Iranian composer, conductor and pianist Sassan Mohebi who is based in Vienna, Austria was among the winners of the 2016 Indie Gathering International Film Festival.
The 21st edition of the festival, organized from August 8-14 in Hudson, Ohio, in the US, awarded Mohebi, 40, in the section of Film Scoring: Honorable Mentions, ISNA reported.
Every August, filmmakers from around the world gather for the event. The festival supports independent, underground and experimental films and videos. Its mission is to inspire and encourage independent filmmakers through a competitive showcase.
In the annual event, filmmakers participate in screening of their films and speak with the audience who seek a closer look into the creative process.
Various competitions in films, scripts, film scoring, special effects, acting, makeup, stunts and fight are part of the event. It is managed by film director and producer Ray Szuch who has won three Emmy awards as stunt coordinator and producer.
Music Prodigy
Sassan Mohebi was born in Tehran. At the age of 15, he became a pupil of the celebrated ethnic Persian composer and pianist Javad Maroufi (1912-1993). At 17, he was invited to perform for the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) channels. The cooperation lasted for seven years in which he composed and played for the state broadcaster.
He took further lessons in composition and harmony under the tutelage of Iranian composer and conductor Farhad Fakhreddini, 77, who founded Iran's National Orchestra.
At 24, Mohebi started to study composition and piano at the University of Music and Drama in Vienna, minoring in orchestra and chorus conducting under Austrian masters such as composer Kurt Schwertsik, 80, composer and flutist Wolfram Wagner, composer and pianist Christopher Cech, and conductor Alois Glassner.
Mohebi's professional interest is in films, TV, theater and video games. He has received his master's of music degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain, where he studied under Spanish-Argentinean film composer and music producer Lucio Godoy, Spanish film composer Alfons Conde, and American composer and sound artist Ben Houge.
