Saber Abar (Persian: صابر اَبَر; born June 8, 1984) is an Iranian actor, director and writer. He is best known for his performance in About Elly (2008), directed by Academy Award-winning Asghar Farhadi. He has received various accolades, including two Iran Cinema Celebration Awards and an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award, in addition to nominations for two Crystal Simorghs and two Hafez Awards.

Saber Abar
صابر اَبَر
Saber Abar
Abar at the 37th Fajr Film Festival (2019)
Born (1984-06-08) June 8, 1984 (age 40)
Tehran, Iran
NationalityIranian
Alma materAzad University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • writer
  • photographer
WebsiteTelegram

Career

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Acting career

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Abar began his career hosting television shows such as Rainbow, a children's TV show, and a game show called In 100 Seconds'.[1] He later gained recognition with his role in Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Sha'ere Zobale. In 2006, he starred alongside Ezzatollah Entezami in Minaye Shahr-e Khamush as a driver and that role earned him a Crystal Simorgh Prize Nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Abar's talent did not go unnoticed in Dayere Zangi (2007), as he then was offered a role in Asghar Farhadi's About Elly. The movie received positive reviews, such as the review from David Bordwell, who called it a masterpiece. Abar played "Alireza", whose fiancée goes missing. The role earned him another nomination in the Fajr International Film Festival.

Saber has also starred in Hich (2009), Nokhodi (2009), Thirteen 59 (2010) and Entehaye Khiabane Hashtom (2010) and had a cameo appearance in Ayene-haye Ruberu (2010).[2]

He plays the main role in The Frog.

Theatre career

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Abar has starred alongside the likes of Farhad Aeesh, Mehdi Hashemi and Shahab Hosseini in Kargadan (2008), directed by Farhad Aeesh. He has also starred in Dastan-e yek Pellekan (2009), directed by Reza Guran, Caligula (2010), directed by Homayoun Ghanizadeh, and Jire-bandie pare Khorus baraye Sugvari (2011), directed by Ali Narges Nejad. In 2010, Saber directed the play Vav-ha va Virgul-ha.[3]

Writing

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Abar wrote a bilingual book, "To Seven Houses Away," about Iranian grandmothers across the country of Iran, published by Inja, Middle Of The Town (اینجا میان شهر) in Tehran.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Director Notes
2005 Poet of the Wastes (Shaere zobale-ha) Mohamed Ahmadi [4] The satirical comedy about a sentimental street cleaner, who discovers secrets about the neighborhood in the residents’ garbage.
2007 Colors of Memory (Minā-ye Shahr-e Khāmoush) Iraj Bahrāmi, the chauffeur Amir Shahab Razavian [5]
2008 Tambourine (Dayereh-e zangi) Mohammad Parisa Bakhtavar [6]
2008 Three Women (3 Zan) Hamed Manijeh Hekmat
2009 About Elly (Darbareye Elly) Alireza Asghar Farhadi [7][8]
2009 Lil' Pea
2010 Nothing Nima
2011 Thirteen 59
2011 Mr. Yousef Sirus
2011 Here Without Me
2011 Facing Mirrors Sadegh Negar Azarbeyjani [9]
2012 The Snow on the Pines
2012 Modest Reception
2012 Kissing the Moon-Like Face (Boosidane Roye Mah) fa:بوسیدن روی ماه Homayoun Assadian A drama about two neighboring older women, both lost their sons during the Iran-Iraq War 20 years prior, and now one of the woman has a terminal illness.[10]
2012 At the End of 8th Street
2013 Shallow Yellow Sky
2013 No Where No Body
2013 Acrid (Gass) Khosrow, the driving instructor Kiarash Asadizadeh [11]
2013 Lovely Trash
2014 Sending a Condolences Ad for Newspaper
2014 Everything for Sale
2014 Dreamy
2015 I Am Diego Maradona
2015 Crazy Rook
2015 Closer
2015 Dowry's Sugar Bowl
2015 I Want to Dance
2017 Villa Dwellers
2017 Searing Summer Ebrahim Irajzad [12]
2017 Getting Even Reza
2018 Hat-trick Keyvan Ramtin Lavafi A psychological thriller about two couples that are leaving a party together when the car hits something, the story unravels with suspenseful tension full of secrets.[13][14]
2019 A Hairy Tale Danesh Homayoun Ghanizadeh [15]
2022 No Prior Appointment Behrouz Shoeibi
Without Her Arian Vazirdaftari
2023 After Leaving Reza Nejati
Leather Jacket Man Hossein Mirzamohammadi
A Relic of the South Hossein Amiri Doomari, Pedram Pouramiri
2024 The Great Yawn of History Maalek Aliyar Rasti World premiere at 74th Berlin International Film Festival[16]
Year Title Role Director Platform
2020–2021 The Frog Ramin Fayazi Houman Seyyedi Namava
2023 The Translator Mohandes Bahram Tavakoli
TBA Tasian Tina Pakravan Filimo

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated film work title Result Location Notes
2007 Crystal Simorgh Award, 25th Fajr Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Colors of Memory Nominated Tehran, Iran [17]
2007 11th Iran Cinema Celebration Best Supporting Actor Colors of Memory Won Tehran, Iran
2009 Crystal Simorgh Award, 27th Fajr Film Festival Best Supporting Actor About Elly Nominated Tehran, Iran [17]
2010 14th Iran Cinema Celebration Best Supporting Actor About Elly Won Tehran, Iran [18]
2010 3rd Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award Best Supporting Actor About Elly Won Tehran, Iran
2013 6th Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award Best Supporting Actor The Snow on the Pines Nominated Tehran, Iran
2013 6th Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award Best Supporting Actor Kissing the Moon-Like Face Nominated Tehran, Iran
2013 8th Rome Film Festival Best Emerging Actors and Actresses (for entire cast) Acrid Won Rome, Italy [18][11][19]

References

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  1. ^ fa:صابر ابر#.D8.A7.D8.AC.D8.B1.D8.A7
  2. ^ Saber Abar | FilmsTV | WhatsUpIran دایرکتوری فیلم و هنرمندان[usurped]
  3. ^ fa:صابر ابر#.D8.AA.D8.A6.D8.A7.D8.AA.D8.B1
  4. ^ Edwards, Russell (2005-10-27). "Poet Of The Wastes". Variety. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  5. ^ "Colors of Memory". Tiburon International Film Festival. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  6. ^ "Dayereh-e zangi (Tambourine) (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  7. ^ Simon, Alissa (2009-02-07). "About Elly". Variety. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  8. ^ Harvey, Giles (2019-01-31). "How Iran's Greatest Director Makes Art of Moral Ambiguity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  9. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (2011-09-07). "Facing Mirrors". Variety. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  10. ^ "Kissing the Moon-Like Face (2012) - Movie". www.moviefone.com. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  11. ^ a b Weissberg, Jay (2013-11-20). "Rome Film Review: 'Acrid'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  12. ^ "» Searing Summer" (in German). Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  13. ^ "'Hat Trick': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  14. ^ "Hat-Trick". www.siff.net. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  15. ^ Kończak, Joanna (2019-11-08). "Film Review: A Hairy Tale (2019) by Homayoun Ghanizadeh". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  16. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (22 January 2024). "The Berlinale unveils its Competition and Encounters titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Installation Art and Performance". Financial Tribune. 2015-08-06. Retrieved 2019-11-23. Abar, 31, is best known for his role in 'About Elly'. He was nominated for two Crystal Simorgh Prizes, both for Best Supporting Actor at the 25th and 27th Fajr International Film Festival.
  18. ^ a b "دایرکتوری فیلم و هنرمندان" [Directory of Movies and Artists, Saber Abar, Awards]. WhatsUpIran.com (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2019-11-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ "Director says "Acrid" got mixed reception in Iran, abroad". IRNA.
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