Samir Syriani (b. 1989) is a Lebanese film director and screenwriter known for blending striking visuals with insightful storytelling. He graduated with a full scholarship and gained early recognition for his award-winning student film "To Baalbek", which was screened at over 15 international and local festivals. His career flourished through directing acclaimed music videos, earning multiple Best Music Video awards, and creating TV campaigns for global brands. In 2019, he completed his Masters' Degree short film "Contact", which premiered internationally at the 49th Tampere Film Festival, earning multiple awards and worldwide festival selections, including Best National Film at BMFF. In 2024, he completed "What If They Bomb Here Tonight? ", a short film he directed, co-wrote, and co-acted in, set to premiere at the 47th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival in 2025. Beyond filmmaking, Samir is a university professor, mentor to young filmmakers, and a devoted father of two daughters – his favorite, most time-consuming, job.

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Director : Samir Syriani | Screenplay : Samir Syriani, Nadine Chalhoub Syriani | Producers : Nicolas Khabbaz | Director of photography : Pierre Mouarkech | Sound recording : Bassam Lebbos | Sound Mix : Cedric Kayem | Editing : Desirée Abou Jaoude | Music Composer : Cedric kayem | Actors: Samir Syriani, Nadine Chalhoub Syriani

Farah Nabulsi is a Palestinian-British Oscar-nominated and BAFTA®-winning filmmaker and human rights advocate.

She is the daughter of Palestinians who were fortunate enough to make a home in 1970's Britain — unlike the millions who continue to remain stateless in refugee camps.

Born, raised and educated in London, Farah began her career as an institutional equity stockbroker. She ended up with a CFA designation at JP Morgan Chase before moving on to build a children-focused business that she ran for 10 years.

In 2015, Farah started working in the film industry. She founded a production company through which she writes, produces and directs fiction narrative films, exploring topics that matter to her. She also created a digital resource to deconstruct the Israeli military occupation of Palestine in a way never done before.

Alia Haju, a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and musician who grew up in South Lebanon until fleeing in 1994, and Lea Najjar, raised between Vienna and Beirut, bring their distinctive perspectives to Ship of Fools (2024). Haju studied conceptual arts at the American University of Beirut and is an award-winning filmmaker and published photo/video journalist, while Najjar, who received her Diploma in Documentary Directing from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in 2021, won Best Documentary Film at the First Steps Awards for her earlier work.

Together, they have created an anima-doc that stitches together colorful and ragged fragments of Haju's personal life, chronicling her friendship with Abu Samra, a would-be superhero on the shores of Beirut. Blending intimate testimony with broader historical context, their collaboration explores resilience, displacement, and imagined resistance amid Lebanon's political upheaval, centering human stories within larger struggles for freedom and dignity. The film premiered at the Blackstar Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand SFF Lab Competition.