MENA Film Festival kicks off #MENA2025 with the celebrated MENA Opening Ceremony! Join us on Saturday, January 25 starting at 3:00 PM for an afternoon of food, music and a movie or two!
3PM – Opening reception – Join us in the VIFF Centre lobby for
4PM – MENA 2025 Opening Ceremony:
6PM – Closing – make your way to the exits and prepare for tonight’s screening and the host of activities throughout the week!
Check out last year's festival recap to get an idea of the events to come!
Alexander Farah is an Afghan-Canadian filmmaker currently residing in Vancouver, BC. He is a BFA graduate from Emily Carr University and an MFA candidate at York University. His work has screened globally at Berlinale, Telluride, and Clermont-Ferrand. Alex directed the narrative music video for "Meet You At The Light" which won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Choice Awards at SXSW in 2022. His most recent short film, One Day This Kid, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.
Iranian violinist Ava Shadmani is an internationally active chamber musician and currently serves as the Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, where she resides. Born and raised in Tehran, she moved to North America to further her musical career, earning her Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2021, Ava received the David and Edith Sinaiko Frank Award for a Woman in the Arts for her research project Unheard Voices of Iran, which celebrates Iranian folk-inspired compositions and fosters cross-cultural understanding. The project’s debut album, I Will Greet the Sun Again, was released in August 2024 and is available on all streaming platforms.
Kiandokht Nouri was born in Tehran, Iran, and began her musical journey at the age of six as a pianist. A graduate of Tehran Music School, she pursued advanced studies in piano performance at the University of Tehran before earning her Bachelor of Music “With High Distinction” from the University of British Columbia under the mentorship of Miranda Wong. An accomplished solo and chamber pianist, Kiandokht is passionate about Persian folk music alongside classical repertoire, bridging cultural traditions through her artistry. She also works with the Vancouver Extracurricular Music Society, bringing choir programs to elementary schools. Additionally, she prepares students for RCM exams and piano competitions, fostering excellence in both piano performance and music theory.
