Behtash Sanaeeha

Behtash Sanaeeha (Persian: بهتاش صناعی‌ها; born 1980 in Shiraz) is an Iranian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Behtash Sanaeeha was born in Shiraz, a city located in the Fars province. He graduated in civil engineering BA, and later left his Master of Arts

programme in architecture and started writing scripts and directing short films, documentaries and advertisements. He also wrote and directed two animated TV series and a TV fiction film. His first feature film, "Risk of Acid Rain" won the Best Screenplay of the 31st Fajr Film Festival, and also got nominated for the best film in the Arts and Experience section in the same festival. Risk Of Acid Rain also won the first prize of "Brilliant Talents" section from the 9th celebration of film critics.

Sanaeeha also won the 2015 Netpac (Asian Cinema Promotion) award from the Iranian Film Festival in Australia. The film was screened at more than thirty festivals globally.

After his first feature, Sanaeeha co-directed a documentary film named "The Invincible Diplomacy of Mr Naderi" in 2017 with Maryam Moqadam which won numerous awards at domestic and international film festivals. In 2018, Sanaeeha was selected to be a jury member for Ingmar Bergman Award in Sweden.

Sanaeeha's best-known work is the film Ballad of a White Cow (2021) which he co-wrote and co-directed. It premiered in the competition section of the 71st Berlin International Film Festival and later won the audience award. The film was also screened at multiple international festivals including Tribeca, Karlovy Vary, Zurich, Melbourne, and Edinburgh.