the subjects of my drawings created in my own personal fashion. I created them with pencil, eraser, pen and white paper. My drawings are simple. Through them I tell stories,” Razavian said.

His unique compositions, however, are far from simple. Always a humble artist, he owes his drawing style to the lessons he says he learned from children.

Decades ago, he took a course in drawing and painting, but it were the children who taught him how to draw the present works. “I realized how freely they paint. I learned some lessons from them and eventually drew more satisfactory lines and forms. It is now 25 years that I’ve been developing this style. Whenever I take a break from cinema and filmmaking, I draw the way I’ve learned.”

He has made over 40 short films, documentaries and animations. He has directed seven feature films: ‘Journey of the Grey Men’ (2001), ‘Tehran, 7:00 AM’ (2003), ‘Colors of Memory’ (2008), ‘Granny and Summer’ (2009), ‘The Day Mina was Lost’ (2011), ‘Time Travel’ (2013) and ‘A Romantic Robbery’ (2015).