Last year, before he started his graduate program at Georgia Tech, Nabipour co-authored his first academic paper, Effect of Multiple Engine Placement on Aeroelastic Trim and Stability of Flying Wing Aircraft – an exciting moment for any serious student.

This past February, he had another breakthrough: his film, “Tears of the Innocent” beat out nearly 1,000 other amateur filmmakers in the Georgia Tech Campus Movie Fest (CMF). The five-minute film took home the Best Director and Best Drama awards and also earned him a place in the next level of the CMF competition: a Hollywood screening in June.

But before he boards a plane for LA, Nabipour will have to schedule a flight to France, where “Tears of the Innocent” will be one of 30 amateur shorts screened at the Cannes International Film Festival.

"It is an amazing opportunity, one that I could not have predicted,” said the Iran native, who is pursuing his MS-AE under Dr. Dewey Hodges. “I hope that I can make an impression on people with this film. It is very important to me.”

“Tears of the Innocent” artfully depicts a rape victim’s struggle to find peace in a world that often treats sexual violence as taboo. It is based loosely around the experience of one of Nabipour’s friends, but emphasizes more thematic realities – the transcendence of hope, the power of love – than actual events.

“I tried to make a film that doesn't have expiration date and could apply to people of any country,” he said of the five-minute piece.

“The issue is not something new, it's a problem that existed in the past, it exists today and it probably will continue to exist if people don't take their blindfold off.”

Nabipour began writing the script for “Tears” last year, after his last CMF entry, “I Will Fight for You” (about the fighting for love) finished in the top 20. In his first CMF bid, “Metamorphosis” he collaborated with other Georgia Tech students to produce a film about meth addiction.

Omid Nabipour with his father, Jamshid Nabipour and his mother Tayebeh Latifi at Georgia Tech's December 2012 undergraduate commencement ceremonies. Nabipour is working on his MS at Tech, having already completed his BS.

“I have never personally experienced these things - addiction, violence - but I wanted to create something that dealt with something real, something important.”

If he seems comfortable with dark subjects, it may be because Nabipour has spent much of his life straddling the chasm between struggle and triumph. When he arrived in the United States as a teenager in 2005, he spoke no English but was thrust into an English-speaking high school to finish his primary education

A good math student, he set his sights on studying at Georgia Tech, but his SAT scores in English forced him to attend another collegel for a few years before matriculating.

And, while he had always wanted to study aerospace engineering…

“I started out in civil [engineering] because that was where my father wanted me to go,” he said. “I switched over when I got to Tech.”

The confident, well-spoken 25-year-old said he has gotten a lot of inspiration from his father, Jamshid Nabipour, who gave up his own career as a pharmacist in Iran so that his children could pursue greater successes in the United States. That sacrifice is always at the back of Omid’s mind, pushing him when things get tough.

But it’s not the only thing the elder Nabipour has given to his son.

“My Dad has always been interested in film. It was one of his passions. When I was a child, he bought the first professional camera I ever saw –a Panasonic 3000. It was really big, I could barely hold it, but he let me put it on my back and film random things. He also made little short films, where he’d give my family roles to play.”

In addition to his work behind the camera, Omid Nabipour has recently won a couple of walk-on roles in the upcoming Hunger Games franchise, which is filming its latest installment in Atlanta.

“I responded when they put out a call for extras because I wanted to see what a real movie set looks like,” he said. “It’s been fascinating.”

Keep your eyes peeled for Omid Nabipour in the upcoming Hunger Games movie— he was recruited to play a District 13 Rebel as well as a Capital Citizen.

But don’t forget to also look for him at the Georgia Tech commencement ceremonies, spring 2015. That's a role that makes him truly shine.

“I am continuing my graduate studies. I want to get out and start working in industry,” he said. “But film will always be a part of my life.”