Portrait of Iranian cinematographer Touraj Mansouri

Touraj Mansouri, born in 1952 in Tehran, has carved a distinguished path in Iranian cinema with a career spanning over five decades.

A graduate in Cinema from Ashland University in Oregon, the US, Mansouri's journey began in 1971 when he started contributing photography for an art and architecture magazine.

His early exposure to the visual arts laid a strong foundation for his next endeavors.

Mansouri's initial venture into filmmaking involved working as an assistant on several short film projects directed by Faramarz Moattar, including ‘Organic’.

This experience paved the way for his own short film projects, notably the short film ‘59/3/7’ in 1980 for IRIB.

In 1984, Mansouri transitioned into professional cinema, working as an assistant director on the film project ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ under the guidance of the late cinematographer Yadollah Samadi.

Later, he expanded his expertise to film production, working on titles such as ‘Bench Cinema’, ‘Deadly Escape’, and ‘Plaything’.

His versatility also extended to film editing, with several notable works, including ‘Night Nurse’ and ‘Fresh Air’.

Mansouri's talent as a cameraman is observable in some of Iran's most beloved movies, including ‘Hamoun’ and ‘Mom’s Guests’ by the late Dariush Mehrjouee, and ‘The Song of Sparrows’ by Majid Majidi.

His role as director of photography is equally impressive, with some 50 feature films to his credit.

Some of his notable works include ‘Evil’, ‘Santuri’, ‘Untaken Paths’, ‘Bread, Love, Motor 1000’, ‘Toadstool’, ‘Trial on the Street’, ‘Deportees 2’, ‘Facing Mirrors’, ‘Crime’, ’33 Days’, ‘Guidance Patrol’, ‘The Wooden Bridge’, ‘Laleh’, ‘Iran Burger’, and ‘Season of Narges’.

At the 4th edition of the Fajr Film Festival in 1985, Mansouri and Mahmoud Kalari won the Simorgh Crystal Award for best cinematography for the movie ‘Cold Roads’.

He repeated this success at the 8th edition of the festival in 1989, winning the award for ‘Hamoun’.

Mansouri’s dedication and contributions to Iranian cinema have solidified his reputation as a maestro behind the lens, continually influencing and inspiring the art of filmmaking in Iran.

iFilm English website wishes him a long life and continued health, celebrating his remarkable contributions to the world of cinema. May his future work be as impactful and inspiring as his career.

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