# Saber Abar

Saber Abar (Persian: صابر اَبَر; born June 8, 1984) is an Iranian actor, director and writer. He is best known for his performance in About Elly (2008), directed by Academy Award-winning Asghar Farhadi. He has received various accolades, including two Iran Cinema Celebration Awards and an Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award, in addition to nominations for two Crystal Simorghs and two Hafez Awards.

## Career
### Acting career

Abar began his career hosting television shows such as Rainbow, a children's TV show, and a game show called In 100 Seconds'. He later gained recognition with his role in Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Sha'ere Zobale. In 2006, he starred alongside Ezzatollah Entezami in Minaye Shahr-e Khamush as a driver and that role earned him a Crystal Simorgh Prize Nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Abar's talent did not go unnoticed in Dayere Zangi (2007), as he then was offered a role in Asghar Farhadi's About Elly. The movie received positive reviews, such as the review from David Bordwell, who called it a masterpiece. Abar played "Alireza", whose fiancée goes missing. The role earned him another nomination in the Fajr International Film Festival.
Saber has also starred in Hich (2009), Nokhodi (2009), Thirteen 59 (2010) and Entehaye Khiabane Hashtom (2010) and had a cameo appearance in Ayene-haye Ruberu (2010).
He plays the main role in The Frog.

### Theatre career

Abar has starred alongside the likes of Farhad Aeesh, Mehdi Hashemi and Shahab Hosseini in Kargadan (2008), directed by Farhad Aeesh. He has also starred in Dastan-e yek Pellekan (2009), directed by Reza Guran, Caligula (2010), directed by Homayoun Ghanizadeh, and Jire-bandie pare Khorus baraye Sugvari (2011), directed by Ali Narges Nejad. In 2010, Saber directed the play Vav-ha va Virgul-ha.

### Writing

Abar wrote a bilingual book, "To Seven Houses Away," about Iranian grandmothers across the country of Iran, published by Inja, Middle Of The Town (اینجا میان شهر) in Tehran.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 2005 | Poet of the Wastes | | Mohammad Ahmadi | |
| 2007 | Colors of Memory | Iraj Bahrami | Amir Shahab Razavian | |
| 2008 | Tambourine | Mohammad | Parisa Bakhtavar | |
| 2008 | Three Women | Hamed | Manijeh Hekmat | |
| 2009 | About Elly | Alireza | Asghar Farhadi | |
| 2009 | Lil' Pea | | Jalal Fatemi | |
| 2009 | Do Not Get a Reward from the President | | Kamal Tabrizi | |
| 2010 | Nothing | Nima | Abdolreza Kahani | |
| 2011 | Thirteen 59 | | Saman Salur | |
| 2011 | Here Without Me | Ehsan | Bahram Tavakoli | |
| 2011 | Facing Mirrors | Sadegh | Negar Azarbeyjani | |
| 2011 | Mr. Yousef | Sirous | Ali Rafi'i | |
| 2012 | Kissing the Moon-Like Face | | Homayoun As'adian | |
| 2012 | Modest Reception | | Mani Haghighi | |
| 2012 | The Snow on the Pines | | Payman Maadi | |
| 2012 | At the End of 8th Street | Bahram | Alireza Amini | |
| 2013 | Shallow Yellow Sky | Mehran | Bahram Tavakoli | |
| 2013 | Nowhere, Nobody | Davood | Ebrahim Sheibani | |
| 2013 | Acrid | Khosrow | Kiarash Asadizadeh | |
| 2013 | Lovely Trash | Amir | Mohsen Amiryousefi | |
| 2014 | Sending a Condolences Ad for Newspaper | Taha | Ebrahim Ebrahimian | |
| 2014 | Tales | Narges's husband | Rakhshan Banietemad | |
| 2014 | Everything for Sale | Akbar | Amir Hossein Saghafi | |
| 2014 | Dreamy | Houman | Fereydoun Jeyrani | |
| 2015 | Closer | Ali | Mostafa Ahmadi | |
| 2015 | Crazy Rook | Kaveh Najm | Abolhassan Davoodi | |
| 2015 | I Am Diego Maradona | The Writer | Bahram Tavakoli | |
| 2015 | Dowry's Sugar Bowl | Atta | Ali Mollagholipour | |
| 2017 | Villa Dwellers | Hamid | Monir Gheidi | |
| 2017 | Searing Summer | Farhad | Ebrahim Irajzad | |
| 2017 | Meyami's Millioner | Reza | Mostafa Ahmadi | |
| 2018 | Pig | Himself | Mani Haghighi | |
| 2018 | Hat-trick | Keyvan | Ramtin Lavafi | |
| 2018 | Tale of the Sea | Amir Dashti | Bahman Farmanara | |
| 2018 | I Want to Dance | | Bahman Farmanara | |
| 2018 | In Between | Detective | Aliyar Rasti | Short film |
| 2019 | A Hairy Tale | Danesh | Homayoun Ghanizadeh | |
| 2019 | Russian | Ebrahim | Amir Hossein Saghafi | |
| 2021 | Under Low Light | | Mohammad Parvizi | |
| 2022 | No Prior Appointment | Attorney | Behrouz Shoeibi | |
| 2022 | Without Her | Babak | Arian Vazirdaftari | |
| 2023 | After Leaving | Arash | Reza Nejati | |
| 2023 | Leather Jacket Man | Agent | Hossein Mirzamohammadi | |
| 2023 | A Relic of the South | Rana's boss | Hossein Amiri Doomari, Pedram Pouramiri | |
| 2023 | Maria | Peyman | Mehdi Asghar Azghadi | |
| 2024 | Summer Time | Amir | Mahmoud Kalari | |
| 2024 | The Great Yawn of History | Malek | Aliyar Rasti | |
| 2025 | Turtle | | Bahman Kamyar | |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Platform | Notes |
| 2020–2021 | The Frog | Ramin Fayazi | Houman Seyyedi | Namava | Leading role |
| 2023 | The Translator | Mohandes | Bahram Tavakoli | Namava | Main role |
| 2024 | The Loser | Kaveh Badrloo | Amin Hosseinpour | Filimo | Main role |
| 2025 | Tasian | Saeed | Tina Pakravan | Filimo | Main role |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated film work title | Result | Location |
| 2007 | Crystal Simorgh Award, 25th Fajr Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Colors of Memory | Nominated | Tehran, Iran |
| 2007 | 11th Iran Cinema Celebration | Best Supporting Actor | Colors of Memory | Won | Tehran, Iran |
| 2009 | Crystal Simorgh Award, 27th Fajr Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | About Elly | Nominated | Tehran, Iran |
| 2010 | 14th Iran Cinema Celebration | Best Supporting Actor | About Elly | Won | Tehran, Iran |
| 2010 | 3rd Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | About Elly | Won | Tehran, Iran |
| 2013 | 6th Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | The Snow on the Pines | Nominated | Tehran, Iran |
| 2013 | 6th Iran's Film Critics and Writers Association Award | Best Supporting Actor | Kissing the Moon-Like Face | Nominated | Tehran, Iran |
| 2013 | 8th Rome Film Festival | Best Emerging Actors and Actresses (for entire cast) | Acrid | Won | Rome, Italy |