BIOGRAPHY

Nawaf Al Janahi is an actor and a film director who was born in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 7 February 1977 to an Egyptian mother and an Emirati father. He started acting at 7, and at the age of 19 he moved to California in the US to study the arts of cinema.

Al Janahi’s first feature length film “The Circle” was described by film critics as “a major turning point in Emirati and Gulf cinema”. His second feature film “Sea Shadow” was released in cinemas across the Arabian Gulf in 2011 reaching in the 1st week the 2nd place in the top 5 movies in the UAE, the biggest cinema market in the Arab world at the time, and later went on a global tour to 27 countries, which is the most remarkable tour for an Emirati feature film to date.

Beside making films, Nawaf Al Janahi is also the founder of several film initiatives, including the Emirati Cinema Campaign, Black Box Cinema, and Cineolio.

Al Janahi’s activity has been diversified since the beginning of his career. He previously held a few official positions, including the Arab Program Manager at Dubai International Film Festival, the Competition Manager at Gulf Film Festival, and the Artistic Supervisor at Emirates Film Competition. He has been involved in spreading film culture locally and regionally, presenting lectures and workshops in several countries. On the other hand, he participated in jury committees of film festivals around the world, most notably Abu Dhabi Film Festival in the UAE, Ismailia International Film Festival in Egypt, and Chicago International Film Festival in the US.