about
cv
films
A departure
Minevissam (I am writing)
... - then love is the name
The Sparrow is Free
Albalo
Just Another Year
selected exhibitions
Bow Open
Archéologies
Minevissim (We are writing)
The Birds, the Ladder, the Painter and their songs
community + education projects
Lum’a Playlab
Cinema Noun
Resistant materials
In a world, not so different from ours
Shahre Farang
contact
For vimeo links, screenings and other inquiries please email.
︎︎
about
cv
films
A departure
Minevissam (I am writing)
... - then love is the name
The Sparrow is Free
Albalo
Just Another Year
exhibitions
Bow Open
Archéologies
Minevissim (We are writing)
The Birds, the Ladder, the Painter and their songs
community + education projects
Lum’a Playlab
Cinema Noun
Resistant materials
In a world, not so different from ours
Shahre Farang
contact
For vimeo links, screenings and other inquiries please email.
︎︎
![]()
cv
films
A departure
Minevissam (I am writing)
... - then love is the name
The Sparrow is Free
Albalo
Just Another Year
exhibitions
Bow Open
Archéologies
Minevissim (We are writing)
The Birds, the Ladder, the Painter and their songs
community + education projects
Lum’a Playlab
Cinema Noun
Resistant materials
In a world, not so different from ours
Shahre Farang
contact
For vimeo links, screenings and other inquiries please email.
︎︎
SOLO SHOWS
2026 ‘Ma tristesse, pour toi, pour moi, pour tous ceux qui comme nous chantent’, cur. Alexandra Salem & Xheneta Imeri, Centre d’Art La Meute, Lausanne (CH).
2025 ‘(We are writing) مينويسم’, LUX Moving Image, London (UK).
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 ‘to belong’, cur. Bow Arts x Mile End Community Project, Nunnery Gallery, London (UK).
2026 Archéologies, cur. Laila Hida & Inès Yahiaoui, Fondation Dar Bellarj, Marrakech (MO).
2025Resistant Materials: Block C Residencies, Cubitt Gallery, London (UK).
2024 Collective Imaginings, cur. Other Cinemas, Metroland Studios, London (UK).
2023 The Birds, the Ladder, the Painter and their songs, Greatorex Street, London (UK).
2023 Slade Undergraduate Show, UCL, London (UK).
2023 Toward Freedom, cur. Mojeanne Behzadi, Projet Casa, Tiohtià:ke/Montreal (CA).
2022 A Night of Music Boxes, The Toy Museum, London (UK).
2022 GODSPEED, cur. Nick Ramsay & Saint Piñero, Millenium Film Workshop, New York (US).
2021 Slade 150: Past, Present, Future, Octagon Gallery, London (UK).
2021 Noorderlicht Photo festival, Groeningen (NL).
2021 Gulf Photo Plus, Dubaï (UAE).
2019 Lethaby Gallery, London (UK).
SELECTED SCREENINGS
2026 ‘Backseat Dreaming’, cur. Francisco de Assis, Film Diary NYC, Millenium Film Workshop, New York (US).
2025 ‘listening, when words refuse blooming anew’, LUX Moving Image, London (UK).
2025 Selected15, touring at: Fabrica, Brighton, CCAGlasgow, Somerset House, London, Nottingham Contemporary, CAST Cornwall, Spike Island, Bristol, Towner, Eastbourne, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead (UK).
2025 Swedenborg Film Festival, Curzon Soho, London (UK).
2025 LE18, Marrakech (MO).
2024 ‘NIDA’, cur. Collectif Faire-Part, Kunsthal Ghent (BE).
2024 Harkat 16mm Film Festival’, Mumbai (IN).
2024 Experimenta India, Bangalore (IN).
2024 Janub Shamoli Festival’, Art Station, Samarkand (UK).
2024 Lago Film Fest ‘Princìpî Award’, Revine Lago (IT).
2024 ‘On Listening: three short films by Niki Kohandel’ Metroland Studios, London (UK).
2024 ‘Combined programme: (I am writing)’, Open City Documentary Film Festival, London (UK).
2024 ‘ARQIVO & PESQISA: Relatos Sagrados’, Cine Humberto Mauro Mais (online).
2024 ‘Artists in Residence: Work, Play and Protest’ at Barbican Centre.
2023 ‘Everything worthwile is done with other people’, BFI Film Festival, London (UK).
2023 ‘Cinema Farhangian’, Kulturbunker Köln-Mülheim (DE).
2023 ‘Artists for Woman, Life, Freedom’, cur. Farah Dailami, Hepworth Gallery, Wakefield (UK).
2023 Sinematek Istanbul (TU).
2023 Flying Broom Film Festival, Ankara (TU).
2023 ‘Films From Iran, For Iran’, Vienna Shorts 2023 (AU).
2023 ‘Tracing Entanglements’, cur. T A P E Collective, UCL Festival of the Moving Image, London (UK).
2023 Porto Femme International Film Festival, Porto (PO).
2023 ‘From Anywhere’, cur. Maryam Tafakory, 35th International Short Film Festival Dresden (DE).
2023 ‘Just Another Year: Persian New Year’, The Nordic House, Reykjavik (IC).
2023 Barbican Cinema, London (UK).
2023 From Rosa to Simone Film Festival, Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, Tbilissi (GE).
2023 ‘Films from Iran for Iran’, Anthology Film Archives, New York (US).
2023 ‘Rememberings’, cur. Maryam Tafakory, London Short Film Festival, London (UK).
2023 Analogue Short Film screening, cur. Samara Addai & Taylor LeMelle, not/nowhere, London (UK).
2022 Open City Documentary Film Festival, London (UK).
2022 DOCUMENTARIST - Istanbul Doc Days, Istanbul (TU).
2022 ‘Films from Iran for Iran’, ICA London (UK).
2022 ‘Films from Iranfor Iran’, cur.AnotherScreen/AnotherGaze (online).
2022 ‘Norooz celebration’, cur. passerby magazine & Habibi Collective (online).
2021 ‘CLOSECUTS’, shashamovies (online).
2021 ‘Roots, Seeds, Flowers, Fruit’, cur. T A P E Collective, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, York (UK).
2021 ‘A new wave of women moving image-artists from South-West Asia and North-Africa’, cur. Habibi Collective, Museum of Modern Art, New York (online).
TALKS/WORKSHOPS/TEACHING
2026 ‘Living Archives, season 2, ep. 1: Niki Kohandel & Alia Syed’ (podcast), produced by ICF & Stuart Hall Foundation.
2025 ‘listening, when words refuse blooming anew’, with Elhum Shakerifar & Lujain Mansour, LUX London (UK).
2025 Visiting artist, Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London (UK).
2025 In conversation with Ines Yahiaoui, LE18, Marrakech (MO).
2024 Visiting artist, Not A Film School, Gasworks, London (UK).
2024 ‘Migrant Voices in Contemporary EuropeanCinema’, University of Kent, Canterbury (UK).
2023 ‘Persepolis + introduction’, British Film Institute, London (UK).
2023 ‘Only Voice Remains: Making Collective Prophecies’, Selene’s Archives, Reference Point, London (UK).
2023 ‘Cross-(r)evolutionary Sound Archives’ workshop, Open City Documentary Festival, London (UK).
2023 Guest lecturer, BA Politics, Performance and Society, Goldsmiths University, London (UK).
2022 In conversation with Kasra Jalilipour & Elhum Shakerifar, ICA, London (UK).
2022 In conversation with Teresa A Braggs & Shai Heredia ’, Genesis Cinema, London (UK).
2022 In conversation with Parwana Haydar & Neelofar Abrahimi, SOAS University, London (UK).
2021 ‘An evening with Habibi Collective’, MOMA Virtual Cinema (online).
RESIDENCIES
2026 Charita, Fondation Dar Bellarj, Marrakech (MO).
2025 RIVA arts, Our Lady & St-Joseph primary school, London (UK).
2025 Les ateliers collectifs, Fondation Dar Bellarj,Marrakech (MO).
2024 Caravane Tighmert,Guelmim (MO).
2023 Cubitt artist in residence, Arts and Media School Islington, London (UK).
SELECTED WRITING & REVIEWS
2026 ‘Under the bruised dome of the Sky’, Alia Syed, 25FPS.
2025 A Departure in ‘BFI Sight and Sound 2025’, Elhum Shakerifar.
2025 ‘To You, To Her, to Her: on Minevissam (I am writing)’ by Alma Chaouachi, commissioned
by LUX Moving Image.
2025 Open City Documentary, On creating Open City Documentary Festival’s 2025 Trailer, Laverne Caprice.
2024 Open City Documentary, ‘Intimate Inscriptions, four films on writing’, Hannah Bonner.
2024 EastEast, ‘Interiors: The Sparrow is Free’, interview.
2023 Libération, ‘Films From Iran for Iran: flammes vies et libertés’, Sandra Onana.
2022 Open City Documentary, ‘Beyond Romances of the Negative’, Siavash Minoukadeh.
2022 passerby magazine, camera roll with Niki Kohandel
2021 In conversation, An evening with Habibi Collective, MOMA Virtual Cinema
GRANTS & AWARDS
2025 Gwartler Fund (Grantee with Cinema Noun)
2025 Aesthetica Art Prize (Longlist)
2024 EastEast Film Award
2023 Rosa Morison Memorial Award
2022 Prankerd Jones Scholarship
2022 Herbert Seaborn Award
2021 Sue Jamieson Memorial Award
FILM PROGRAMMING
2026 ‘Cinema Noun’, Tighmert (MO).
2025 badnam film festival, Bangalore (IN).
2025 ‘beginnings’, Atlas Cinema, London (UK).
2024 ‘We carry the echoes’, street soundsystem, London (UK).
2024 ‘Three letters: films by Alia Syed, Mitra Tabrizian & Nia Fekri’, Metroland Studios, London (UK).
EDUCATION
2019-2023 BA Fine Art, Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, London (UK).
2018-2019 Foundation in Art and Design, Central Saint-Martins, London (UK).