Shapour Daneshmand
An ardent advocate for free speech, transparency, and the basic human dignity of a poverty-free word, he is called—in his life and work as a director, cinematographer and gifted story-teller—to peel away the layers of repression and human suffering through the voice and lens of his camera. His passion for producing and directing is evident in the texture and poignant quality of his broad body of work.
Born in Iran, Shapour travelled to England at age 19 to study film at the prestigious London International Film School. He returned to Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution, where he joined a crew as an assistant cameraman to shoot a feature political thriller. Sadly, the repressive political climate of censorship in Iran quashed the film’s release. In the early 80’s, his journalistic photography uncovering the atrocities of the Islamic regime in Iran forced him to flee the country. He settled in Thailand where he worked on numerous documentaries and feature films. In 1987, Shapour wrote and directed his first major feature film, Awaiting the Dawn.
In the 90’s Shapour finally realized a childhood dream and immigrated to the United States where he is now a proud American citizen. Shapour began his career in the U.S. producing, directing and editing documentaries, commercials and music videos. He also produced and hosted two very popular and well-reviewed international satellite-television talk shows focusing on the arts, social justice, and politics.
Shapour Daneshmand is an accomplished Producer, director and international filmmaker with more than 25 years’ film and video experience. The son of a judge, Shapour is, at his core, an activist with a keen sense of justice and a passion for giving voice and insight into political and social injustice.