DIRECTOR'S BIO:

Lauand Omar is an internationally active filmmaker whose career spans Syria, Germany, North America, and the Middle East. He studied Film and Television Production in Miami and Toronto, developing a cross-cultural practice across film and television.

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He wrote, directed, and produced his debut feature Bekhal’s Tears (2005), a women’s rights drama shot in Iraqi Kurdistan and the first Kurdish film selected for an Arabic film festival. The film premiered at the 2006 Emirates Film Competition in Abu Dhabi.

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He subsequently produced high-rating branded reality content in the UAE for clients including Samsung and Clean & Clear, and later joined MTV Arabia as a producer. In 2010, he co-created the supernatural comedy series Aassas, the first regional television project to secure a development deal with Gaumont France, which was later adapted for the Algerian market as Al Khamsa.

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His second feature, Curse of Mesopotamia (2016), received international attention within the independent horror circuit, with coverage from outlets including Paris Match, Al Jazeera, and BBC World. The film premiered as the number one box office release in Iraq and screened at festivals including the Panama Horror Film Festival, Acapulco International Film Festival, and the Moscow Kurdish Film Festival. It remains available on platforms including Amazon Prime and Tubi.

Omar is currently developing La Diosa de Sangre and in pre-production on the horror-comedy Bitten Soon. He is based between Mexico and Germany and is represented by Crawford Talents.