Zara Zandieh
- Edition
- Berlin 2021
- Country
- Germany
- Online
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- Zara Zandieh is interested in
- #Hybrid Formats #Indigenous Cinema #Human Rights #Queer Cinema #Women Empowerment (...)
Zara Zandieh (they/she) is a Berlin-born director and writer of Iranian heritage. Their work centers queer and post-migrant characters—complex, resilient, and full of contradictions—portrayed with tenderness and depth. Zara’s narrative style blends queer-feminist storytelling with arthouse cinema. Their short films and video-installations have screened in competition at international festivals (BFI FLARE, Berlinale Forum, Oberhausen, Edinburgh, Sheffield DocFest, Inside Out Toronto) and won awards, including the ZONTA Award for Octavia’s Visions. Currently, Zara is in pre-production of their short film Kutchooloo (WT) and developing their queer debut feature In Your Hands (FFA Treatment and Reference Funding 2021/23). Along other features in development Zara is co-developing the feature I Forget You! (WT) with Vic So Hee Alz, (Development Funding by Kuratorium junger deutscher Film). In 2025, Zara directed three episodes of the children and youth’s TV series ECHT friends (ZDF), screened at Max Ophüls Preis 2026. For 15 years, she has led film workshops for young (queer) adults. Currently Zara is co-facilitating an Acting Lab within the Asian New Wave Network.
Sample of Work
