Episode 7 - Director Maziar Lahooti - Part 1 - The ShowBiz Podcast with Robert Rabiah and Joey Coley-Sowry

Part One of our interview with Maziar Lahooti. In this episode of the Podcast, Robert Rabiah speaks with Maziar Lahooti as he discusses his work across projects including Below, Heaven, Sprawl, and They Were Wage Slaves with Stockholm Syndrome. The conversation explores his approach to directing, the influence of personal narrative on storytelling, and the realities of developing feature films across both local and international markets.

Maziar reflects on his feature directorial debut Below, the strategic thinking required to build momentum as a filmmaker, and the practical challenges involved in mounting independent feature productions. The episode also touches on his experience as a Warner Bros and Black List competition winner and a Nicholl Fellowship semi finalist, offering insight into how emerging filmmakers navigate industry pathways.

Learn more about Maziar Lahooti:

Black List
https://blcklst.com/profile/maziar-lahooti

IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2689775/ 

Trivia: Robert Rabiah and Maziar Lahooti collaborated on the Anthony LaPaglia led film Below.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9271350/ 

https://if.com.au/robert-rabiah-makes-a-comeback-in-below/ 

Created and Co-Hosted by award-winning Australian artist Robert Rabiah, the podcast explores the experiences behind the work.

Robert Rabiah | Official Website

https://robertrabiahofficial.com/

Robert Rabiah | ABOUT

https://robertrabiahofficial.com/biography/

Robert Rabiah | NEWS

https://robertrabiahofficial.com/news/

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and more.

Stay connected with Robert Rabiah by following his Official Social Media Profiles on Linktree, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, ReverbNation and more.  

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ROBERT RABIAH BIOGRAPHY

Robert Rabiah is an award-winning Australian artist who was also nominated for Best Actor in a film alongside Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Sam Neill and David Wenham at the 2012 Australian Film Institute/Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, 2011 Inside Film Awards, and is a 3xtime Australian Academy Awards candidate (AACTA) - 2023/2024/2025.

Robert Rabiah has also won Best Actor (Monaco Charity Film Festival) for his performance in Face to Face (2011) by Michael Rymer, Best Writer at the Australian Writer's Guild (Monte Miller Award) and Best Writer at the National Literary Awards (Fellowship of Australian Writers)

Robert Rabiah's other notable distinctions include a top 5 Award at the first Spaamart (Screen Producers Association of Australia Film Market) a Spark Award given by the Australian Film Commission, a Cannes World Film Festival nomination (Best Feature Doco - 2023) a candidate at the Australian Academy Awards (Best Feature Doco - 2023/2024) a candidate at the Australian Academy Awards (Best Supporting Actor in a film - 2023/2024) a candidate at the Australian Academy Awards (Best Supporting Actor in a film - 2025/2026) and a nomination for Best Actor in an ensemble at the annual Australian Equity Ensemble Awards (the only actor-voted awards in Australia) for his performance in Safe Harbour (2018), which went on to win for Best TV Movie/Mini-Series at the International Emmy® Awards.

Robert Rabiah has appeared in some of Australia's best loved films and television shows such as, Chopper (2000) with Eric Bana, Deadline Gallipoli (2015) with Sam Worthington, Jack Irish (2016) with Guy Pearce, Ali's Wedding (2017) with Osamah Sami, Below (2019) with Anthony LaPaglia, critically-acclaimed series Secret City (2016) with Anna Torv (Foxtel/Netflix/Matchbox Pictures), Safe Harbour (2018) (Hulu/AppleTV/BBC4/SBS) directed by Glendyn Ivin, Netflix/Peacock/NBCUniversal TV series Irreverent (2022) and feature film Land of Bad (2024) with Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth.

Robert Rabiah rose in prominence early in his career by establishing himself as a memorable tough-guy actor, sought by the most respected Australian and international Directors and Producers. Rabiah is an enigmatic force in show business, widely regarded as one of the most intense and compelling actors in the industry. With an electrifying screen presence, Rabiah has captivated audiences the world over with his riveting performances.

Robert Rabiah's work for production giants such as Netflix, Amazon, Stan, NBCUniversal, Hulu, Foxtel, Peacock, Paramount+, Madman Entertainment, AppleTV, Syfy, BBC4, SBS, ABC, Warner Bros, Sony, Lionsgate and Michael De Luca Productions has ensured both global releases and critical acclaim for his performances. 

For all business and bookings:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0704867/bio/

https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0704867/public/

https://muckrack.com/robert-rabiah-1

https://muckrack.com/robert-rabiah-1/portfolio 

Podcast Website

https://www.theshowbizpodcast.com/

https://www.theshowbizpodcast.com/episodes 

https://www.theshowbizpodcast.com/with-robert-rabiah-and-joey-coley-sowry

https://www.theshowbizpodcast.com/press

Robert Rabiah | Podcast Creator and Co-Host.  

Stay connected with Robert Rabiah by following his official social media profiles: https://linktr.ee/robertrabiah 

Robert Rabiah Bookings & Business: 

https://muckrack.com/robert-rabiah-1

https://muckrack.com/robert-rabiah-1/bio

Robert Rabiah: 3xtime Australian Academy Awards candidate (AACTA), receiving candidacies across 2023, 2024 and 2025, including recognition for Best Doco, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in film. Robert Rabiah's acclaimed body of work has also earned recognition from the Australian Film Institute (AFI), Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, Inside Film Awards, Monaco Film Festival, Australian Writers’ Guild (Monte Miller Award), Fellowship of Australian Writers’ (National Literary Awards), and the Screen Producers Association of Australia Film Market (SPAAMART). Robert Rabiah has also received a Spark Award from the Australian Film Commission, a nomination for  Best Actor in an Ensemble at the annual Australian Equity Ensemble Awards, (the only actor-voted awards in Australia), and a Cannes World Film Festival nomination for Best Feature Documentary. Robert Rabiah - Actor, Writer, Producer, Director, Filmmaker, Musician, Podcaster and Novelist. 

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