
Salem Salavati
Directing
Biography
Salem Salavati (born 1975) is a Kurdish film director, writer, and cinematographer. In 1989, he began his career in cinematography. His films were awarded over 50 foreign and Iranian prizes for direction, script, and photography and also as best films.
Known For

Kurdish childhood friends Hussein and Alan want to produce a film about the genocide of Kurdish people in Iraq, the Anfal campaign in 1988. They learn that, to achieve veracity by the means of cinema and to face their own identity, it's worth putting everything on the line - even their own life.
Memories on Stone

Inside a beat up stadium in Kirkuk, Iraq, live many refugees trying to escape Sadam Hussein's administration. Asu lives with his younger brother who has lost his legs from a landmine. Next door lives Hilin, who has not been able to express her feelings. One of the only sources of happiness for these people who live amid fear of poverty and bombings is soccer. Asu gathers together the Kurdish, Arabs and Turkish in order to hold a soccer match. Although they are of different races, they become close neighbors.
Kick Off

The story of two youngster girls who became the victims of female genital mutilation.
An Alley Behind Our House

Harun, a Kurdish freedom fighter, is haunted by the memories of war that have left him with post-traumatic stress, and burdened by a profound guilt. In an effort to seek solace, his friend takes him to see a group of Yarsan musicians (an ancient Kurdish religious group), who believe that their sacred Tanbur music can soothe the soul and cure illness. When the music cannot alleviate the burden of war from Harun’s heart, he is guided to Maryam, a traditional Kurdish tattooist who lives in a remote village located in the Triangle of Borders region, where Iran, Iraq, and Turkey cross. When Harun eventually opens up about his past, his memories intertwine with those of the village, and more is subsequently unveiled.
Harsh Land and Distant Sky

Shobo is a young woman who is in a misery situation for having a child, a decision that has a particular impact on her life and her people.
Pale Mirrors

A young family is about to cross the border from Iran to another country. They have a long and tiring way ahead of them, and the young children must silently and obediently accompany their parents, without having much say in the matter.
Going

A road movie set in Iraq in 2003 during the fall of Saddam. Two Kurds are looking for the parents of a five-year-old boy who has been found in the street in tears. His name is Saddam too. At the same time the boy's parents are looking for him everywhere, worried because of the boy's name which is now taboo. All the attempts of the two Kurds to get rid of the child fail: neither the Americans nor the men of religion at the mosque want him. Little Saddam begins to become a real problem. In the streets and all around them, they are surrounded by the chaos and crazy atmosphere of those days, with violence always on the verge of exploding.
Crossing the Dust

Confrontation of two different generations can lead to some incidents. In FATHERS an incident brings two generations together.
Fathers

Shakhawan's sister has been murdered by a young boy. so far, the killer's retaliation has been postponed twice due to the gathering of the villagers at the door and their request for the satisfaction of the decree. So they haven't been able to attend for enforcing the judge on the due dates. Tomorrow, at dawn, the killer will be executed, and Shakhawan is worried in case the people prevent his father again
At Dawn

Baji and Kwekha are the sole survivors of an isolated village. that is going under the water little by little. They are the only companion & confidants of one another, who are waiting for their travelers.
The Last Winter

Ali has been brought up in Iran and after his mother's death, He finds out that his true family lives in Kurdistan, Iraq. They have been parted because of the Halabja chemical attack in 1988. The movie portrays the torment and suffering families faced, due to the regime of Baaths in Iraq and particularly Kurdistan.
Burned Nests

A young boy goes outside to search for a rooster that has been switched to a neighbor's. and upon his return, an unwelcome guest awaits him.
The Trouble of Being a Boy

Kwekha and Baji are waiting for their relatives in an abandoned village but for the others, this waiting is nonsense, until…..
Snowy Dreams

Nanny Asiah, an elderly woman who makes a living by selling sugar, makes a promise to herself after her son's execution in the Kurdistan prison that if she can stop someone from retribution (execution), she will dance and rejoice until the morning call to prayer.
Partridges Fly Time

Kavan is a teenage boy with Down syndrome who lives with his mother and older brother. His father passed away many years ago.