Since 2004, Los Angeles financial professional Michael Saei has served as president of First Financial Capital, a direct portfolio lender providing bridge financing services to the commercial real estate sector. Outside of his professional activities, Michael Saei supports the activities of culturally enriching community organizations such as the Farhang Foundation.

1. How the Farhang Foundation is
Elevating the Arts
Michael Saei

2. Introduction
• Since 2004, Los Angeles financial professional Michael Saei has
served as president of First Financial Capital, a direct portfolio
lender providing bridge financing services to the commercial real
estate sector. Outside of his professional activities, Michael Saei
supports the activities of culturally enriching community
organizations such as the Farhang Foundation.
A nonprofit, non-religious, and nonpartisan organization dedicated
to highlighting Iranian history and culture in the public sphere, the
Farhang Foundation has done a great deal to showcase the
accomplishments of Iranian artists. Since 2011, the foundation’s
Fine Arts Council has partnered with a number of museums and
universities to exhibit various forms of Iranian art, sharing pieces
ranging from paintings, calligraphy, architecture, photography,
printmaking, and more with Southern California communities.

3. Farhang Foundation
• Noteworthy exhibitions hosted by the Farhang Foundation’s Fine Arts
Council include Focus Iran and Focus Iran 2, juried exhibitions featuring
international selections of contemporary film and photography.
Showcasing works by both emerging and established artists, the Focus Iran
series provides a rich and varied view of Iranian culture and heritage from
not only artists, but also journalists, archivists, and storytellers living in
Iran and throughout the world.
In addition to Focus Iran and its sequel, the Fine Arts Council has also
commissioned Freedom: A Shared Dream, a permanent sculpted
monument drawing on Iranian history to celebrate multicultural tolerance
and shared humanitarian ideals. Inspired by the Cyrus Cylinder that
granted individual liberties to the Persian people some 2,500 years ago,
the Freedom Sculpture will stand as a beacon of liberty and coexistence at
the bustling and diverse center of Los Angeles.