Biography

Arsalan Nami, professionally known as Arsi Nami, is an award-winning Swedish actor and multilingual artist. Born a child refugee in Shiraz, raised in Sweden, shaped in Santa Monica, and now based in Manhattan, New York, his journey has been as global as his career.

Fluent in Farsi, Swedish, Dari, English, Norwegian, French, and Spanish, Arsi is among the rare actors to achieve international recognition across film, television, commercials, music, and screenwriting. His work has earned him numerous international awards and established him as both a performer and a music therapist with a unique cross-cultural perspective.

Acting Achievements

Arsi earned 14 international Best Actor awards in 2022–2023 for his portrayal of Dylan Steere in Aion, a groundbreaking film presented and sponsored by Fujifilm. His accolades include the New York International Film Awards, Tokyo Film Awards, Chicago Indie Film Awards, Sweden Film Awards, Cannes Silk Road Film Awards, Brazil Visions Film Festival, San Diego Movie Awards, Best Istanbul Film Festival, and Luleå International Film Festival. Aion was also showcased at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, California.

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He also appears in a Farsi/Dari-speaking co-star role on the FX hit series The Old Man, acting opposite Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges and Academy Award® nominee John Lithgow.

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In commercials, Nami headlined two Telly Award-winning campaigns in 2023: Vaporesso: Through the Darkness and Eveready Battery / Energizer.

Earlier, he won the Jury Prize Award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival Entr'2 Marches for his performance as Giovanni, a visually impaired Italian-American, in Love is Blind. The film screened at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes and was honored for raising disability awareness. Nami later returned as a jury member for the festival in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

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Other notable work includes lead roles in Camelia (winner of the 2017 European Cinematography Award), Villa (screened in Italy, Egypt, and India), and Healthcare in the Cloud, a Children’s Hospital Los Angeles film that helped raise over $8 million for children’s vision health.

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His versatility also extends to comedy and action: he starred as Cadiz in the award-winning Just Cause 4 live-action commercials for Square Enix, PlayStation, and Xbox, and appeared in Aloe Blacc and Gryffin’s international hit music video Hurt People, which surpassed 1 million views on VEVO and YouTube.

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Nami has been featured as a guest on NBCUniversal’s The Steve Harvey Show and CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden. His commercial credits span global brands including Google, PlayStation, Prada, Facebook, Hewlett Packard, BMW, Kia, Ford, Samsung, Disney, NBA, Guitar Center, and Los Defensores.
 

From a child refugee to an internationally acclaimed actor, Arsi Nami continues to break barriers for multilingual performers, bring authentic representation to screens worldwide, and inspire audiences through powerful, award-winning performances.

Awards and nominations​

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2024 Gothamite Film Festival, New York
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

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2023 Telly Awards
Winner – Silver – Best Online Commercial
VAPORESSO: Through The Darkness (Lead Actor)

2023 Telly Awards
Winner – Bronze – Best Campaign – Eveready
(Lead Actor)

2022 Cannes Silk Road Film Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Tokyo Film Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 New York International Film Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion 

2022 Sweden International Film Festival
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Rome International Movie Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Best Istanbul Film Festival
Winner – Best Actor – Aion 

2022 San Diego Movie Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Brazil Visions Film Fest
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Luleå International Film Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Sweden Film Awards
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2022 Chicago Indie Film Festival
Winner – Best Actor – Aion

2021 New York Movie Awards
Jury Prize Winner – Best Short Screenplay – Bachata (Writer)

2021 Changing Face International Film Festival, Australia
Jury Prize Winner – Best Short Screenplay – Bachata (Writer)

2021 Austin After Dark Film Festival
Winner – Best Drama Short Screenplay – Bachata (Writer)

2019 Clio Awards – Los Angeles
Winner – Best Commercial – Just Cause 4 Commercial / Cadiz (Lead Actor)

2019 Promax Games Awards – Los Angeles
Nominee – Best Commercial – Just Cause 4 Commercial / Cadiz (Lead Actor)

2019 ThinkLA Idea Awards – Los Angeles
Finalist & Nominee – Best Commercial – Just Cause 4 Commercial / Cadiz (Lead Actor)

2018 Orlando International Film Festival
Official Selection – Stop Dreaming of Me (Lead Actor / Poster Artist)

2018 Austin Spotlight Film Festival
Best Film Nomination – Stop Dreaming of Me (Lead Actor / Poster Artist)

2017 Cannes Entr'2 Marches International Film Festival
Jury Prize Winner – Love is Blind (Lead Actor / Composer / Art Director)

2017 European Cinematography Awards
Winner – Best Film – Camelia (Lead Actor / Poster Artist)

2017 We Care Film International Film Festival, New Delhi, India
Best Film Nomination – Love is Blind (Lead Actor / Composer / Art Director)

2017 Hollywood Screenings Film Festival
Best Film Nomination – Love is Blind (Lead Actor / Composer / Art Director)

2017 International Film Festival Premio Tortoreto alla Cultura, Italy
Best Film Nomination – Villa (Lead Actor / Art Director)

2017 IFFC – International Festival of Short Films on Culture & Tourism, India
Best Film Nomination – Villa (Lead Actor / Art Director)

2017 AM International Film Festival, Egypt
Best Lead Actor Male Nomination – Villa (Lead Actor / Art Director)

Bayramian Art Scholarship Award

2014

James R. Simpson Merit Scholarship Award for Music Therapy studies

  (Awarded by President Dianne Harrison at California  State University of Northridge)

2014

Royal Swedish Music Academy Scholarship Award

(Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien)

2013

Bayramian Art Scholarship Award

2013

Music For Your Heart Foundation - Certification Appreciation Award 2012

Nominated as UGT Talent Award Show best lead singer

2010

Pearl M Follmer Memorial Music Scholarship Award

2010

William T L Gertrude V. Powell Memorial Music Scholarship Award

2009

Iranian.com

Iranian of the day Award 2008

Simon Trust Music Scholarship Award 2008

Esther Landon Memorial Music Scholarship Award

2007

 Aiming at Stars 2nd Place Award 

(National Television Competition Sweden)

2002

JUDGE / JURY

2018 Cannes Film Festival Entr'2 Marches

2019 Cannes Film Festival Entr'2 Marches

2020 Cannes Film Festival Entr'2 Marches