Born in 1955 in Tehran, Yasmin Malek Nasr studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California and has a masters degree in drama from Towson State University. She made her first short film in the U.S. When she returned to Iran, she performed in Dariush Mehrjui’s SARA and a number of other features. She made her feature directing debut with THE COMMON PLIGHT in 1995. She has also directed several documentaries, among them Bababaghi and Iran Through Foreign Eyes.