An Iranian filmmaker and screenwriter, Samīrā Makhmalbāf was born in Tehran to the film director and writer Muhsin Makhmalbāf. Due to her family background, she was introduced to film art at a young age, starring in her father’s film Bāysīkilrān (The Biker; 1989). In 1994, Makhmalbāf left high school to study cinema at her father’s film company, the Makhmalbāf Film House, and later she directed her first feature film, Sib (The Apple; 1997), which was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998. This debut film was screened in thirty countries, making Makhmalbāf the world’s youngest filmmaker. She went on to shoot three more feature films: Takhtah sīyāh (Blackboards) in 2000, Panj–i ʻasr (At Five in the Afternoon) in 2003, and Asb-i daw pā (Two-Legged Horse) in 2008. Makhmalbāf’s films have received critical acclaim for their originality, artistry, and thematic statements—highlighting issues such as economic struggle and the marginalization of the poor. Makhmalbāf has been awarded over twenty accolades for her achievements and was a member of the jury at twenty international film festivals dating to 2013.