Director and screenwriter born in Abadan, Iran (1941). Taghvai first came to cinema after gaining experience in writing scripts and by directing short documentaries for an Iranian national TV show. Many of his works were inspired by literary works, such as Nākhudā Khurshīd (1987), which was an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not, and in which he skillfully captured the atmosphere of southern Iran. He directed the television series Dā’ī jān Nāpil’un (My Uncle Napoleon; 1976), the screenplay of which was adapted from the novel of the same name by Īraj Pizishkzād. According to statistics, Dā’ī jān Nāpil’un is the most watched TV series to have aired on Iranian television thus far. With no formal training in filmmaking, Taghvai began his career in cinema in 1965, as a member of the technical staff on the film Khisht va āyīnah (Brick and Mirror). In 1973, Taghvai and some cinematographers left the Union of Iranian Film Artists to protest the dominance of Filmfārsī themes in Iranian cinema. He then founded the Association of Leading Cinematographers, which was very influential in strengthening the new wave of Iranian cinema. Taghvai’s filmography includes six films, three of which—Ārāmish dar huzūr-i dīgarān (Tranquility in the Presence of Others; 1973), Sādigh Kurdih (Sadeq the Kurd; 1972), and Nifrīn (Curse; 1973)—were produced before the Iranian Revolution, and three others after—Nākhudā Khurshīd (Captain Khurshīd; 1987), Ey Īrān (Oh Iran; 1990), and Kāghaz-i Bīkhat (Unruled Paper; 2001). His Ārāmish dar huzūr-i dīgarān points to Taghvai’s key role in promoting the Iranian New Wave.