Mokarrameh Ghanbari (1928 – October 24, 2005) was a heuristic and self made Iranian painter who won several international talent prizes.
Mokarrameh was born in the village of Darikandeh between Shahi and Babol, in Mazanderan, and despite her great talent, she never received any formal training in painting.
She began painting at the age of 63. She continued her painting using bright, original colors inspired by the beautiful natural surroundings of her neighborhood, and within a few years her works were noticed by painters in Iran and overseas.
She held her first exhibition at the Seyhun Gallery in Tehran in 1995. The artist also participated in ten other exhibitions and was awarded the jury prize at the Roshd Film Festival and another award at the Rural Artistic-Literary Festival. In 2001, she was awarded an honorary certificate at the Conference of the Foundation of Iranian Women’s Studies in Stockholm, Sweden and was named the year’s exemplary woman.
In addition, she was named the “Female Painter of 2001” by the Swedish National Museum. Iranian filmmaker Ebrahim Mokhtari has made a documentary film about the life and works of the artist entitled Mokarrameh, Memories and Dreams.
She died at the age of 77 and is buried in the courtyard of her house.
MOKARRAMEH: MEMORIES & DREAMS, Documentary, 48 Min., Color. 1999.
Awards:
First prize of professional category at Trace de vies- Clermond Ferrand (France, Nov. 1999).
Certificate of Merit at the 43rd San Francisco International Film Festival (San Francisco, May 2000).
Golden Dhow of Zanzibar film festival (Tanzania, July 2000).
The best film of Cultural- Artical of Woman & Vilage (Ozra), Tehran, Iran.2000.
Screenings:
competition section of Cinema Du Reel film festival (Paris, March 1999). International Short Film Festival (Poland, 1999).
Sheffield film festival (England, Oct.1999).
competition section of Leipzig film festival (Germany, Oct.1999).
Viennale international film festival (Vienna, Oct.2000).
IDFA (Amsterdam, Nov1999).
Filmer a tout prix film festival, (Belgium, Nov.2000).
Ecrans documentary de Gentilly (France, Nov 2000).
Festival of films from Iran (Boston,Nov. 2000).
competition section of Vesoul Film Festival (6- 13 Feb 2001, France).
festival du film d’art Montral (13-18 March 2001).
Freiburger Film Forum ,a biannual documentary festival, (22-27 May 2001, Germany).
Lussas filmfestival, France,2005.
Aljeria Tv film festivals,March 2006.
Tunisia film festival,Tunisia,April 2006.
Film Archive, Austria,2006.
Visual Representation of Iran, University of st.Andrews Fife, Scotland,June 2008.
COMPTOIR DU Doc, Rennes,France, 2009.
Eye film institut,Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 2010.