---
name: "Mahmoud Kalari"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/mahmoud-kalari"
fi1m_id: "mahmoud-kalari"
imdb_id: "nm0435534"
tmdb_id: 545097
wikidata_id: "Q5953799"
roles: ["Cinematographer"]
born: "30 April 1951"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-26T03:02:18.635402+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Mahmoud Kalari

## Identity

Mahmoud Kalari

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/mahmoud-kalari
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** mahmoud-kalari
- **IMDb ID:** nm0435534
- **TMDB ID:** 545097
- **Wikidata ID:** Q5953799
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Kalari, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5953799, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0435534/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/545097

Cinematographer. Born 30 April 1951 in Tehran, Iran.

## Details

- **Work:** Cinematographer
- **Born:** 30 April 1951, Tehran, Iran
- **Active:** 1996–2013
- **Also known as:** محمود کلاری, Mahmood Kalari
- **Frequently works with:** [Asghar Farhadi](https://film.one/person/asghar-farhadi.md)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 83 (2), 2010s 82 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 83 to 77 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Mystery 2, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 7 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $35m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmoud_Kalari, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5953799, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0435534/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/545097

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md) (93)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Mahmoud Kalari is an Iranian cinematographer, photographer, screenwriter and film director. Born on 30 April 1951 in Tehran, he trained in photography in the United States and held his first exhibition, 'Visit with People Around Us', at Tehran University in 1976. He later worked for the Paris-based Sigma Photo News Agency and was named one of Time magazine's 15 best photographers of the year in 1980.

Kalari began his film career in 1984 as cinematographer on *Frosty Roads* (1985), for which he won the Best Cinematography award at the Fajr International Film Festival. He has since shot more than 65 films, including *A Separation* (2011), *The Past* (2013), *The Wind Will Carry Us* (1999), *Offside* (2006), *A Moment of Innocence* (1997) and *Gabbeh* (1996). His work has earned multiple Fajr awards and a Silver Frog at Camerimage for *A Separation*.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, filmcomment.com, elcinema.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *The Past* (2013), Fi1m 72, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-past.md)
- *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)
- *The Wind Will Carry Us* (1999), Fi1m 84, Director of Photography, Cinematography — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wind-will-carry-us.md)
- *Gabbeh* (1996), Fi1m 82, Cinematography, Director of Photography — [page](https://film.one/film/gabbeh.md)

## Complete filmography (58)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Summertime* (2025), Director, Writer
- *I Am Forough* (2022), Director of Photography
- *Odyssey of Solitude* (2022), as Father
- *Major* (2021), Director of Photography
- *Killer Spider* (2020), Director of Photography
- *Columbus* (2018), Director of Photography
- *Pig* (2018), Director of Photography
- *Bomb: A Love Story* (2018), as Mitra's father · Director of Photography
- *Sperm Whale: Roya's Selection* (2017), Director of Photography
- *Ferrari* (2017), Director of Photography
- *Cahiers du Film* (2016), as as himself
- *Bodyguard* (2016), Director of Photography, Original Music Composer
- *Apparition* (2014), Director of Photography
- *Fish & Cat* (2013), Director of Photography
- *The Past* (2013), Director of Photography — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/the-past.md)
- *The Snow on the Pines* (2013), Director of Photography
- *Mainline* (2011), Director of Photography
- *A Separation* (2011), Director of Photography — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)
- *Blood Orange* (2010), Cinematography
- *Forties* (2010), Cinematography
- *Shirin* (2009), Director of Photography
- *Hot Chocolate* (2009), Director of Photography
- *Persian Carpet* (2007), Director of Photography
- *The Fish Fall in Love* (2007), Director of Photography
- *Bab'Aziz* (2006), Director of Photography
- *Offside* (2006), Director of Photography
- *Havana File* (2006), Cinematography
- *Men at Work* (2006), as Mohsen
- *The Willow Tree* (2005), Director of Photography
- *Cinema Iran* (2005), Director of Photography
- *Tickets* (2005), Director of Photography
- *Friday's Soldiers* (2004), Director of Photography
- *Abadan* (2004), Cinematography
- *Boutique* (2003), Director of Photography
- *A House Built on Water* (2002), Director of Photography
- *The Hidden Half* (2001), Director of Photography
- *Water and Fire* (2001), Cinematography
- *Tales of an Island* (2000), Cinematography
- *The Wind Will Carry Us* (1999), Director of Photography — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wind-will-carry-us.md)
- *Siavash* (1999), Cinematography
- *Leila* (1999), Director of Photography
- *The Pear Tree* (1998), Director of Photography
- *Red* (1998), Cinematography
- *Cloud and the Rising Sun* (1997), Director
- *A Moment of Innocence* (1997), Director of Photography
- *Gabbeh* (1996), Director of Photography — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/gabbeh.md)
- *The Trade* (1996), Director of Photography
- *Salaam Cinema* (1995), Director of Photography
- *Sara* (1993), Director of Photography
- *The Wolf's Trail* (1993), Director of Photography
- *The Sergeant* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Love-Stricken* (1992), Director of Photography
- *Two and a Half Men* (1991), Cinematography
- *Time of Love* (1991), Director of Photography
- *Mother* (1990), Director of Photography
- *The Lead* (1989), Director of Photography
- *The Stone Lion* (1987), Director of Photography
- *Look Into My Eyes*, Thanks

## Gallery

- ![Mahmoud Kalari](https://film.one/media/person/103094/gallery-95fd4c7d0f9e.jpg) Mahmoud Kalari — Masih Azarakhsh, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Mahmood_Kalari.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![دومین روز سی و پنجمین جشنواره جهانی فیلم فجر (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/103094/gallery-9d9117b9f405.jpg) دومین روز سی و پنجمین جشنواره جهانی فیلم فجر (2017) — Armin Karami, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Mahmoud_Kalari_13960202002047636285017528515745_44118.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![محمود کلاری در سی و پنجمین جشنواره جهانی فیلم فجر (2017)](https://film.one/media/person/103094/gallery-0bf55d5e7416.jpg) محمود کلاری در سی و پنجمین جشنواره جهانی فیلم فجر (2017) — Soheil Sahranavard, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Mahmoud_Kalari_13960203002074636285817044454628_60556.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Mahmoud Kalari - 2008](https://film.one/media/person/103094/gallery-e2c35569d835.jpg) Mahmoud Kalari - 2008 — Erfan Najafabadi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF_%DA%A9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C.jpg/1280px-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF_%DA%A9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Silver Frog 2011: Silver Frog (won), for *A Separation*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/mahmoud-kalari