The CBC Actors Conservatory is recognized thoughout the industry as a vital hub for spotting and supporting exciting and original on-screen talent. This full-time creative and professional experience, which is programmed by the Canadian Film Centre, has launched close to 100 actors since it began and allows actors to expand their skills while empowering them to navigate career and marketplace opportunities. Each "CLOSE UP" showcases actors in a dramatic, character-driven scene. All CLOSE UPs are professionally produced and edited for a Canadian Film Centre Industry Showcase in the spring.

Behtash Fazlali is an actor and first-generation immigrant from Iran, raised in Toronto, Ontario. Growing up between two worlds, he found film early as a way to make sense of identity, contradiction, and the strange comedy of being human.

He is best known for his performance in the short film Motherland, which earned him a Canadian Screen Award in 2024.
A rising voice in the Canadian film industry, Behtash is drawn to stories that live in the tension where humor and discomfort sit side by side, and nothing is quite as simple as it first appears. He values collaboration, curiosity, and work that isn’t afraid to get a little messy in pursuit of truth. He is currently part of the CBC Actors Conservatory at the Canadian Film Centre, continuing to build work rooted in authenticity, edge, and heart.

In the dead hours of the night, a mother and her son attempt a gas station robbery and immediately begin arguing about everything else. As police sirens creep closer, old habits resurface and the plan becomes secondary as they realize they aren’t running toward the same exit.