Iranian architect and filmmaker Mehran Tamadon arrived in France as a boy of 12, in 1984. In 2000 he returned to Iran, working there for four years as an architect. Since 2002 his career has taken a distinctly artistic turn as a filmmaker. In 2004 he made his first documentary, Behesht Zahra, Mothers of Martyrs. He followed this in 2009 with his first feature-length documentary, Bassidji, about the defenders of the Islamic republic of Iran, which was selected for numerous international festivals. With Iranien he continues his unique approach of engaging in a dialogue with partisans of the Iranian regime. He has also published two essays in Persian (‘Moments of Agony’ and ‘Friendship’).