Mahmood Pouyandeh is a member of the Alumni Association of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS), Tehran Special Office Branch, and a member of the Directors' Association of the Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA, House of Cinema). He began his professional career in cinema in 2018 by participating in screenwriting courses at Karnameh Cinema School, mentored by Shadmehr Rastin (one of the writer Cannes Palme d'Or 2025 award for A Simple Accident by Jafar Panahi), in both introductory and advanced levels. He furthered his education in filmmaking through comprehensive theoretical and practical courses at IYCS, Tehran Special Office Branch, from 2019. He also completed advanced filmmaking masterclasses with Asghar Farhadi (Academy and Cannes Awards), Behnam Behzadi, and Hayedeh Safiyari . Over the past few years, he has written, directed, and produced four professional short films, which have been selected for and screened at numerous national and international film festivals. Alongside making short films, he has also gained experience working on various film projects during this time.
Academic Background
1) Graduate of the Comprehensive Filmmaking Program, IYCS, Tehran Special Office Branch, 358 Hours, 2020,
2) Filmmaking Masterclass with Asghar Farhadi, 12 sessions, 36 hours, Tehran, 2019
3) Master of Executive Management, Strategic Orientation (SEMBA), Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, 2013
Expertise and Cinema-Related Interests
1) Idea development, expansion, and field research, interviews, and archival studies
2) Writing, screenwriting for short and feature films, TV series, and script revisions
3) Directing
4) Acting direction & Casting (character analysis and actor guidance)
5) Production design and project management
6) Short Film international Distribution
Art Residency
1) Fluid Earth-Groundwork Gallery, Norfolk, England, 2025
2) Kiar, Kathmandu International Artist in Residency (KIAR), Nepal, 2026