Bahman Farmanara is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Bahman Farmanara is the second son in a family of four brothers and one sister. The family business was Textile and he was the only son who did not join the business and went off to United Kingdom and later on to United States to study acting and directing. He graduated from University of Southern California with a BA in Cinema in 1966. After returning to Iran and doing military service, he joined the National Iranian Radio and Television. He produced some major films, including Abbas Kiarostami's first feature, The Report . Farmanara moved to France and then to Canada in 1980, establishing a distribution company and a film festival for children and young adults in Vancouver. He returned to Iran in the mid-1980s. He made and starred in Fragrance of Jasmine in 2000, which won several prizes from the International Fajr Film Festival, including The Best Film and The Best Director awards. He is shooting his last film Del Divaneh in north of Iran.
Did not get the chance to make a film in Iran for twenty years since the establishment of the Islamic regime as his scripts would not get approved by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
Studied at London School of Dramatic Arts and later graduated from the University of Southern Californias School of Cinematic Arts.
He is from Qajars descendants. He refers to this in his film Prince Ehtejab which is about a Qajar prince.
On May 10, 2013 Farmanara signed up as a candidature to run for the office of president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
