Dania Bdeir is a Lebanese-Canadian award-winning writer & director with an intenselove/hate relationship with Lebanon which she finds to be her biggest heartache and sincerest inspiration. Dania, currently a member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, hasa BA in GraphicDesign from the American University of Beirut and an MFA in directing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received a full scholarship in her third year. Her pre-thesis film “Meshkal” (English title: Kaleidoscope), has traveled to film festivals in France, Morocco, Pakistan, Mexico, Czeck Republic, India and many more. It has won a few notable awards including Award of Excellence at the2014 Canada International film festiva land Golden Palm at the2014 Mexico International Film Festival. Her thesis film, “In White”, which received the Spike Lee Production Fund, had its world premiere at the renowned Clermont Ferrand film festival and went on to screen at the BFI London Film Festival, Uppsala International short film festival and more than 30 film festivals worldwide. It has won a dozen awards including the International Grand Prize at the Rio de Janeiro International short film festival thus making it eligible for the 2019 Academy Awards in the short live-action category. In 2019, Dania was selected as a Berlinale Talentand participated in its Short Film Station with her short film “Warsha”.Warsha is a co-production between Inter Spinas Films (France), GoGoGo Films (France) and Né à Beyrouth Films (Lebanon).The film has secured a pre-purchase broadcast deal with renowned European TV channel ARTEand as been supported by the CNC, therégion Grand Est, the région Sud, the Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, the Sacemand the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Warsha had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance International Film Festival and its French premiere at International Short Film Festival of Clermont-Ferrand 2022. Dania is currently based in Dubai and is developing her first feature film “Pigeon Wars” which was selected for the 2018-2019 Torino Film Lab x DFI Hezaya Screenwriting lab. Pigeon Wars was also selected for the 2021 Cine Qua Non Storylines lab.
FILMOGRAPHY
2021 Warsha (short)
2018 Sound of Reverence (short, documentary)
2017 IN WHITE (short)
2014 DAD (short)
2014 KALEIDOSCOPE (short)
Dania Bdeir
