

Virginia Woolf
Biography
Mahboobeh
Kalaee (1992, Iran) graduated from the Tehran College of Fine Arts with a BA in Industrial Design (2015). An MA Animation Directing at Tehran University of Art (Faculty of Cinema & Theatre) (2020). She is a 2D animator, author, illustrator, graphic designer, and director of experimental and short animations.
The Fourth Wall, her graduation film and first professional film, won the Zlatko Grgic Award at Animafest Zagreb 2021 and the best film prize at Fantoche Animation Festival 2021. Her first professional film's success motivated her to devote herself full-time to her special mix media technique, as well as to study the form and narrative structure of experimental films. Her favorite forms are studies on real-world images as an animation material that led to essays films and creative animated documentaries. Her goal is to create a world which stands in the blurry line between the real and the imaginary. She is currently pre-producing an animation feature film as well as an experimental short film.
Filmoghraphy
THE FOURTH WALL Animation / 2021 / 9' 50"
2021 Annecy International Animation Festival | France
2021 Zlatko Grgic Award for best first film out of institution at Animafest Zagreb | Croatia
2021 Best Film Award at FANTOCHE International Animation Film Festival | Switzerland
2021 Mephisto 97.6 Award at DOK Leipzig Documentary and Animated Film Festival | Germany
2021 New Talent Award at New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival | Japan
2021 Special Mention at Animist Tallinn International Animation Festival | Estonia
2021 Anibar International Animation Festival | Kosovo
2021 Animatou International Animation Film Festival | Switzerland
2021 Animasyros International Animation Festival Greece
2021 Animest Bucharest International Animation Film Festival | Romany
2021 Big Cartoon International Animation Film Festival | Russia
2021 Imaginaria International Animated Film Festival | Italy
2021 Indie-AniFest International Animation Festival | South Korea
2021 Taichung International Animation Festival | Taiwan
2021 BFI London International Film Festival | UK
2021 Londan International Animation Festival | UK
2021 LIAF London International Animation Festival | UK
2021 Leeds International Film Festival | UK
2021 Feinaki Bejing Animation week Festival | China
2021 LSFF London Short Film Festival | UK
2021 POFF Shorts Black Night Tallinn | Estonia
2021 TOFUZI International Aniamtion Festival | Georgia
2021 Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
2021 Animateka International Animation Festival | Slovenia
2021 PICCOLO FESTIVAL DELL'ANIMAZIONE | Italy
MIRAGE Experimental Film / 2019 / 3’
2021 Best Animation at the Water and Energy Film Festival of the Ministry of Energy in collaboration with UNESCO | Iran
2020 Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
2019 Best Experimental Film at Shiraz Regional Film Festival | Iran
ONE PERSON Animation / 2018 / 3’ 30”
2020 MONSTRA International Animation Festival | Portugal
2020 Canterbury Anifest | UK
2020 BLACK MOVIE,International Independent Film Festival | Switzerland
2020 Stars of Students at HIROSHIMA International Animation Festival | Jpan
2019 Animafest Zagreb International Animation Festival | Croatia
2019 11th Tehran International Animation Festival | Iran
2019 Honorable mention for Best Animation-16th Nahal International Student Film Festival | Iran
2019 Kinolikbez International Film Festival | Russia
2019 16th IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival | Bulgaria
2019 12th Annual Iranian Film Festival | United States
2019 12th Paris International Animation Film Festival | France
2019 International animated film festival | Bosnia
2019 36th Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
MIND Animation / 2018 / 3’
2019 Nahal International Student Film Festival | Iran
2019 AL-NAHJ International Film Festival | Iraq
2019 Globe International Film Festival | Iran
2019 Izmir International Film Festival | Turkey
2019 Shiraz Regional Film Festival | Iran
2019 Simorgh International Film Festival | Iran
2018 Sound &Image Challenge Film Festival | China
2018 Iranian Film Festival of San Fransisco | USA
SINK Animation / 2018 / 3’ 30”
2019 11th Tehran International Animation Festival | Iran
2019 16th Nahal International Student Film Festival | Iran
2019 Kinolikbez International Film Festival | Russia
2019 7th International Shahr Film Festival | Iran
2019 17th Imaginaria Animated Film Festival | Italy
2019 42th Elche International Independent Film Festival | Spain
2019 11th TOFUZI International Animated Film Festival | Georgia
2019 Vafi & Rafi International Animation Festival | Croatia
2019 Hasanat International Short Film Festival | Iran
2019 3 Minutes, 3 Days Film Festival | Iraq
2018 Honorable Mention for Best Animation Directing at Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
2018 12th International 100 seconds film festival | Iran
2018 48th Roshd International Film Festival | Iran
Exhibition
2021 / Behind the Scenes, Group exhibition of grand competition short film authors.
Photo series of “The Fourth Wall”, ULUPUH Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia.
2017 / Creative Drawing, Group exhibition of animation students.
An installation of sculpture and drawing, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.
2014 / Let the Books Read Us,Individual installation.
An installation of a massive number of black books, Fine Arts Gallery, University of Tehran, Iran.
2012 / Industrial Design week, Group exhibition of industrial design students.
A Lighting, Designed with recyclable materials, Fine Arts Gallery, University of Tehran, Iran.
2010 / Illustrators Exhibition, Group exhibition of local illustrators.
Diverse them, Eshragh Gallery, Qom, Iran.
Education
2016-2020 / Master of Arts (M.A), Animation, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.
Thesis title: The study of space structure as a rhizomatic space in animation.
2011-2015 / Bachelor of Art (B.A), Industrial Design, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Thesis title: Product designing to create a new experience in the study process.
The Fourth Wall, her graduation film and first professional film, won the Zlatko Grgic Award at Animafest Zagreb 2021 and the best film prize at Fantoche Animation Festival 2021. Her first professional film's success motivated her to devote herself full-time to her special mix media technique, as well as to study the form and narrative structure of experimental films. Her favorite forms are studies on real-world images as an animation material that led to essays films and creative animated documentaries. Her goal is to create a world which stands in the blurry line between the real and the imaginary. She is currently pre-producing an animation feature film as well as an experimental short film.
Filmoghraphy
THE FOURTH WALL Animation / 2021 / 9' 50"
2021 Annecy International Animation Festival | France
2021 Zlatko Grgic Award for best first film out of institution at Animafest Zagreb | Croatia
2021 Best Film Award at FANTOCHE International Animation Film Festival | Switzerland
2021 Mephisto 97.6 Award at DOK Leipzig Documentary and Animated Film Festival | Germany
2021 New Talent Award at New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival | Japan
2021 Special Mention at Animist Tallinn International Animation Festival | Estonia
2021 Anibar International Animation Festival | Kosovo
2021 Animatou International Animation Film Festival | Switzerland
2021 Animasyros International Animation Festival Greece
2021 Animest Bucharest International Animation Film Festival | Romany
2021 Big Cartoon International Animation Film Festival | Russia
2021 Imaginaria International Animated Film Festival | Italy
2021 Indie-AniFest International Animation Festival | South Korea
2021 Taichung International Animation Festival | Taiwan
2021 BFI London International Film Festival | UK
2021 Londan International Animation Festival | UK
2021 LIAF London International Animation Festival | UK
2021 Leeds International Film Festival | UK
2021 Feinaki Bejing Animation week Festival | China
2021 LSFF London Short Film Festival | UK
2021 POFF Shorts Black Night Tallinn | Estonia
2021 TOFUZI International Aniamtion Festival | Georgia
2021 Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
2021 Animateka International Animation Festival | Slovenia
2021 PICCOLO FESTIVAL DELL'ANIMAZIONE | Italy
MIRAGE Experimental Film / 2019 / 3’
2021 Best Animation at the Water and Energy Film Festival of the Ministry of Energy in collaboration with UNESCO | Iran
2020 Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
2019 Best Experimental Film at Shiraz Regional Film Festival | Iran
ONE PERSON Animation / 2018 / 3’ 30”
2020 MONSTRA International Animation Festival | Portugal
2020 Canterbury Anifest | UK
2020 BLACK MOVIE,International Independent Film Festival | Switzerland
2020 Stars of Students at HIROSHIMA International Animation Festival | Jpan
2019 Animafest Zagreb International Animation Festival | Croatia
2019 11th Tehran International Animation Festival | Iran
2019 Honorable mention for Best Animation-16th Nahal International Student Film Festival | Iran
2019 Kinolikbez International Film Festival | Russia
2019 16th IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival | Bulgaria
2019 12th Annual Iranian Film Festival | United States
2019 12th Paris International Animation Film Festival | France
2019 International animated film festival | Bosnia
2019 36th Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
MIND Animation / 2018 / 3’
2019 Nahal International Student Film Festival | Iran
2019 AL-NAHJ International Film Festival | Iraq
2019 Globe International Film Festival | Iran
2019 Izmir International Film Festival | Turkey
2019 Shiraz Regional Film Festival | Iran
2019 Simorgh International Film Festival | Iran
2018 Sound &Image Challenge Film Festival | China
2018 Iranian Film Festival of San Fransisco | USA
SINK Animation / 2018 / 3’ 30”
2019 11th Tehran International Animation Festival | Iran
2019 16th Nahal International Student Film Festival | Iran
2019 Kinolikbez International Film Festival | Russia
2019 7th International Shahr Film Festival | Iran
2019 17th Imaginaria Animated Film Festival | Italy
2019 42th Elche International Independent Film Festival | Spain
2019 11th TOFUZI International Animated Film Festival | Georgia
2019 Vafi & Rafi International Animation Festival | Croatia
2019 Hasanat International Short Film Festival | Iran
2019 3 Minutes, 3 Days Film Festival | Iraq
2018 Honorable Mention for Best Animation Directing at Tehran International Short Film Festival | Iran
2018 12th International 100 seconds film festival | Iran
2018 48th Roshd International Film Festival | Iran
Exhibition
2021 / Behind the Scenes, Group exhibition of grand competition short film authors.
Photo series of “The Fourth Wall”, ULUPUH Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia.
2017 / Creative Drawing, Group exhibition of animation students.
An installation of sculpture and drawing, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.
2014 / Let the Books Read Us,Individual installation.
An installation of a massive number of black books, Fine Arts Gallery, University of Tehran, Iran.
2012 / Industrial Design week, Group exhibition of industrial design students.
A Lighting, Designed with recyclable materials, Fine Arts Gallery, University of Tehran, Iran.
2010 / Illustrators Exhibition, Group exhibition of local illustrators.
Diverse them, Eshragh Gallery, Qom, Iran.
Education
2016-2020 / Master of Arts (M.A), Animation, Tehran University of Art, Tehran, Iran.
Thesis title: The study of space structure as a rhizomatic space in animation.
2011-2015 / Bachelor of Art (B.A), Industrial Design, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Thesis title: Product designing to create a new experience in the study process.