Shabnam Tolouei


Shabnam Tolouei is an Iranian actress, theatre director and playwright. She is currently forbidden from working in Iran by the government because of her religion, the Baháʼí Faith, which is subject to state sanctioned persecution. Since December 2004 she has been living in Paris, France. She became a naturalized French citizen in 2019.

Life

Tolouei studied filmmaking in Tehran, at Bagh-Ferdos Film School, and has her B.A. in Theatre Studies from Université Paris X, Nanterre, France. She has been writing short stories for cultural magazines since 1990, acting on stage since 1993, and writing plays since 1994. Since 2002 she has also taught the bio-mechanic method and acting for camera at Kranameh culture and Art Training Institute in Tehran.

Career in Iran

Theatre

Novels

Acting in feature films

A house Built on Water Sharareh
  • The Day I Became a Woman A notebook from the heaven, Parviz Sheykh TadiChocolate, Afshin SherkatA flower for Maryam, Hassan Aghakarimi

Acting in TV series

Acting in short films

  • No one talks to no one, Bonakdar& Alimohammadi
  • Love is alone, Bonakdar & Alimohammadi
  • Desert of the mirrors, Bonakdar & Alimohammadi

Awards

  • The Best Actress in 14th International Fajre Theatre Festival, Iran, 1996
  • The Second Best playwright in 14th International Fajre Theatre Festival, Iran, 1996
  • The Second Best Actress in 15th International Fajre Theatre Festival, Iran, 1997
  • The Second Best Director in 21st International Fajre Theatre Festival, Iran, 2003
  • The Best Actress in 22nd International Fajre Theatre Festival, Iran, 2004

International Theatre Performances

  • Autumn Dance performed in Bing Studio Theatre, Stanford University 2017
  • Autumn Dance, Stockholm, 9th Women Playwrights International, 2012
  • Autumn Dance performed in Persian and French language in paris/prague/stockholm/toronto/jonkoping 2011-2013
  • Bitter Coffee, Silk road theatre festival in Ruhr, Mulheim, Germany, 2003
  • Kiss you and Tears, Far and Near east festival in Berlin, German, 2004
  • Kiss you and Tears in Freiburg, Germany, 2004
  • Kiss you and Tears, Silk road theatre festival in Ruhr, Mulheim, Germany, 2004
  • Kiss you and Tears, Sharjah festival, Sharjah, UAE, 2005
  • Kiss you and Tears, Wiesbaden, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Germany, 2006
  • Kiss you and tears, Berlin, 2006

Career outside Iran

Film Making

  • 1100, A SHORT FILM 2023
  • Les étoiles, a documentary about women and violence editing in progress, USA and France 2018-2019
  • Dust-Flower-Flame, a documentary about the life of Tahirih Qurratul Ayn France 2015. The film is screened in different cities in the world like Paris, New York, London, Washington DC, Berkeley, Stanford University, Toronto, Montreal, Arizona, UCLA University, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. and was broadcast by BBC Persian TV in March 2017
  • Etre pionnier dans la foie Baháʼíe
  • Take one // short web documentaries about the followers of Baháʼí faith in France 2011-2012

Film acting

  • 1100 A SHORT FILM /Shabnam Tolouei
  • Mitra/Kaweh Modiri/Baldr Film Production
  • Red Rose/Sepideh Farsi/ feature film/ 2013
  • Women Without Men/ Shirin Neshat/ feature film/ 2009
  • La torture blanche 2009
  • Munes 2007
  • Au dernier recours Paris, 2006

Theatre

  • LEILI Los Angeles, Arizona, Orange County, San Francisco 2025
  • SHAHAK and MAHAK, in collaboration with Gordafarid Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Diego, Mountain View, Arizona 2025
  • THE ART OF IMPROVISATION with Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam, Pejman Hadadi, Behfar Bahadoran, Performed in Stanford University, Munich, Canada, Seattle, Arizona, Orange County, Los Angeles, Fresno 2023
  • Diaspora performed in Stanford University 2023
  • Tarabnameh by Bahram Beyzaei, performed in Stanford University 2016
  • Bahman-bagdad, Krefeld, 2010-2012 for Krefeld city theatre in German Language with german actors 2010-2012
  • Autumn Dance performed in Persian and French language 2011-2017
  • L'entretien /a Persian play by Mohammad Rahmanian, performed in French language /Lilas En Scène/ Paris 2006
  • Louvre vue d'ailleurs, musical performance, in Louvre Museum / teamwork /Paris 2005

Radio programs in Persian language

  • Podcasts for Aasoo Org since 2019
  • Tasvir 2006-2007 for Payamedoost radio
  • Beresad be daste to 2008/ Payamedoost radio
  • Sahba and me 2009/ Payamedoost radio
  • Album 2012-2013 /Payamedoost Radio

Songs

  • Dance! as singer, produced by Majid Kazemi
  • A Girl, as singer, produced by Ares Band and Rasool Sadri
  • Unripe Apple, as singer, actor and video director, music produced by Majid Kazemi, video produced by UnitedVoiceSE

Other presentations

Shabnam Tolouei holds live programs, interviewing specialists in the field of psychology and social sciences since 2019. She has been hosting official ceremonies in France and the US since 2015. She has her online acting workshop and weekly theater courses for Persian speaking students since 2021.