Ali Abbasi

Born in Iran and based in Denmark, Ali Abbasi’s fourth feature, The Apprentice (2025), starring Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova, premiered in Competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, marking his third Cannes selection. The film was subsequently nominated for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Director.

Abbasi’s previous feature, Holy Spider (2022), also premiered in Competition at Cannes and Zar Amir-Ebrahimi won Best Actress for her performance. The film was also nominated for four European Film Awards. 

His second feature, Border (2018), won the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and was nominated for six European Film Awards, winning Best Visual Effects. 

In television, Abbasi directed the final two episodes of the acclaimed HBO series The Last of Us, season one. He studied architecture in Stockholm before attending the prestigious National Film School of Denmark.