Ghazaleh Golbakhsh

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Ghazaleh Golbakhsh
Born1980 or 1981 (age 42–43)[1]
Tehran, Iran
NationalityIranian-New Zealander
Other namesGhazaleh Gol
Alma materUniversity of Auckland (PhD, 2022)
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • actor
  • writer
Notable workThe Girl from Revolution Road (2020 essay collection)
Academic background
ThesisMonsters, Slackers, Lovers: Exploring Cultural Identity in Iranian Diasporic Cinema 2007-2017 (2021)
Doctoral advisor
WebsiteOfficial website

Ghazaleh Golbakhsh (born 1980/81) is an Iranian-New Zealand filmmaker, actor and writer. She has directed and written a number of short films and television shows, and written a book of personal essays. Her creative outputs draw from her experiences as an immigrant and her sense of identity.

Life and career[edit]

Early life and education[edit]

Golbakhsh was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to Auckland, New Zealand with her family in 1987.[1][2][3] She has said that her family's move was motivated by the 1979 revolution and the newly founded oppressive regime present in Iran.[3][4][5] Golbakhsh and her family first lived in the Auckland suburb of Mount Wellington then later moved to Kohimarama and then Northcote.[4] Golbakhsh noted that racist experiences as a new immigrant in school in New Zealand pushed her to practice her English reading and writing skills.[2]

Golbakhsh completed a Masters of Screen Production, supervised by Annie Goldson, at the University of Auckland in 2012. For her thesis she made a 30-minute documentary titled Iran in Transit, which received the award for Outstanding International Student Film at the 12th Annual International Student Film and Video Festival in Beijing.[1][6] In 2013 she received a Fulbright scholarship which enabled her to study screen writing in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California.[7] In 2022 Golbakhsh graduated from the University of Auckland with a PhD by creative practice in Media and Communications which focused on Iranian diasporic cinema.[2]

Books[edit]

Golbakhsh's first book, The Girl from Revolution Road (2020) is a collection of ten personal essays that depict her life, identity and immigrant experience. It was supported by a research grant she received from the New Zealand Society of Authors and Copyright Licensing NZ in 2019.[8]

A review by New Zealand news website Stuff described The Girl from Revolution Road as a "powerful book", and a "collection of perceptive and engaging essays which focus on the immigrant experience and the curious doubling effect which occurs when two cultures overlap".[4][9] Angelique Kasmara for the Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books said the work "offers a fresh and vital perspective" and is an "excellent gift for every racist relative who won’t shut up".[10] Steve Braunias for Newsroom listed it as one of the top 10 New Zealand non-fiction works in 2020, describing it as "pretty much the only really good book of non-fiction published in 2020" to examine issues of racism.[11] Previously, in September 2020, Newsroom had run a week-long series focusing on the book, including reviews and interviews.[12][13][14]

Golbakhsh contributed a chapter "Hyphenated Identity" to the anthology Ko Aotearoa Tātou: We Are New Zealand, edited by Michelle Elvy, Paula Morris and James Norcliffe.[15] Her chapter dealt with themes of the immigrant experience in New Zealand and the concept of "home".[16]

Screen[edit]

Golbakhsh wrote and directed the 2020 documentary web-series This is Us, about the lives of New Zealand Muslims.[17][18] Golbakhsh herself is not a practising Muslim but views it as a part of her cultural identity.[19] The purpose of the documentary series was to provide a positive and uplifting message following the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.[20]

In 2022 she was one of eight women writers and directors who contributed to the anthology film Kāinga, each providing a 10-minute long short film set in the same house.[21] Golbakhsh's section of the film was titled Parisa, about an Iranian woman wanting to return home to Iran.[22] The film was screened at the 2022 New Zealand International Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival.[23][24]

She is the director of Miles to Nowhere, a six-part comedy television series released in 2024 on Sky Open and Neon.[5] The show is about the experiences of New Zealand's Muslim community.[25] She has said she signed on to direct the show because she could see people she grew up with in the script, and appreciated that it was a comedy: "Normally stories that centre our community sit in the world of drama or tragedy".[26]

Golbakhsh was the first Iranian actor to appear on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, playing detective Roshan Namal.[27][28] She has also worked as a director on the show.[5]

Filmography[edit]

Year Title Involvement Output Ref
2024 Miles from Nowhere Director Six-part television series [25]
2022 Kāinga Writer/Director 1/8 Feature film [21]
2020 This is Us Writer/Director Six part documentary series [18]
After 2020 Shortland Street Director Multiple television episodes [5]
2020–2021 Shortland Street Guest actor playing Detective Roshan Namal Multiple television episodes [5][27]
2019 The Waiting Room Writer/Director Short drama [2][29]
2017 Glimpse Short documentary [citation needed]
2015 Mandala Screenplay Short drama [30]
2012 Iran in Transit MA Thesis Short documentary [1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Kiwi from Iran makes 'home video'". The Aucklander. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Meet our doctoral candidates | Ghazaleh Golbakhsh". University of Auckland. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b Golbakhsh, Ghazaleh (17 October 2017). "'They speak English and have good lamb': a Kiwi immigrant's story". The Spinoff. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Golbakhsh, Ghazaleh (2020). The Girl from Revolution Road. Auckland: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-98854-739-8.
  5. ^ a b c d e De Vydt-Jillings, Kasia (12 April 2024). "Ghazaleh Gol on the inspiration behind show, Miles From Nowhere". New Zealand Women's Weekly. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Student's documentary wins accolades in Beijing". Auckland Scoop. University of Auckland. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  7. ^ "2012 Fulbright New Zealand Annual Report" (PDF). Fulbright New Zealand. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  8. ^ "CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants". New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN NZ Inc) Te Puni Kaituhi O Aotearoa. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  9. ^ Herkt, David (5 September 2020). "The Girl from Revolution Road by Ghazaleh Golbakhsh". Stuff. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  10. ^ Kasmara, Angelique (7 October 2020). "The Girl from Revolution Road by Ghazaleh Golbakhsh". Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  11. ^ Braunias, Steve (15 December 2020). "Xmas: the 10 best books of non-fiction of 2020". Newsroom. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  12. ^ de Ronde, Meg (23 September 2020). "Book of the Week: A girl like Ghazaleh". Newsroom. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. ^ Robinson, Amanda Jane (22 September 2020). "Racism and the North Shore". Newsroom. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  14. ^ Ghahraman, Golriz (21 September 2020). "Golriz on Ghazaleh". Newsroom. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  15. ^ "Ko Aotearoa tatou, we are New Zealand : an anthology". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  16. ^ Gardiner, Kelly. "Ko Aotearoa Tātou: We Are New Zealand edited by Michelle Elvy, Paula Morris and James Norcliffe. Art editor, David Eggleton". Academy of New Zealand Literature. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Women of Worth: Ghazaleh Golbakhsh on battling discrimination in pursuit of her dreams". MiNDFOOD. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b "This Is Us". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  19. ^ Watson White, Helen (31 October 2020). "A Unique Point of View". Landfall. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  20. ^ Mau, Alison (15 March 2020). "We've held our leaders accountable, but as a nation have we kept promises we made on March 15?". Stuff. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  21. ^ a b Lau, Perlina (20 August 2023). "Aotearoa Pan-Asian film celebrates our diversity and confronts concepts of "home"". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  22. ^ Thompson, Tulia (28 August 2022). "The Slow Magic of Kāinga". Pantograph Punch. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Whānau Mārama: Kāinga 2022". New Zealand International Film Festival. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Awards | Kāinga". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  25. ^ a b Mire, Guled (1 March 2024). "How a new show made me feel seen as a Muslim NZer". 1News. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  26. ^ Ashby, Rachel (18 February 2024). "Mohamed Hassan on how TV can change the way we think". The Post. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  27. ^ a b Hill, Rebecca Barry (15 August 2022). "The Name On Everybody's Lips Is Going To Be Roxie Mohebbi". Viva. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  28. ^ Harvey, Kerry (12 August 2021). "Criticism over appearance shocks Shortland Street star". Stuff. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  29. ^ Evans, Marian (24 August 2020). "Ghazaleh Golbakhsh". Women Filmmakers: Interviews. Medium. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Mandala". Cleveland International Film Festival. Retrieved 15 May 2024.

External links[edit]

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