With an extensive resume at hand, the Lebanese-Canadian filmmaker, writer, and director, Dania Bdeir have earned many awards for her numerous works.
Inspired by her Lebanese roots, Dania reflects in her works the many aspects of Lebanese culture and social issues.
Currently a member of Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, Bdeir has a B.A. in Graphic Design from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and an MFA in directing from the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, where she was granted a full scholarship in her third year.
Her filmmaking career began after her graduate thesis film, In White, received the Spike Lee Production Fund. It was also world-premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand, as well as BFI London, Uppsala, in addition to 30 other festivals around the world.
In 2019, Bdeir was a Berlinale Talent and participated in the Short Film Station with her film, Warsha, which starred Mohammad Khansa. Khansa played the role of a migrant worker who finds a haven to showcase his secret on top of one of Beirut’s tallest cranes.
The film also premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and won the Jury Prize for the Best International Fiction Short.
Warsha has also seized a pre-purchase broadcast deal with the leading European television channel, ARTE, and has won 29 awards to date, including George Lucas Award (Grand Prix) award at the 2022 Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia.
More recently, Warsha also snatched the Best Short Film Ouray International Film Festival (OIFF) and the Best Film award at the Short OUT Festival and was selected in over 60 festivals, including SXSW, Rotterdam, and Palm Springs Shortfest, among others.
Now developing PIGEON WARS, Dania Bdeir has received financing for her project from Telefilm Canada and was selected for the Torino Film Lab x DFI Hezaya Screenwriting Lab, Cine Qua Non-Storylines, and Le Groupe Ouest.
Related: Major Dubai-Based Distributor Acquired The Rights To Two Lebanese Films
