Mazyar Mahan

Mazyar Mahan, Ph.D.

Scholar | Educator | Filmmaker

I am a scholar of world, transnational, and Iranian cinema. I teach courses on transnational cinema, global art cinema, and understanding film. My current project focuses on Iranian expatriate filmmakers and their works over the past decade. My work has been published in Mise-en-scène, The Spectator, and Transnational Screens Journal. I am also co-editor (with Maryam Ghorbankarimi) of ReFocus: The Films of Shirin Neshat (Edinburgh University Press).

Alongside my academic work, I am an independent filmmaker. My films—Return of the Repressed (2023), Exile Echoes (2024), and A Drop at a Time (2025)—have screened at national and international festivals and received multiple awards. My creative practice explores collective memory and social justice through poetic and documentary forms. I am a member of the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA), which comprises dedicated independent filmmakers who champion freedom of expression, speech, and artistic independence.

Explore my research, teaching, and creative projects.