A portrait of Iranian sound designer Mehrshad Malakouti

Mehrshad Malakouti, a prominent Iranian sound designer and audio engineer, was born on December 10, 1975, in Tehran.

Since beginning his career in 2001, Malakouti has been involved in some of the most acclaimed films and series in Iranian cinema. Among his notable works are ‘Lottery’, ‘Standing in the Dust’, and ‘Midday Adventures’.

Malakouti’s professional journey began in cinema, with his first major sound design role in the 2005 film ‘No Entry for Men’, directed by Ebrahim Sheibani.

Malakouti’s career truly took off in 2017, a year that saw him actively participating in both film and television.

His work in three significant projects that year introduced him to the wider artistic community. These projects included the TV series ‘Little Engineer’, co-directed by Ali Ghaffari and Mohammad-Javad Kasehsaz, the movie ‘Lottery’ as a sound designer, and the film ‘The Assassination at the Source’.

One of the most pivotal projects in Malakouti's career was the film ‘Lottery’ (2017), where his sound design expertise earned him recognition in the Iranian cinema industry.

His skillful audio work on this project helped solidify his reputation, as he worked alongside major actors such as Saeed Soheili, Javad Ezzati, and Hadi Hejazifar.

In 2015, Malakouti collaborated with renowned director Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian on the film ‘Standing in the Dust’.

This film, which starred Hadi Hejazifar, Seyyed Amirhossein Hashemi, and Emad Mohammadi, was well-received both by critics and at film festivals.

His work on ‘Standing in the Dust’ earned him a nomination for best sound design at the 34th Fajr Film Festival.

Malakouti reached new heights in 2019 when he won the Crystal Simorgh award for best sound at the 37th Fajr Film Festival for his work on ‘The Midday Adventures: Trace of Blood’. This award marked the pinnacle of his career, underscoring his significant contributions to Iranian cinema.

Malakouti’s expertise is not limited to cinema. While he is best known for his film work, with 58% of his projects being in cinema, he has also made important contributions to Iranian television, accounting for 42% of his portfolio.

Over his career, Malakouti has worked on 24 projects, including 14 films and 10 TV series.

Several of these series, including ‘The Moon and the Leopard’, ‘Under the Vestibule’, ‘Until Being with Sorayya’, ‘Setayesh’, ‘Coma’, ‘Special Guests’, and ‘The Bounced Check’, were also broadcast internationally on iFilm’s English channel, reaching a global audience.

With his wealth of experience and numerous accolades, Malakouti stands out as one of the most influential sound designers in contemporary Iranian cinema. His contributions not only enrich the films he works on but also strengthen the cultural narrative that Iranian cinema continues to offer both locally and globally.

iFilm English website wishes him many more years of success and creativity in his career.

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