Bita Shafipour

Born and raised in Iran, Bita began her film career as assistant to director Tahmineh Milani on critically acclaimed movie The Hidden Half. Shortly afterwards she moved to California and attended USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She subsequently worked at production and distribution companies including Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate Entertainment and Fabrication Films. She has made one feature documentary and three short films in Iran and California. Short narrative “The Color of Friend” starring Homayoon Ershadi (The Kite Runner, Agora, Zero Dark Thirty) was nominated for best foreign short at the 5th Miami Short Film Festival. She studied screenwriting at UCLA and one of her screenplays was short listed at the Sundance Institute's Screenwriting Lab. Bita founded Socially Conscious Arts (SOCIARTS) in 2007 to produce projects that promote social change through the arts and media. SOCIARTS raises awareness about a wide range of social and environmental problems while encouraging openness to the diversity of the world's cultures. Through SOCIARTS she has produced multimedia shows, online film festivals, art exhibitions, and performances. Subjects include contemporary Iranian arts, women in the arts, immigration and identity and freedom of expression. Partner institutions include the Farhang Foundation, LA County Museum of Art, the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Colburn School of Music. Bita is help create and manage Farhang Foundation Short Film Festival which is the first online short film festival dedicated to the Iranian diaspora. In 2010, Bita produced Evolution/Revolution: the Interconnectedness of All Beings, a multimedia animal rights exhibition and symposium, with Karen Fiorito and Santa Monica Art Studios. SOCIARTS is also the official promoter of the acclaimed Iranian alternative musician and activist Mohsen Namjoo. SOCIARTS, Gaia Films and Creative Visions Foundation are planning to bring The Holiwater Project to Los Angeles. The project explores India's water crisis through films, music and a forum on water advocacy. Bita is the Executive Producer of the animated web series Rostam in Wonderland and is currently working on her narrative drama to be shot in Edinburgh in 2014. Bita has relocated to the United Kingdom with her husband for their new projects. On her spare time, she manages her popular dog's Facebook page.