Biography
Behdokht Valian is an Iranian film and theatre actress. She gained international recognition by leading acting in the short film "Tattoo". Her significant acting in "Zero Floor" was a major introduction of her to the Iranian film industry.
Valian was born in Shahroud, Iran, in 1986 into a middle-class family. Her parents originated from Semnan province and lived there for decades. Her maternal grandmother was a Kurd and was moved from Kurdistan to Semnan province by the first king of the Pahlavi in the early 1900s. Behdokht was the last of four sisters. She was born at a time when the Iran-Iraq war was still at its highest level and Iran was facing a lot of sanctions, shortages and limits. From the very beginning of her childhood, Behdokht was introduced to artistic life through her father, his poetic manuscripts, his indefinite love of nature and his mindful lifestyle. She also learned a lot from her sisters who were studying art at university at the time.
Also, their house in her childhood was located right across the street from the "Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults" which connected her more to the art community. The institute was recognized as one of the top and high-quality art centers in the country in which families could rely on the art curriculum and register their kids for the entire summer activity as well as alongside their school time.
After studying Interior Design and Architecture in high school, Behdokht moved to Tehran to continue her studies as an undergraduate Interior Design major. And that was the inception of her being introduced to the more complex and cosmopolitan cities like Tehran. During her study in college, she passionately devoted her time to learning about the connections between culture and ethnicity with architecture, as well as the impact of living in such a crowded city like Tehran and the fundamentals of its buildings. During her college and after her graduation she conducted numerous contracts for interior design projects.
In 2010, Behdokht was introduced to one of the well-known acting institutes in Tehran, "Karnameh Institute of Arts & Culture" which was established with the management of Ms Negar Eskandarfar in 2001 with the aim of promoting cultural education and activities. Karnameh institute was the executive producer of the Oscar-winning movie " The Separation", in 2011.
Behdokht enrolled in a full semester of acting in the institute which took her about one year to finish the curriculum. She studied with talented and exceptional instructors like Reza Behbudi, Saeed Armand and Anahita Eghbalnezhad at Karnameh Institute whose unique acting methods influenced her and helped her achieve a creative shift in her acting techniques from the very beginning. She learned from her mentors how to be considerate and decisive when she is approached by opportunities, and how to develop skills and creativity in every single role she is acting.
Very soon, Behdokht started her professional career in performing plays and monologues in theatres. In 2015, her brilliant acting in collaboration with a group of three more artists in a play called " Timeloss" was a huge success for the play. Timeloss was directed by Amir Reza Koohestani and it toured around the world and received much recognition from the press, news and media including Le Monde, Guardian and The New York Times.
"Number Four" was Behdokht's first experience as a leading actress in a feature film in 2015. And " Zero Floor" in 2018 brought her into the billboards, crowded opening receptions and fame. Zero Floor became officially the beginning of her being publicly recognized by people in her country of Iran. Behdokht received the best actress award from the Iranian Film Festival Australia for her acting as "Fahimeh" in 2020.
" Amir" and " Colchicum" are her other feature films where she experiences different personas. And " Red Square " is her first appearance in a TV series that was streamed through one of the most popular streaming platforms in Iran called Filimo.
Acting in short films has been one of her favourite genres where Behdokht challenges herself with intense and short performances. " Boos Boos, Bang Bang ", " Being a Woman ", " Revolt " and " Tattoo " are some of the short films in which she performed as a leading actress.
"Tattoo" received the Crystal Bear from Berlinale Film Festival, 14th Plus Youth Generation, while Behdokht was awarded as best actress at the French Riviera Film Festival and Salmuna International Film Festival in 2019.
