Bamdad Afshar (; born June 3, 1986) is an Iranian composer and sound designer. He has composed music and designed sound for films, television series, documentaries, and theatrical productions in Iran and internationally. He won the Crystal Simorgh for Best Original Score at the 38th Fajr Film Festival for his work on Skin.
Early life and career
Afshar was born on 3 June 1986 in Tehran, Iran. He has worked primarily as a composer and sound designer for cinema and theatre, with projects presented both in Iran and internationally. He has also collaborated with Cheshmeh Publishing House's Radio Gousheh division, working as a supervisor and composer on audiobook productions.
Afshar has also worked with environmental sounds recorded in Tehran. One of his projects in this field was Seven Pieces for Tehran.
He has also been involved in projects combining robotics, sound art, and electronic music. Many of these projects have been developed under the supervision and creative direction of a group known as "Otagh".
Otagh has released several music projects and has collaborated internationally. Its projects have included music created for Japanese artist Tsuyoshi Ozawa, as well as licensing Otagh's music for a documentary produced by Vice Media. The group's music video "The Dead Are Selfish" was also presented as part of the online Mannheim Opera Festival's program.
Filmography
Television and streaming series
Year Title Director Role Awards 2019 KashoKhin Keyvan Mohseni Composer Best Original Music, Marseille Web Fest (2023) 2020 The Frog Houman Seyyedi Composer 2021 Rebel Mohammad Kart Composer Lily's Turn Ruhollah Hejazi Composer 2022 Once Upon a Time in Mars Peyman Ghasemkhani Composer The Lion Skin Jamshid Mahmoudi Composer Release Me Shahram Shah-Hosseini Composer 2022 Legitimate Revenge Abdollah Boushehri Composer 2022 Weld Omma Abdollah Boushehri Composer 2023 The Chamber Fadi Wafai Composer 2025 Die Hard Mostafa Taghizadeh Composer 2025 Beretta Amir-Hossein Torabi Composer
Feature films
Year Film Director Role Awards 2026 Trees Are Watching Bahman Ghobadi Composer 2023 Kianoosh's Garden Reza Keshavarz Haddad Composer Ariashahr Two People Hamid Bahramian Composer Parviz Khan Ali Thaghafi Composer 2022 South Legacy Hossein Domari and Pedram Pouramiri Composer World War III Houman Seyyedi Composer 2021 Bimadar Seyyed Morteza Fatemi Composer Private Meeting Omid Shams Composer Without Dream Arin Vazir-Daftari Composer 2020 Star Game Hatef Alimardani Composer Bam Bala Seyyed Jamal Seyyed-Hatami Composer Yedo Mehdi Jafari Composer Nominated for Best Original Score at the 39th Fajr Film Festival Scene Breaking Alireza Samadi Composer Roshan Ruhollah Hejazi Composer Black Cat Karim Amini Composer 2019 Skin Ark Brothers Composer Crystal Simorgh for Best Original Score at the 38th Fajr Film Festival; Hafez Award for Best Original Score at the 21st Image World Festival Cinema, City of Tales Keyvan Ali-Mohammadi and Ali Akbar Heydari Composer 2018 As I Lay Dying Mostafa Sayari Composer 2017 Pig Houman Seyyedi Composer Hafez Award for Best Music; nominated for Best Music at the Iranian Cinema Critics and Writers Association Awards 2016 Simulation Abd Abest Composer and sound designer Drum Keyvan Karimi Composer and sound designer Gilda Omid Bonakdar and Keyvan Ali-Mohammadi Composer and sound designer 2015 Drum Keyvan Karimi Composer and sound designer 2014 I'm Dangerous Mind Houman Seyyedi Composer Nominated for Best Music at the 9th Iranian Cinema Critics and Writers Association Awards Arghavan Keyvan Ali-Mohammadi and Omid Bonakdar Sound designer
Documentaries
Year Film Director Role Awards 2021 Bibi Jan Iman Paknahad and Narges Joudaki Composer and sound designer Best Sound, 15th Cinema Vérité International Documentary Film Festival 2015 Writing on the City Keyvan Karimi Composer and sound designer 2013 Abraham in the Fire Omid Bonakdar and Keyvan Ali-Mohammadi Composer and sound designer Broken Border Keyvan Karimi Composer and sound designer
Short films
Year Film Director Role Awards 2020 The Last Shower Nazanin Karimi Composer Bichareh Amir Ahmad Ghazvini Composer 2019 Koocheh Mohammad-Reza Mesbah Composer Echo Mahin Sadri Composer 2014 Washbasin Jaber Ramazani Sound designer Best Sound, 6th Independent Iranian Short Film Festival 2013 Adventures of a Working Couple Keyvan Karimi Composer and sound designer 2011 Newziv Mohammad Esmaeili Sound designer Best Sound, 4th Independent Iranian Short Film Festival
Theatre
Year Production Role Director Awards 2021 Cherry Blossoms Composer and sound designer Mohammad Mosavat 2020 Waiting for Godot Composer and sound designer Amir Reza Koohestani 2019 Philoktet Composer and sound designer Amir Reza Koohestani 2018 The Attack Composer and sound designer Amir Reza Koohestani 2019 100 Percent Composer and sound designer Morteza Esmaeil-Kashi Nominated for Best Music at the 36th Fajr International Theatre Festival 2018 Les Misérables Sound designer Hossein Parsaei, conducted by Bardia Kiaras Mississippi Dies Sitting Sound designer Homayoun Ghanizadeh 2017 City-Play Director and composer Bamdad Afshar Diabolic: Romeo and Juliet Composer and sound designer Atila Pesyani Nominated for Best Sound at the 35th Fajr International Theatre Festival Project C Sound designer Homayoun Shajarian and Sohrab Pournazeri 2014 Slow Sound of Snow Sound designer Jaber Ramazani Homoribas Composer and sound designer Yaser Khaseb Mother Courage and Her Children Composer and sound designer Zahra Sabri The Gardener of Death Sound designer Arvand Dastaray 2013 The Return of the Prodigal Son Sound designer Ali Razi 2012 Strange Creatures Composer and sound designer Reza Servati Nominated for Best Music at the 29th Fajr International Theatre Festival Woyzeck Composer and sound designer Reza Servati Nominated for Best Original Music at the Iranian National Critics of Theatre Awards Sklick and the Flying Children Composer and sound designer Mohammad Aghabati Decision, Decision Composer and sound designer Mehdi Farshidi Sepehr Best Music, 18th International Children and Young Adults Theatre Festival of Iran 2011 Me and the Jester Composer and sound designer Nima Dehghani 2010 Macbeth Composer and sound designer Reza Servati Nominated for Best Music at the 28th Fajr International Theatre Festival
Discography
Year Release Artist Role Label Awards 2022 Rebel Music from the Original TV Series Bamdad Afshar Composer Vaak Records Leili's Turn – Music from the Original TV Series Bamdad Afshar Composer Vaak Records 2021 Tafriq (two-volume set) Otagh Composer Vaak Records The Skin – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Bamdad Afshar Composer Vaak Records Hafez Award for Best Original Score; Crystal Simorgh for Best Original Score at the 38th Fajr Film Festival To Dasht-e Naftoon Otagh Arranger and creative director Vaak Records / Beethoven Records 2020 Shuji Terayama Otagh Composer Vaak Records 2019 Raaz Houshiyar Khayyam and Bamdad Afshar Composer 30m Records Named one of the best Iranian albums of 2020 by Beehype 2019 Balance Otagh Composer Sheed Records 2018 City-Play Otagh Composer Sheed Records Nominated for Best Music at the annual Ma Music Festival Tamaroz – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Bamdad Afshar Composer Beep Tunes 2017 Ghamnameh-ye Fereydoun Hossein Alizadeh and Peyman Yadgari Sound designer Javan 2012 Blue, Gray, Black Saeedeh Rahimi Composer Part Records
Awards and nominations
Award Year Work Category Result Fajr Film Festival 2020 Skin Best Original Score Won Hafez Awards 2019 Pig Best Music Won Hafez Awards 2021 Skin Best Original Score Won Fajr Film Festival 2021 Yedo Best Original Score Nominated Iranian Cinema Critics and Writers Association 2015 I'm Dangerous Mind Best Music Nominated Fajr International Theatre Festival 2018 Diabolic: Romeo and Juliet Best Sound Nominated Independent Iranian Short Film Festival 2015 Washbasin Best Sound Won Independent Iranian Short Film Festival 2011 Newziv Best Sound Won
References
External links
Bamdad Afshar on Instagram