Achievement in Directing
Nadine Labaki for CARAMEL Lebanon
Nadine Labaki was born in Lebanon and studied media at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut. She is a well-known director in the Arabic music video industry and has directed clips for many well known Middle-Eastern artists. In 2004, she attended the Résidence du Festival de Cannes to write Caramel. Caramel premiered in Cannes film festival 2007 during the Directors fortnight and is Ms Labaki’s first feature film. Ms Labaki also stars in Caramel.
Shawkat Amin Korki for CROSSING THE DUST (Parinawa La Ghobar) Iraq/Kurdistan
Shawkat Amin Korki was born in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1973. To join his family, he was forced by Iraqi militia to flee to Iran where he stayed until 1999. During his years in Iran and afterwards when he returned to Iraqi Kurdistan, he began to work for the theatre, television and cinema. His short films, made between 1997 and 2005, have been presented at many international festivals to excellent reception and have won several awards. In 2002, he helped organise the first Erbil Short Film Festival. Crossing The Dust, his first feature film, was shown at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam in 2007.
Zhanna Issabayeva for KAROY (Karoy) Kazakhstan
Zhanna Issabayeva was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1968. Zhanna graduated in journalism and has worked for many years in the advertising field. She executive produced the films Last Holiday and Zhilama, and is currently the head of Sun Production, the biggest production house in Kazakhstan. The independent Karoy is Zhanna’s first feature film as a director and scriptwriter.
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Mohsen Abdolvahab for MAINLINE (Khoonbazi) Iran
Rakhshan Bani-Etemad is one of Iran’s leading female contemporary filmmakers. Her work is marked by a strong social and political consciousness and commitment. Born in Teheran in 1954, Bani-Etemad studied film at the University of Dramatic Arts and in 1973 joined national TV as a script girl. In 1977 she began her directing career as a documentary-filmmaker for television. She shot her first feature film, Kharej az Mahdudeh - Off the Limits in 1987 and in 1991 was the first woman to win the Best Director award at Iran's most prestigious Fajr Film Festival with the film, Nargess. Co-director Mohsen Abdolvahab was born in 1957 in Tehran. Abdolvahab is a graduate in Editing from the IRIB University. He began his cinematic career in 1980, editing over 30 documentary and feature films and producing 23 short documentaries and award-winning feature film documentaries. Previous film collaborations with Rakhshan Bani-Etemad include, Nargess and Gilaneh.
Peng Tao for LITTLE MOTH (Xue Chan) China
Peng Tao was born in Beijing in 1974 and received his bachelor degree from the Art Department of Beijing Film Academy in 2004. His award-winning student films, Story in The Winter and Goodbye Childhood were both screened internationally at festivals. In March 2007, Peng finished the independently produced Little Moth (Xue Chan), his first feature film.