Shahnaz Sharef is a Kurdish-Syrian filmmaker, videographer, and editor based in the United Arab Emirates. Her artistic experience moves between television, documentary filmmaking, and independent visual production, shaped by a contemporary visual language and a strong connection to human-centered storytelling.

She studied cinematography in Syria while also participating in acting workshops and artistic training programs connected to theater and performance, before beginning her professional work across television productions and documentary media projects in Syria, Kurdistan-Iraq, and the UAE.

Her experience expanded between directing, editing, cinematography, and visual content production. She worked as an assistant director in Syrian drama productions and later directed and wrote the short film The Last Day, while also contributing to documentary and cultural television programs produced for WAAR TV in Kurdistan-Iraq.

Alongside her cinematic work, she participated in visual and documentary projects connected to humanitarian and women’s rights issues in the Middle East, focusing on realistic storytelling and everyday human experiences through documentary image-making.

She also worked in commercial videography, digital visual production, and television content creation in Dubai, developing a multidisciplinary approach that combines documentary sensitivity with contemporary visual rhythm and editing.

Her artistic language is built around emotional realism, visual composition, and intimate observation, supported by practical experience in editing, cinematography, and multimedia storytelling.

At the 4th edition of the Kobani International Film Festival 2023, Shahnaz Sharef participated as a member of the Narrative Films Selection Committee, contributing a visual perspective shaped by documentary storytelling, television production, and independent cinema.