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Amir Ganjavie, a Golden Globe voter, is a multifaceted individual based in Toronto. He holds a Ph.D. in communication and culture and is on the verge of completing a second Ph.D. in philosophy at McMaster University. His first doctoral dissertation focused on utilizing Hegel's philosophy to understand and analyze contemporary utopian movies. Currently, he is pursuing a new doctorate in philosophy, specifically studying theories of democracy and the dangers of privatization.
Fascinated by the issue of alternative and utopian spaces in modern urban settings and cinema, Amir has published several articles on utopia and authored two books—one on utopia and another on walkable neighborhoods (Pour une ville qui marche, in French). Recently, he co-edited two special volumes on Iranian cinema for Film International and Asian Cinema and edited Humanities of the Other: An essay collection on the Dardenne Brothers (in Persian).
Apart from academia, Amir contributes to various publications, including MovieMaker, Film International, Mubi, Senses of Cinema, Offscreen, and Brightlight. He also serves as the chief editor of Universal Cinema Journal. Highly active in the community, Amir serves as the CEO of the Cyrus International Film Festival and the Phoenix Cultural Centre of Toronto. Additionally, he is one of the founding members of NaMaNa Cinema, a non-profit film club at the University of Toronto.
His filmmaking journey began in 2018 with the co-direction of Pendulum. In 2021, he directed the COVID thriller film "Into Schrödinger's Box" in collaboration with Nasim Naghavi. He has recently finished a new feature film named "About Maya”
