Ladan Yalzadeh is an award winning filmmaker, a performance artist and event organizer.
Since 2000, Ladan has written, produced and directed three short films, THE EXTRAORDINARE, AWAKENED and THE FLORIST. She has also produced commercials and promotional videos for WOMAD UK, a leading world music festival founded by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Brooman and EARTH HOUR.
In 2003 Ladan was selected for the American Film Institute’s (AFI) prestigious Directing Workshop for Women (DWW). She is proud to be the first Iranian American member in 17 years of the program. Her DWW short film, THE FLORIST premiered at AFI in May of 2004 and has gone on to play festivals around the world. The Florist was the recipient of the Best Short Film Award at the 2009 Noor Film Festival in Los Angles.
In 2004, Ladan Yalzadeh was invited to be a “Fly Filmmaker” for the Seattle International Film Festival. Her film, LOST IN TRANSITION starring John Kiester premiered at SIFF in June of 2004.
In 2006, Ladan co-created a fifteen minute, eight screen video installation piece, MOSAIC: FRAGMENTS OF A CITY, with Heritage as its theme, for the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
In 2007, Ladan’s comedic screenplay, PERSIAN PRIDE, was selected as a semifinalist in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Most recently in 2009, in conjunction with the NOOR IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL, Ladan launched the first screenwriting competition outside Iran, dedicated to exploring Iranian and Iranian descendants’ stories from around the globe. She is currently the director of the program.
Theater productions include works for Seattle’s cutting-edge venue On the Boards, where she created, directed and choreographed HEAVEN’S KEY and FLOATING ISLANDS and Freehold Theatre before that. She was also the co-producer of FULL NELSON INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL, an annual international performance art exhibit in Seattle and Los Angeles from 2000-2003. Her performance installation and sculptural works have been presented at SOIL Gallery, Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Full Nelson, Yale Gallery, Coalition (Chile) among others.
Ladan just finished co-conspiring on a production of Julius Ceasar which travelled to correctional and veterans facilities around Washington State. Most recently, Ladan was the co-producer as well as an artists at INSCAPE – PASSAGES event at Seattle’s old INS Building. For more info go to: http://www.inscapearts.org and see “PRESS” links.
