Saam Farahmand

Until his teens, London-based director Saam Farahmand assumed his future lay in the sciences, but a Bruce Nauman show at the Hayward Gallery in London provoked a serious rethink. Farahmand landed at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he studied fine arts, and has since gone on to direct documentaries, videos and commercials covering the worlds of music, fashion and art. His innovative work on MTV2 virals led to gigs directing videos for artists such as Klaxons, Hercules and Love Affair, Janet Jackson and Simian Mobile Disco. In 2007, he won the Best Director prize at the CAD Music Video Awards, and NME has included him on a list of “people pushing music forward.” In 2009, Farahmand’s work was included in the Flux Super 8 show in Los Angeles, and the following year his 3D sonic sculpture for the XX’s self-titled debut album was exhibited at the Vinyl Factory in London. For the documentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies, he filmed the Belgian dance music outfit Soulwax at more than 120 gigs worldwide. Farahmand recently opened Boyschool, a gallery that supports the work of emerging artists as well as serving as a base for developing his own projects.

Saam Farahmand by J Wells, 2011