Maryam Zaree

About

Actress and filmmaker of Iranian descent known for her work across the performance arts. She's an accomplished German-language actress of both film and television, having starred in the crime scene investigation drama series 4 Blocks from the years 2015 to 2019. She's authored award winning plays and has established an author residency at London's Royal Court Theatre for the 2019 season. Her first attempt at directing, that same year, was a biographical documentary Born in Evin about her early childhood inside a Iran political prison in Tehran that would debut and win awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. 

Before Fame

The subject of her her debut film as a director, she was born in the Evin prison located in Tehran, Iran. Her mother was a political prisoner at the time; she and her mother would later flee and settle in Frankfurt, Germany under the banner of asylum. However, first, Maryam would be forced to spend the first two years of her life in the most infamous prison in Tehran. She has done quite a lot of theater acting, and still occasionally takes on guest-roles in the Hanover and various Berlin playhouses. She studied acting at the University of Film and Television Konrad Wolf in Potsdam-Babelsberg often appearing in student lead film and theater productions during her matriculation. She had not yet graduated when she would be cast in her award winning role as the main character in the film Shahada. 

Trivia

She is a polyglot, her CV boasts an impressive collection of fluent languages including Persian, Farsi, English, French, and German. Her documentary Born in Evin received the 2020 German Film Award for best documentary. 

Family Life

Her mother is political activist and German politician Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg. She is currently dating long-time partner Roman Moriceau, a renowned visual artist. 

Associated With

Ayatollah Khomeini was the political leader of Iran at the time of her mother's imprisonment.