MENA Pop-up in Coquitlam

Tara is a writer, director, poet and multidisciplinary artist born in Iran. As a former journalist and documentarian she focused on Mid-East and international politics, art and culture. In recent years she’s been writing, directing and producing independently. Her debut short film THE RIDE was commissioned by BFI Network and premiered at Cinequest Festival and has been selected in festivals internationally and won Best Short Film at Nostalgia Film Festival. Her second short film BRIDGE was produced by Kusini Productions and BBC and premiered at Norwich Film Festival. It has travelled extensively in the circuit with 11 nominations and 4 wins: Best Direction, Best International Short Film (Contemporanea Festival); Best Narrative Short, Best Actress (I Will Tell Festival). Tara is an intersectional feminist, human rights activist and an advocate for women and MENA representation.

Fateema Al-Hamaydeh Miller is a mixed-race Palestinian Screenwriter, Director and Organizer based in Tkaronto. Her work explores themes of fragmented identity, isolation and connection through grounded "oh no, should I laugh?" comedy. Fateema embraces the humour in discomfort to explore the pains and joys of being human and believes in resilience and resistance through laughter. She is particularly passionate about writing nuanced and humanizing representations of Arabs and Muslims for the screen and creating accessible spaces for marginalized voices both in front of and behind the camera.

Julien Kobersy is a Lebanese filmmaker, editor and screenwriter. He obtained his master's degree in filmmaking from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts- ALBA, Balamand University in 2014.
Julien Kobersy wrote, directed and edited several short films and documentaries which were recognized at local and international festivals.
His short film ‘’Echoes’’ won best short film at Rotterdam Arab Film Festival and best screenplay at Casablanca Arab Film Festival. Currently, he's co-writing the series "Men Home La Hon" selected for the AFAC/OSN Writers’ Room program.

Zelikha Zohra Shoja is an interdisciplinary artist, gham-khoor (Farsi for 'grief-eater'), and arts educator living on Onondaga land in Syracuse, NY. She engages in communal storytelling, grief-work, and the transmission of memory. She was born and raised in Northern Virginia, where one of the largest diaspora of Afghans in the U.S. lives. Through textile, sound, video, and an embodied archive, she explores how individual experiences can be internalized, mirrored, and released collectively. Shoja received a BA in Diaspora Studies from George Mason University in 2018 and is currently pursuing an MFA in Art Video from Syracuse University.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Elham fled the Taliban and came to the UK when he was 10. He likes to make films inspired by stories from his home country, Afghanistan. His debut short film, Our Kind of Love, was BAFTA long-listed in 2019 and went on to be screened at festivals all around the world and has currently been viewed by more than 3 million people on YouTube. His new short film Your Hand Found Mine, which he made with BFI x BAFTA Crew, premiered at the House of Lords and won Best Drama at Berlin Flash Festival.

Ahmad Ebrahimi, a filmmaker from Afghanistan, embarked on his journey behind the camera over a decade ago. His career commenced as a TV content producer before transitioning into directing and producing compelling shorts. Amidst seeking asylum on Lesbos, he passionately

amplifies asylum seekers’ voices through various mediums, including photography and cinema. Notably, his work includes the acclaimed short film “Lucky Vulnerable” and the award-winning documentary “Citizens of Moria.”