Hengameh Mofid (born 22 December 1955, Persian: هنگامه مفيد) is a prominent Iranian film and theatre actress, director, dramatist, musician and University tutor.
Life
She was born in January 1956 in Tehran, Iran. She is the youngest child of Gholamhossein Mofid,[1] a well-known actor, teacher and calligrapher and his wife, Ghodssiyeh Farivar, a high school headmistress. Her family is one of the most famous and well-known families in Iranian theater and cinema and Persian literature.
Her brothers Bijan, Bahman and Ardavan are all in the theater business. In fact, it was their father, who was a famous actor and theatre director of his time and his oldest son, Bijan Mofid- one of the most important Iranian playwrights and theatre directors of all times, who –indirectly- encouraged the younger ones to be in theatre as well.
Raised in such an artful environment, She entered Tehran Conservatory and after graduating, she entered Art College in Tehran. Meanwhile, she was a member in the only professional theater group working specially for children at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of children and Young Adults (IIDCYA, aka. kanoon) under the supervision of Mr. Don Roger Laffoon, director and tutor of Theatre. There she met her future husband and longtime collaborator, Kambiz Samimi Mofakham. They married in 1977 and have three children; all of them are in Art business.
Eventually, after the revolution and due to the restrictions against women, Hengameh leaves kanoon – that really was not active for so long - and continue her career as voice actress in 4 story records under the "Chehel Tooti" records contract and also recorded a children's favorite nursery songs album" Little Songs" that still is the no.1 in children music records in Iran- with the same company.
She also began a new career as a teacher in kindergarten and elementary schools that leads to establishing a private kindergarten with her husband and her twin brother, Houman, and was the headmistress there for 5 years.
Since 1983, she had a continuous collaboration with children department of IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) in many fields such as: writing, acting, directing, song writing and composing. She said that working for children as a teacher, help her to stay connected to their fantasy world. Her special talent in thinking as a child and a grownup in the same time, make her one of the successful writers for children. Hengameh created some lovable characters that are still in 3 generation's mind, their funny way of talking (usually with her own voice), their simple yet clever conversations and the big lesson they taught without being too preachy.
According to herself "Storytelling is one of the oldest, most common and most effective forms of art. Everyone knows how a good story can make quarrelsome children forget their quarrel and get them together."
And also "Storytelling is a direct connection between children and grownups, and it can be as simple and friendly as a good conversation."
Since 2000, along with other activities, Hengameh Mofid has a continuous collaboration with art universities as theater, music and play writing tutor.
She also works with several amateur theater groups as voice and acting instructor.
Activities and works
A brief List
Literary works for puppet tele-theaters and TV series
As writer and director:
The Farm of Bibi khanoon (first season) (مزرعه بی بی خانوم)
The Farm of Bibi khanoon (second season) (مزرعه بی بی خانوم)
Night Time Stories (قصه های شبانه)
Flower Time "Mo-seme Gol" (موسم گل)
The Little Cook (live TV. series) (آشپز کوچولو)
Dara & Sara (live TV. series) (دارا و سارا)
Sootak & Tootak (سوتک و توتک)
As scriptwriter, voice actress, songwriter and music composer (TV. series)
Cloud, Wind, Moon And Sun (Dir. K. Samimi Mofakham)(ابر و باد و مه و خورشيد)
Sonny And Daddy (Dir. K. Samimi Mofakham) (داداش و باباش)
Miss Nazanin (Nazanin khanoom) (Dir. R. Ahmadi) (نازنين خانوم)
Water, Water, Life (Dir. K. Samimi Mofakham) (آب، آب، زندگی)
Mr. Mabaada (Dir. K. Samimi Mofakham) (آقای مبادا)
Gholamhossein Khan Asl Tehrani - a TV. series about city of Tehran at the old times according to Gholamhossein khan, the puppet character- (Dir. M. Boroumand) (غلامحسين خان اصل تهرانی)
Hooshi, Gooshi and Mom (Dir. A. Bezdoudeh)
Grannie's house (Dir. M. Boroumand) (خونه مادر بزرگه)
The Adventures Of Taghi Jan ( Dir. H. Pourshirazi) (ماجراهای تقی جان)
Lazybones "Roofoozeh" (Dir. M. Mahboob) (رفوزه)
The Singing Bialou (Dir. M. Boroumand) (بیالوی آوازه خان)
The Drifters (Dir. A. Seddigh) (در به در ها)
As voice actress
Allesoon & Vallesoon (Dir. K. Samimi Mofakham) (السون و ولسون)
The Starling And The Wise Hoopoe (Dir. I.Tahmasb)
The Itsy-Bitsy Sparrow (Dir. K. Samimi Mofakham) (گنجشکک اشی مشی)
Plays:
Appearances
Children and young adults plays from 1971 to 1978, The professional theater group, the Institute for the Intellectual Development of children and Young Adults (Kanoon), directed by: Don Roger Laffoon Ardavan Mofid
The Butterfly (Shaparak khanoom) (شاپرک خانوم)
The Turnip (ترب)
Kouti & Mouti (کوتی و موت)
Rise And Shine Miss Sun (khorshid khanoom aaftaab kon) (خورشید خانوم آفتاب کن)
An Event In The Puppet Town (حادثه ای در شهر عروسک ها)
The Cloak Of Thousand Tales (شنل هزار قصه)
The Robots
Maktab Khaneh (مکتب خانه)
Aria De Capo (آريا دکاپو)
The Eagle And The Fox (عقاب و روباه)
The Sleeping Luck (Bakhte khofteh) (بخت خفته)
Rostam & Sohraab (رستم و سهراب)
Appearances in plays for adults
The Moon And The Leopard (written & Directed by: Bijan Mofid) 1971 (ماه و پلنگ)
Sohraab, Horse And Dragonfly (written & Directed by: Bijan Mofid) 1978 (سهراب و اسب و سنجاقک)
As songwriter and music composer
The Gold Tooth (Dir. D.Mirbagheri) 2001 (دندون طلا)
A tableau of Love" Pardeh Asheghi" (Dir. D.Mirbagheri) 2002 (پرده عاشقی)
As director
The Eagle And The Fox 2004 (عقاب و روباه)
AS writer
Pahlevan Kachal and Ververeh jadoo (Dir. H. Jeddikar) (پهلوان کچل و وروره جادو)
Cinema:
The Drifters –feature film version- (As scriptwriter, songwriter and voice actress) (در به در ها)
Once Upon a Time ( Songwriter and voice actress) (یکی بود یکی نبود)
Children of Iran -a series of feature films, Dir. M. Sarhangi- ( As narrator) (بچه های ايران)
Lala & Loulou- animated film, Dir. F. Sorkhabi- (As narrator and voice actress) (لالا و لولو)
The Refugee – live action feature film Dir. R. Mollagholipour- (As actress) (پناهنده)
Golnaar – children fantasy film, Dir. Kambuzia Partovi- (voice actress) (گلنار)
Squash Girl –Dir. R. Jian- (voice actress)
Children Story Record Albums
Chehel tooti Co. albums:
The Butterfly (Shaparak khanoom) (شاپرک خانوم)
The Turnip (ترب)
Kouti & Mouti (کوتی و موت)
The Wonderful Farm (Les contes du chat perché) (دم گربه)
First Fly (اولين پرواز)
Little Songs (favorite nursery songs) (ترانه های کوچک برای بيداری)
Others:
The Sparrow And The Cotton Boll (as Narrator) (گنجشکک و يک غوزه)
Six Raven Chicks And a Fox (Kanoon) (شش جوجه کلاغ و يک روباه)
A children's Tale (M. Azadi)
Golnaar ( Khaneh Honar va Adabiat) (گلنار)
Educating:
Art Teacher at elementary schools ( Ministry of Education)
Municipality Zone No.10, kindergartens supervisor ( Ministry of Education)
Concessionaire and headmistress of a private kindergarten for 5 years
Headmistress and supervisor at the "Behesht Cultural Centre"
Contemporary Persian and Classical Persian are the same language, but writers since 1900 are classified as contemporary. At one time, Persian was a common cultural language of much of the non-Arabic Islamic world. Today it is the official language of Iran, Tajikistan and one of the two official languages of Afghanistan.
