Mehrnoosh Fetrat (مهرنوش فطرت) was born in Tehran, Iran, and is based in Chicago. She is an Iranian filmmaker focused on social justice, war, and immigration. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University. Mehrnoosh has taught at various institutions, including Temple University, Drexel University, The College of New Jersey, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, and Saint Joseph's University.
She has written, produced, and directed three short films: “War Game,” “America” (available on Comcast’s Streampix), and “Copsi.” Her films have been screened at over 50 film festivals and galleries across the United States, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Croatia, Turkey, Iraq, India, and the United Kingdom. CFMDC--Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Center--is the distribution company for her films.
She is currently in the post-production phase of two films. The first is a feature documentary, Unfinished: Kamran Shirdel, about Kamran Shirdel, an influential pioneer of Iranian documentary filmmaking who faced censorship, both before and after the Islamic Revolution, for his depictions of poverty in Tehran. The film explores contemporary Iranian history through the lens of his films.
The second is a short experimental film, Raw, Cooked, Burned, which explores three episodes in a woman’s life in Iran. This film was shot with the support of Northwestern faculty and students and is now in the post-production process.
Mehrnoosh also has research interests in areas such as the German New Wave, particularly the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and the influence of Third Cinema on Middle Eastern filmmakers, including directors like Parviz Kimiavi and Elia Suleiman.