Katayoon Shahabi has a PhD in French literature. In 1985, she started her work as a film promoter in “Farabi Cinema Foundation” (FCF), which had the important role of introducing Iranian Cinema to the world. During this period, she worked with well-known filmmakers such as Abbas Kiarostami, Bahram Beizaei, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, etc. In 1994, she co-founded “Cima Media International (CMI)”, a semi-private company that produced and marketed Iranian films and television productions. Her activity in this company allowed her to gain experience in co-producing successful documentaries and feature films. She also organized the first TIM (Tehran International Market) in 1995.