Babak Jalali (Persian: بابک جلالی; 1 September, 1978; Gorgan) is an Iranian–British-American film director and producer, notably directing Radio Dreams, for which he won the Hivos Tiger Award at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam. Jalali was born in Gorgan, Iran, and grew up in London, where he attended the London Film School. In 2006, Jalali was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Short Film for his short "Heydar, an Afghan in Tehran." Jalali's first feature film, the 2010 Frontier Blues, was developed with support from the Cannes Cinéfondation. Frontier Blues premiered in Locarno Festival Competition and also screened in the 2010 "New Directors" series at the Museum of Modern Art and Lincoln Center. In 2016, Jalali's film Radio Dreams premiered at the 45th International Film Festival Rotterdam, winning for the Hivos Tiger Award, the festival's top honor. Jalali's third feature Land is an Italian-French-Dutch co-production, supported by CNC, TorinoFilmLab, Eurimages, Mibac and Doha Film Institute among others. It premiered in Berlin International Film Festival. Jalali co-wrote, edited, and directed his fourth feature Fremont, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 1, 1978 (48)
- Gorgan, Iran
- Writer, director, editor and producer
- 8 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
Known for
What are Babak Jalali's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2
Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 2
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Babak Jalali's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Babak Jalali's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Xoftex(2024)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Fremont(2023)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Amanda(2022)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Tehran: City of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Land (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Radio Dreams(2016)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Short Skin(2014)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
White Shadow(2013)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Simon Killer(2012)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Frontier Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Lo zio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Heydar, an Afghan in Tehran (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
A Town in Nova Scotia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
A Town in Patagonia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 15 titles, 13 of them dated from 2005 to 2025.
Awards
1 major award from 3 major nominations, 2006–2024.
- Independent Spirit Award, won
- Sundance award, nominated
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Short Film
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Babak Jalali's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 64/100 and the plot and story 43/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Babak Jalali work with?
People who share at least 2 of Babak Jalali's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Noaz Deshe shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Noaz DesheShared titles: Xoftex (2024), Radio Dreams (2016), White Shadow (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Noaz Deshe
Writers
- James MassonShared titles: Xoftex (2024), White Shadow (2013)See all 2 shared titles with James Masson
- Carolina CavalliShared titles: Fremont (2023), Amanda (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Carolina Cavalli
Composers and editors
- Mahmood SchrickerShared titles: Fremont (2023), Radio Dreams (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Mahmood Schricker
- Nico LeunenShared titles: Radio Dreams (2016), White Shadow (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Nico Leunen
Producers
- Marjaneh MoghimiShared titles: Fremont (2023), Radio Dreams (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Marjaneh Moghimi
- Neda NobariShared titles: Fremont (2023), Radio Dreams (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Neda Nobari
- Francesca ZanzaShared titles: Short Skin (2014), White Shadow (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Francesca Zanza
- Ginevra ElkannShared titles: Short Skin (2014), White Shadow (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Ginevra Elkann
