Amir Payam is an award-winning documentarian and broadcast journalist with BBC World Service. Currently based in Washington DC, Amir created and produced Chamedan (The Suitcase), a seasonal TV/Radio show focused on the Iranian diaspora. In 2014, The New York International Radio Festival awarded its World Silver Medal to Chamedan putting in its "The Worlds Best Documentaries in 2013".
With 25 years of experience in journalism and holding an MA in Psychology, Amir is especially recognized for his in-depth work on human stories and social topics like substance abuse, and diaspora.
He initially showed interest in documentary making in 1992 when did a short doc on a leprosy village in the northwest of Iran.
Amir is currently working for BBC World Service as a Washington correspondent and director/producer of Chamedan.