Director Saam Farahmand, who signed last year with Anonymous Content in the U.K., has expanded the geographic reach of that relationship. He is now additionally handled by the production and management company for commercials and music videos in the U.S.
The Iranian-British director and video artist has crafted striking content with a visceral edge from commercials to music videos to live interactive exhibitions for brands such as Apple, Audi, Guinness, Coca-Cola, Absolut, Levis, and Nike, and artists including Mark Ronson, Rihanna, Mick Jagger, Janet Jackson, Ellie Goulding, and the xx. His work has also appeared in exhibitions and festivals around the world and in publications including President Barack Obama’s guest curated edition of Wired Magazine.
“I am from a generation of storytellers who had to balance expression with survival. It’s taken years to get to a place where I can share my stories and those of others without fear,” said Farahmand. “Anonymous Content is a collective of people who want to nurture those stories in development, execution and how they go on to live in the world. The teams at Anonymous Content produce at the highest level because of their respect for the process, the outcome and the soul of a project.”
His latest project, God Party, Farahmand’s first U.S. solo exhibition, recently had its first viewing at A Hug From The Art World in New York City. God Party is a series of looped films merging into a “mega-loop,” each new segment seamlessly joining with the last. Having waited over a decade for technology to catch up to the scale of his undertaking, Farahmand is now able to share his vision as a high resolution LED wall installation, which asks the question: When all primary human experience, and raw human nuance has been appropriated and given audio visual form, where then do we find the raw, or the primary?
Farahmand’s other selected Exhibition History includes: Drama at Asia House, London (2018); VideoPortraits, Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2009); Ghost, Palazzo Pitti, Florence (2009); Part of the Weekend Never Dies, Royal Festival Hall, London (2008); The Paradiso Effect, Hayward Gallery, London (2008); and The Paradiso Effect, ICA London (2005).
Farahmand’s first feature documentary, Part of the Weekend Never Dies, was lauded for bringing together raw truthful portraits of a dance subculture with highly crafted, innovative filmmaking techniques.
His belief is that unprivileged creators must be given the opportunity to tell stories with the same filmic power as anyone, especially in the commercial realm. This democratization of “advanced, technical filmmaking” is something he brings to the next generation of British filmmakers from immigrant families in the form of paid apprenticeships and free classes. Prior to connecting with Anonymous Content for U.S. representation, Farahmand had been handled by DIVISION7 for commercials and music videos.
