An extensive art background began in his native Iran while Rafigh Pooya was still a young boy, it developed into a passion for motion pictures, prompting him to leave Iran in 1970 to finish his education at UCLA receiving his MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) in Motion Pictures.

His first feature, “In Defense of People” was an Official Selection for the Cannes Film Festival (director’s Fortnight) in 1981. this was the first time a documentary film had ever been chosen for the festival. “In Defense of People” was honored with the International Jury Award at the 24th Leipzig Film Festival, Germany. It also garnered an International Chicago Film Festival Award. And was an official selection at many international film festivals such as: Montreal, Toronto, Calcutta, Edinburough, and San Palo, etc, and was commercially released in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Germany and many other countries.

In the spirit of independent filmmaking, Rafigh Pooya in 1984 founded International Home Cinema, Inc. a production, distribution, and exhibition company. And in the following year I.H.C., Inc. took over the Fox Theatre in Venice, California.

I.H.C., Inc., began acquiring films from around the world for American Premieres at the Fox. Pooya tapped countries and filmmakers almost unknown in cinematic circles, outside the film festival circuit and came up with remarkable pictures from Yugoslavia, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Iran, and Holland etc.

With the Fox International Theatre he created a multi use contemporary cultural center which the L.A. Weekly called “a year round festival” programming festivals and introducing many international films and filmmakers to the American public, such as Amir Kusturica, Nelson Peroa del Santos, Ola Sanke, Amir Naderie, Bahram Basiee, Slobadon Sijan and Emil Lotianv.

In 1986 Pooya was honored with the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Film Exhibition. This was only the second time that they had every awarded this honor the first one going to Max Leammle.

Anxious to return to filmmaking Pooya produced the independent feature “The Guests of the Hotel Astoria” in 1988. This film was as Official selection at the 1989 Venice film Festival and the Moscow Film Festival.

Pooya then began writing the script collaborating with Rustam Ibragimbekov that would become: “Broken Bridges” The film was ultimately shot in Russia, the U.S. and Azerbaijan with an ensemble of an international cast and crew.

He adds that the advantages of shooting in Russia more than compensates for the difficulties. “No matter how hard you try, even in a high budget film, you cannot create a red Square in Hollywood. There is a transformation of your actor who goes to Russia and stands in red Square for the first time. It is to the advantage of your film to capture the emotional reality that is there.”