Siba Shakib

Background

She was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. Since the early 1990s, Shakib has mostly worked in two countries: Iran, where she was born and raised, and neighbouring Afghanistan.

Career

Before writing her first novel, Shakib was a music journalist and a radio presenter. She also interviewed many musicians for television, including Miles Davis, Mick Jagger and Tina Turner. Later when she moved on to do films and documentaries her work reflected the social and economical situation of needy people around the world.

Shakib used some of the royalties from her films and books to help build a woman’s centre in Kabul.

She was finalizing her first book Afghanistan, Where God Only Comes to Weep in her home in New York when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center. Foreign a week Shakib supported the staff of the Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, German Television in New York by reporting about the attacks.

At the beginning of 2002, the German ministry of Defence benefited from Shakib"s insight and knowledge about Afghanistan and searched her input and collaboration as an advisor for their peace troops, ISAF in Afghanistan. Later her activity was extended to supporting and advising the North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops in theatre.

Art works, aid organisations, water-wells and kindergartens have been named after Shirin-Gol and other heroes of her books

Siba Shakib is currently working on several new book projects, historic novels on Iran, Afghanistan, Oman, Zanzibar and the story of a young Iranian boy, who is losing himself only to create a new identity as an attractive and cherished woman. She is also working on the adaptation of her second international bestseller Samira and Samir into a feature film. She has received grants and support from the German stiftung North Rhine-Westphalia and MEDIA toward this education

Shakib has written the script and she will also direct the movie herself.

Currently the Casting is in process, however award winning and well known Iranian actress, Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies, with Leonardo DiCaprio) has accepted to play the main role of SAMIRA. Currently she lives in New York, Italy and Dubai.

Achievements

• Her international bestseller Afghanistan, Where God Only Comes to Weep has been translated into 27 languages and won a PEN prize Her film A Flower for the Women of Kabul received a German Human Rights film prize on 50th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights declaration. She received the renown Peter Surava Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association prize for her first Novel. Afghanistan, Where God Only Comes to Weep has been translated into 27 languages and Shakib has received numerous recognitions and prizes for lieutenant

Works

• Other Work

  • Books Samira and Samir (2005), Arrow Books Ltd, Afghanistan, Where God Only Comes to Weep (2002) Century, "ESKANDAR, (2009), Randomhouse Bertelsmann Film A Flower for the Women in Kabul - 50 years UN (1998), director, (won first human rights film prize) Alone in Afghanistan - the story of a nurse and her hospital (1997) director And Hope Remains: the story of a child soldier (1996), director and script Tonino the Camora (1995), director Shoes - a little psychology (1992), director Iran - 10 year post Revolution (1989), director Mahmoudy versus Mahmoody, director 'SAMIRA & SAMIR", 'Gemini.

Politics

She often offered her own political observation and commentary during these interviews which led to her current political television shows for a young audience.