Khalil Rashnavi, born in 1982 in Andimeshk, Iran, began his artistic career in 2004 as a short story writer. He received multiple awards from major Iranian literary festivals, including the Sadegh Hedayat Literary Festival, Aftab Shiraz, Doroud, and Isfahan. His deep experience in storytelling later became a strong foundation for his transition into documentary filmmaking.

He started his cinematic journey in 2011 by completing an intensive filmmaking course at Whistling Woods International University in Mumbai. In 2013, he also graduated from an international program at SAE Institute Bangkok, further developing his cinematic skills.

Documentaries

• Smoke Fish (2012)
  His first independent short documentary
• Chicken Life (2013)
  Selected for the competition section of the 6th Cinema Verite – Iran International Documentary Film Festival
• Mourning Companions (2014)
  Aired on Persian-language TV networks
• When Sparrows Scream (2015)
  Medium-length documentary
  Winner of Best Directing at the 8th Cinema Verite – Iran International Documentary Film Festival
  Audience Award for Best Medium-Length Documentary from Iran’s National Documentary Channel – 2020
• The Neighbours (2019)
  Medium-length documentary
  Screened in the Open Horizons section of Thessaloniki Documentary Festival – Greece, 2021 Winner of Best Medium-Length Documentary from Iran’s National Documentary Channel

Rashnavi’s documentaries are rooted in intimate observations and deeply human stories. With a background in literature, he brings a strong narrative voice to his films. As a truly independent filmmaker, he often writes, shoots, records, and edits his projects himself, giving his work a distinctive personal signature.