Born in Iran in 1967, Rafi Pitts spent his childhood in Tehran, where he lived, in a basement flat, underneath a Post-Production Studio. With The Cuckoo (1975), Pitts started his career as a child actor in a neo-realist film by Varuzh Karim-Masihi. In 1981, during the War between Iran and Iraq, Pitts fled the country and moved to Britain. He graduated in 1991 from Harrow College - Polytechnic of Central London, with a BA(Hons) Degree in Film and Photography. His first short film, In Exile (1991), was presented at the London International Film Festival, in the same year. In the 90s, Pitts, moved to Paris and worked as Assistant Director. His collaborations include Leos Carax, Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Doillon. His second short film, Salandar (1994), shot in Russia, was inspired by the War in Bosnia, and co-produced by Nikita Mikhalkov screenwriter, Rustam Ibragimbekov. Pitts's first feature film, The Fifth Season (1997), adapted from a book by Bahram Beizai, is a comedy about feuding villagers and a Romeo Julietish romance. It was the first Franco-Iranian co-production since the Iranian Revolution. This film was released at the 54th Venice International Film Festival in 1997. Sanam (2000), his second feature, was hailed by French critics, as the Iranian 400 Blows. In 2003, the Locarno Film Festival presented his controversial feature documentary, "Cinéma, de notre temps: Abel Ferrara: Not Guilty" (2003), produced by Janine Bazin and André S. Labarthe . It's Winter (2006), shot in Tehran, his fourth feature film, is inspired from a book by Mahmoud Dowlatabadi, (The Trip). The story depicts the struggle to survive of a generation torn between wanting to leave its country yet bound by blood to home. This film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival in 2006. In 2007, the Seattle International Film Festival honoured Rafi Pitts, with the Emerging Master Award.
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