Born in 1965 in the Caspian Sea port of Bandar Anzali, Esmael Barari graduated in filmmaking from University of Art, Tehran. In 1988, his short film, "Reaction", won top prize at the first national students film festival of Tehran and the silver plaque at the 1989 Ebensee Festival of Nations. His other short films are "Nader's Gift" (1989) and "Loneliness And The Clod" (1990) which was presented in FIPA Cannes-91 and received The Golden Butterfly for the Best Film at 5th International Festival of Film and Video for Children and Young Adults. Up to now he has made more than twenty feature, documentary and short films & TV series. In 1991, Barari directed his debut feature, "City in The Hands of Children".

Feature Films: 1991- City in The Hands of Children; 1992- The Nest (Banned); 1996- The Green Hell; 2000- The Devil's Dance; 2001-4 Dead Heat under The Shrubs (Banned); 2007- Day of Rain; 2006/2012 Maryam's Report (Banned); 2012- The Twelve Chairs

He is director of "World Iranian Film Center" and a member of "The Union of Iranian Cinema Producers" and artistic adviser of "ECO Cultural Institute" and a member of international jury of Mostra Valencia Film Festival-2007.