Zanyar Ali is a Syrian-Kurdish director, editor, and visual storyteller based in France, whose artistic and media experience emerged from documentary filmmaking, conflict-zone media work, and independent visual production shaped by the realities of war, migration, and rapidly changing social landscapes.

His media journey began between 2012 and 2014 at the Aleppo Media Center in Syria, where he worked on filming and editing news reports, documentaries, and visual coverage related to the Syrian conflict. Working under unstable and high-pressure conditions played a significant role in shaping his visual language and documentary sensibility.

Later, he moved to Turkey and collaborated with several independent Syrian media institutions in Gaziantep, including:
• Lmaba Media Production
• Radio Rozana

There, his work expanded between directing, editing, visual coordination, live-stream production, documentary filmmaking, and digital media storytelling, alongside participation in humanitarian and media campaigns connected to Syrian communities and displaced populations.

Ali also directed and filmed several independent documentary and visual projects for international organizations and media platforms. He directed the Syrian web series Banned in Syria and participated in documentary productions for Al Jazeera and other regional media platforms between 2016 and 2018.

Alongside his cinematic and media work, he collaborated with various international organizations and campaigns, including projects connected to:
• Amnesty International
• SAMS
• CCSD
• Bright Vision

His visual style combines documentary realism with contemporary media rhythm, often focusing on human fragility, emotional immediacy, and visual storytelling within unstable social and political environments. His work reflects a strong sensitivity toward human stories shaped by war, displacement, and survival.

As a member of the Selection & Preliminary Evaluation Committee — Narrative Films Section — at the 5th edition of the Kobani International Film Festival 2024, the Taha Karimi Edition, held under the theme “A Journey Through World Cultures” — Zanyar Ali brings a perspective shaped by documentary filmmaking, independent media production, and visual work developed across conflict regions and multicultural environments.