Alireza Keymanesh

🤡 We are living in a world shaped not only by deep personal and collective trauma of the past, but also by increasing violence, fracture, and disconnection. Somewhere within that landscape, I lost my connection to joy.

Laughter disappeared from my body for a long time, as though it had migrated to a distant, unknown city. Eventually, I realized that, to bring it back home, I needed to rediscover my inner joker — the imaginative child within me who still believed in pleasure and wonder.

👻 Through that mysterious journey, I reconnected with play, creativity, other people, and slowly, with happiness again.
The Nomad Clown Caravan is a gift I am offering to the community — a playful act of joy and connection for newcomers and for the whole city of Toronto.

Six wandering clowns arrive from distant corners of the world carrying small gestures against despair: music, dance, balloons, imaginary flowers, absurdity, and fragments of laughter, with the intention of drawing people’s attention away from their worries and anxieties, even for a few moments, and bringing them into the here and now.

This performance at Toronto Newcomer Day 2026 is not only an event, but the beginning of a larger dream: that one day this caravan may continue to grow and return each year as a celebration of collective happiness. Maybe Toronto can even have its own Clown Day.

Perhaps we are all still Nomad Clown underneath — searching for belonging in a constant journey toward a more livable world.

🙏 My heartfelt gratitude to Toronto Arts Foundation and Neighbourhood Arts Network for their support, trust, and for helping bring Nomad Clown Caravan to life.

CREDIT:

Nomad Clown Caravan (NCC)

Lead: Alireza Keymanesh

Clowns:
Morgan Joy
Anto Chan
Janice Lee
Rin | سارا
Samantha Halas
AlirezaKeymanesh

Photo:
Tracey Suba — Slides 1, 2, 7, 9, 11
Alejandro Reyes — Slides 4, 5
Selina McCallum — Slides 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14

I am happy to announce that I have been accepted into the most exclusive creative scriptwriting residency: Mother Earth. 🌱

My studio is right above Uncle Tree, with my fellow artists Mr. Raccoon, Miss Squirrel, and a talented chorus of birds—from the music department;).

The application process was incredibly delightful—no deadlines, no emails, no interviews. Just a notebook, some imagination, and a little help from nature.

Thinking about applying? Send me your application. I know a few people on the inside. 🐿️🌳

If our so-called “thinkers” danced more often, there would be far less war in the world.

Photos are from Ontario Regional Contact Jam 2026

CREDIT:
Slides 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7: Fred Hunsberger
Slide 6: Helen Filatova

Street photography

The second slide is from the book “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius”

Grateful to receive the Best Acting Award at FICIMAD for EXT, Friendship–Night, directed by Mehdi Ahmadpanah.

My heartfelt thanks to the festival jury for this honour. The film also received the Best Independent Feature award. Congratulations to Mehdi and the entire team.

This award carries a special weight, as the film was screened in memory of our dear colleague and fellow actor, Mojdeh Daei, whose absence continues to be deeply felt.

I am deeply grateful to my fellow actors, محمد رضا آبانگاه Behnoum Nick and Amin Moghaddasi. In my view, this award belongs to all of us. It reflects the trust, generosity, support, and genuine friendship we shared throughout this project and beyond.

Ext – Friendship – Night

Director & Writer: Mehdi Ahmadpanah

Producer
Amir Shahab Razavian

Cast
Alireza Keymanesh
Mohammadreza Abangah
Behnam Khorram Nick
Amin Moghadasi
Mojdeh Daee

Director of Photography
Amin Jafari
Hamid Khorami

Still Photographers: Amir Meftahi, Nazanin Kazemi, Soheila Abedini

Portrait Photo: Defne Yildirim

Mark it on your calendar.
🗓️May 29, 2026

NCC team:
👇👇👇
Alireza Keymanesh
Janice Jo Lee
Morgan Joy
Anto Chan
Rin Abedi
Samantha Halas

I feel very fortunate to be among the actor-dancers in Sabrina Zhao’s film ‘Tarry Not, O Cloud,’ alongside Noriko Yamamoto, Karel Mallkoun, and many others.

Beyond her knowledge, Sabrina carries a uniquely poetic wisdom in filmmaking. Suffice it to say that the story of the film revolves around longing, unfolding through the journey of clouds. Watching the final film felt like an invitation to experience a collective meditation.

O cloud,
with the power to transform yourself
into any shape,
I need you to be the messenger,
to let my love know
that I am still alive.

(From the soliloquy in the film, written by Sabrina Zhao and narrated by Kuta Fudauchi)

Some works end when the shoot is over. Others remain—like clouds in the sky.
Tarry Not, O Cloud is one of those for me.

May the clouds carry freedom and peace to Iran.

‘Tarry Not, O Cloud’

Director, Producer: Sabrina Zhao
DOP:
Editor:

Voice over: Kota Fudauchi

Movement Director: Qingyang Wang
Performers: , Sabrina West, Alireza Keymanesh, , Sabrina Zhao