An award-winning filmmaker and Uxbridge College teacher has released a new documentary exploring the lives of Iranian artists in exile.
Butterflies
Dr Vahid Keshavarz Sarkar’s new film, Butterflies, is inspired by his own experience of leaving Iran many years ago. The 60-minute documentary follows 10 artists as they adapt to their exile and come to terms with their new lives.
Vahid explained: “I want people to see the human side of Iran, following people who have the misfortune of being far from where they belong but are still trying to carry on.”
Real-world experience
Vahid joined Uxbridge College, part of HRUC (Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges), in 2022 and became Course Team Leader for Media last year. He currently has a short film and a documentary available on Amazon Prime and has also won several awards at international film festivals.
With his real-world experience, he aims to help his students find their own way into the industry.
Teaching with passion
He said: “I love teaching so much. When you have that passion for what you do, students will see the heart that you’re putting into their classes. I know the process of filmmaking from A to Z and teach using my first-hand experience with scriptwriting, research, and production.
“I’m still in contact with many of my former students and many of them still send me their work to review.”
Find out more about media courses available at Uxbridge College.