Amir Ganjavie

Amir Ganjavie, a multifaceted individual based in Toronto, holds a Ph.D. in communication and culture with a specialization in film studies, utopianism, and Hegelian thinking. He is on the verge of completing a new Ph.D. in philosophy at McMaster University, specializing in privatization, public space and democracy. Fascinated by the issue of alternative and utopian space in modern urban settings and cinema, Amir has published several articles on utopia and authored two books—one on utopia and another on walkable neighborhoods (in French).

Recently, Amir co-edited two special volumes on Iranian cinema for Film International and Asian Cinema, and edited Humanities of the Other: An essay collection on the Dardanne Brothers (in Persian). Beyond academia, he contributes to various publications including MovieMaker, Filmint, Mubi, Senses of Cinema, Offscreen, and Brightlight. He also serves as the chief editor of Universal Cinema Journal and Phoenix Journal. Amir is highly active in the community, serving as the CEO of the Cyrus International Film Festival and the Phoenix Cultural Centre of Toronto. Additionally, he is one of the founding members of NaMaNa Cinema, a non-profit film club at the University of Toronto.

His filmmaking journey began in 2018 with the co-direction of Pendulum. In 2021, he directed the COVID thriller film Into Schrödinger’s Box in collaboration with Nasim Naghavi. He has recently finished a new film with Nasim Naghavi, titled About Maya.

Contributions