Elli Safari is the first female documentary filmmaker of Iran

From the 1970s through 1990, spanning the years before and after the Iranian Revolution, Elli co-founded and ran a private film institute in Tehran called Markaz-e Motaleat-e Sinamayi (Center of Cinematic Studies).
She educated dozens of filmmakers, including Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
The institute faced repeated closure attempts by the Islamic regime, yet she continued her work until it was forcibly shut down in 1990.
Following multiple arrests and imprisonments, she received a direct death threat: if she continued her work in Iran, she would 'receive a bullet in her head'.

Selection of works

TINEKE POSTMA
IN HER OWN WAY

Producer, director & editor: Elli Safari

A music film following the renowned Dutch female jazz musician Tineke Postma throughout a decade

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2026

A FORGOTTEN CRIME
Co-producer, co-director, editor: Elli safari

The humanitarian, political and military drama caused by the massive use of chemical weapons
against Iran by Saddam Hussein.

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2013

2006

THE NOBLE STRUGGLE
Producer, director: Elli safari

A fascinating and powerful portrait of the African-American Muslim woman who became the first female Imam. By defying 1400 years of Islamic tradition, her action caused global awareness of the struggle for women’s rights within Islam but also brought violence and death threats against her.
Deeply engaging this film offers rare insight into the powerful connections between Isalm, women's rights and racial justice.

2002

MEDIUM OF LOVE
Director, editor: Elli safari

The first film he ever saw, made the Iranian cleric Ali Afsahi fall in love with cinema. This was when Iranian clergy still denounced cinema as a Western threat to Islamic values. But Ali Afsahi found the key to 'open' any film: love.

The Free Cinema
سینمای آزاد

Elli Safari joined the movement of سینمای آزاد (Cinema-ye Azad) in Iran in the early 1970s. The Free Cinema was a pioneering network of independent filmmakers working outside the commercial film industry. Rooted in experimentation, collective learning, and social engagement, Cinema-ye Azad provided an alternative space for a new generation of filmmakers to explore personal and critical forms of expression. This formative context shaped the foundations of her work, grounding her practice in independence, inquiry, and a sustained commitment to socially engaged cinema.