Tara Aghdashloo is an Iran-born writer and director working in UK and Canada. Her body of work captures nuanced characters, examining the contradictory nature of human desire and disrupting established tropes and visual cultures. Working across fiction and adaptation, her storytelling is emotionally driven, formally inventive, and shaped by a practice rooted in poetry, image, and political inquiry.

Tara’s filmmaking reflects a multidisciplinary background spanning journalism and visual arts. She holds a BA in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and an MA in Global Media and Postnational Communication from SOAS, University of London. Her essays have been published in London Review of Books, The Guardian, and Financial Times, and her early broadcast and documentary work aired on Channel 4 and the BBC. Tara is a published poet, and her cinematic language is informed by her interest in literature, philosophy and fine arts. She has been mentored by acclaimed filmmakers such as Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Amir Naderi.

Since transitioning to narrative films, Tara directed three shorts that collectively received over 30 nominations and 26 awards, screening at major Oscar, BAFTA, CSA, and BIFA-qualifying festivals including BlackStar, Edinburgh International, Cinequest, deadCentre, Leiden, Ennesimo, and HollyShorts. Her debut short THE RIDE (2022) was commissioned by BFI Network with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and Toronto Arts Council. BRIDGE (2023), funded by the BBC, adapted an award-winning poem, and EMPTY YOUR POCKETS (2024) was produced by OPC and Intermission Films.

Tara is currently developing ALTERATIONS, her debut feature which is a UK–Canada co-production supported by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates, led by London’s Caspian Films. The project participated in the Academy-backed Cine Qua Non Lab under the mentorship of Oscar-nominated writer Christina Lazaridi, was presented at the Berlinale European Film Market, and participated at the RIFF Talent Lab. In 2026, it is selected for the BFI-backed UK impact lab with producers Georgie Paget and Thembisa Cochrane.

An alumna of Women in the Director’s Chair Canada, Tara brings a strong human rights perspective to her work and is committed to expanding representation both on screen and behind the camera. She regularly speaks on panels and has served as jury on festival and funding committees. Alongside her filmmaking practice, she mentors emerging talent through Film London and the Roundhouse, and she is a member of Directors UK and Cinesisters.

She previously co-directed The Invisible Line Gallery in East London and has curated multiple exhibition programmes. Between film projects, she continues to paint, write poetry, and art direct.

AGENT
Eva Bell // Sayle Screen
t. + 44 207 823 2883
e. eva@saylescreen.com