Nima Nourizadeh

Born of the politically minded scholar Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh, Nima Nourizadeh grew to find his passions were of the creative variety. Nourizadeh worked his way up the ladder of the filmmaking industry directing commercials, music videos, and ultimately feature films, including "Project X" (2012) and "American Ultra" (2015). Nima Nourizadeh was born on November 12, 1977 in London, England, to Iranian scholar and political refugee Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh, whose other sons, Omid and Navid, would go on to become music producers. Nima Nourizadeh pursued an avenue of creativity at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, all the while working at local art gallery Miller Terrace; upon graduation, he sought a career in film direction. Nourizadeh's earliest cinematic projects were of the commercial and music video variety. He worked with such brands as Adidas, and music artists including Franz Ferdinand, Dizzee Rascal, Bat for Lashes, Hot Chip, Santigold, and Lily Allen. He worked as an editor on director Darren Almond's documentary "A" (2002). Nourizadeh's first feature film was the found-footage party movie "Project X" (2012), co-written by actor and "21 Jump Street" (2012) writer Michael Bacall. He switched gears to a more traditional form with his next picture, "American Ultra" (2015). The star-studded action-comedy featured Jesse Eisenberg, Connie Britton, Kristen Stewart, and a handful of other recognizable names at the center of a high-stakes story about a rogue government agent.