About
Radin Khodadadi is an Iranian filmmaker, photographer, and videographer based in Vancouver, currently studying film at Simon Fraser University. His work blends introspective storytelling with surreal themes and a fusion of modern and postmodern styles. Radin’s work is a canvas of introspection and exploration, enriched by his background in photography.
Having earned a high school diploma in cinema, Radin’s journey commenced with Death Angel (2021), a poignant exploration of existential themes. Drawing inspiration from Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea, the film juxtaposes existentialist beliefs with nihilism, portraying a young boy’s struggle with the ennui of everyday life and his confrontation with mortality. Death Angel received an honorable mention at the Bahardastan Festival of Tehran Fine Arts School.
In The Realm of Dreams (2022), created in collaboration with a classmate, ventures into dream logic and the subconscious. Influenced by avant-garde classics like At Land and Un Chien Andalou, the film invites viewers to navigate surreal landscapes and explore the fluid boundaries of perception. With Under The Influence (2023), Radin pays homage to directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Leos Carax, and John Cassavetes, crafting a work infused with postmodern sensibilities.
Let’s Go Away (2024) marks a personal and artistic milestone. Inspired by themes of longing and escape found in works like Moonrise Kingdom and Pierrot le Fou, this film layers magical realism onto a narrative shaped by Radin’s own immigration to Vancouver. It follows two partners, each isolated in their own thoughts yet connected by a haunting song and a surreal encounter with an unusual Uber driver, capturing the bittersweet terrain of separation and fleeting connection. Radin’s dual role as director and lead actor adds a deeply personal dimension to the film, which features Farsi songs by the underground folk band He and His Friends. Selected for screening at the Rise Film Festival and Vancouver International Youth Film Festival, Let’s Go Away demonstrates Radin’s ability to blend cultural richness with universal emotion.
Caffeine and Nicotine (2024) is a film letter to Jim Jarmusch, borrowing the setting and spirit of Coffee and Cigarettes. Radin and collaborators improvised as themselves—drinking coffee, smoking, and chatting—allowing the rhythms of real conversation to guide the film. What began as a casual moment turned reflective, with a wandering cat providing a natural structure that bookends the film. Shot in a single afternoon on a back porch, the film drifts between fiction and documentary, shaped by presence, mood, and admiration for Jarmusch’s cinematic vision.
Gorg O Mish (Persian for twilight, literally “wolf and ewe”) is an experimental piece exploring perceived movement and composition through six years of photographic fragments. Inspired by the liminal moment between day and night where shapes blur and certainty falters, the film blends stop-motion photography with a rich archival collection. Sound design plays a key role, incorporating recordings of environmental vibrations and heavily manipulated samples from Portishead and Radiohead, creating a meditative, immersive soundscape. Themes of memory, migration, self-reflection, and the passage of time emerge intuitively, allowing the film to serve as a personal and open-ended document. Selected by the film faculty for consideration at the TIFF Student Showcase, Gorg O Mish received positive feedback from both audience and professors alike.
Radin continues to explore the intersections of visual storytelling across film, photography, and videography, driven by a desire to capture the nuanced complexities of human experience. His work embraces ambiguity and invites viewers into intimate, often surreal worlds that reflect both personal and universal themes. As he advances in his creative journey, Radin remains committed to pushing boundaries and expanding his artistic voice through new projects and collaborations.