Babak Jalali

Directing

Babak Jalali

Born September 1, 1978 · Gorgan, Iran (age 48)

Babak Jalali (Persian: بابک جلالی; 1 September, 1978; Gorgan) is an Iranian–British-American film director and producer, notably directing Radio Dreams, for which he won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam. Jalali was born in Gorgan, Iran, and grew up in London, where he attended the London Film School. In 2006, Jalali was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best…

Known For

The Kidnapping of ArabellaThe Kidnapping of Arabella · 2025
The Kidnapping of Arabella
★ 7.62025
MovieDramaComedy
Holly spends days at her dead-end job fantasizing about holes in the space-time continuum and wondering where her life went wrong. When she meets Arabella, an eight-year-old rebel hoping to run away from her self-absorbed author father, Holly becomes convinced their meeting is a cosmic sign, and that Arabella is her past self sent back for a second chance. Embarking on an unconventional road trip, these two lost souls might be exactly what the other needs.
The Roses of Marrakesh
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The Roses of Marrakesh · 2026
The Roses of Marrakesh
2026
MovieDrama
Leila is the devoted housekeeper of Madame Isabelle, who owns a luxurious estate in Marrakech. Leila maintains the careful order of this perfect buble, but, when a person from Leila's past arrives unexpectedly, the tranquility of this microcosm begins to crack.
AmandaAmanda · 2022
Amanda
★ 6.52022
MovieDramaComedy
Amanda, 24, lives mostly isolated and has never had any friends, even if it's the thing she wants the most. Amanda chooses her new mission as to convince her childhood friend to believe that they are still best friends.
Simon KillerSimon Killer · 2012
Simon Killer
★ 5.92012
MovieDramaThriller
A recent college graduate flees to Paris after a break-up, where his involvement with a prostitute begins to reveal a potentially dark recent past.
FremontFremont · 2023
Fremont
★ 6.32023
MovieComedyDrama
Donya, a lonely Afghan refugee and former translator, spends her twenties drifting through a meager existence in Fremont, California. Shuttling between her job writing fortunes for a fortune cookie factory and sessions with her eccentric therapist, Donya suffers from insomnia and survivor's guilt over those still left behind in Kabul as she desperately searches for love.
XoftexXoftex · 2025
Xoftex
2025
MovieFantasyHorror
Palestinian-Syrian teenager Nasser and his older brother Yassin have been living in a Greek refugee camp, awaiting a decision on their asylum application. They pass the time recording comedy sketches, fantasizing of making zombie films and moving to Sweden. Nasser, however, feels increasingly trapped in this no-man’s-land. With nowhere to escape, Boiling tensions in the camp push Nasser to another world.
Radio DreamsRadio Dreams · 2017
Radio Dreams
★ 6.42017
MovieComedyDrama
A brilliant and misunderstood Iranian writer struggles to pursue his ambitious goal of bringing together Metallica and Kabul Dreams, Afghanistan's first rock band.
Short SkinShort Skin · 2015
Short Skin
★ 5.82015
MovieComedy
Ever since he was a child, the seventeen-years-old Edoardo has suffered from a malformation of the foreskin that stops him from masturbating and makes him insecure and ill at ease with girls. Shut up in his sexless microcosm, Edoardo reacts with irritation to the pressures of the outside world, which do nothing but exacerbate his insecurity. Forced against his will to emerge from the shadows in which he has hidden for years, Edoardo will initially try to solve his problem by clumsy stratagems before finding, at last, the courage to face his own fears.

Filmography

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Tehran: City of LoveTehran: City of Love · 2019
Tehran: City of Love
★ 6.02019
MovieRomance
Three lonely people, each looking for love in their own ways. This is hard enough in any big city – never mind in Tehran, where individual freedoms can’t be taken for granted. In a sexy voice on the telephone, an overweight receptionist seduces men who wouldn’t look twice at her real ‘me’. A former bodybuilding champion now earns a living as a personal trainer. When he develops feelings for a promising young sportsman as a client; he drops everything else; even a very promising acting job for a well-known French director. A singer at religious funerals is dumped by his fiancée. He tries to find new purpose in life by retraining as a singer at weddings and parties. That’s a lot more attractive to women, his friend assures him.

Producer