Mohammad Gorjestani

From the Mat

Mohammad Gorjestani is an Iranian born filmmaker & photographer, and founder of award-winning San Francisco Creative Studio, Even/Odd. In 2014, he was named as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. His works have won over 15 Academy Award qualifying film festivals, including the Grand Jury Prize for best Doc Short at SXSW. He has won “Video of the Year” at the Vimeo Awards, and the Tribeca Film Festival “X” Award. He is the 2023 United States Artist Rainin Fellow in Film. He has received support from the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, and has been featured by publications including Hypebeast, The New York Times, and Vogue Magazine. As a commercial director he’s directed and photographed national campaigns for brands including Under Armour, Beats by Dre, and WhatsApp.

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

FROM THE MAT - FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

From the Mat (خاک تشک) is a multi-modal exploration of wrestling in Iran—a pursuit that transcends mere sport to become a vessel for cultural memory, national identity, and spiritual connection. This project manifests as an interwoven ecosystem: a feature-length non-fiction film, a photographic collection captured across medium format, 35mm, and digital mediums, and eventually, a book and exhibition that together create a comprehensive portrait of this ancient practice. “From the Mat” refers to the colloquial identifier that exists globally among those who have wrestled. No matter their current vocation, reality, or culture those “From the Mat” have a bond that is unspoken.