Roni Schamlian is a Kurdish-Syrian actor, filmmaker, and writer based in Germany whose artistic journey is closely connected to independent cinema shaped by war, exile, displacement, and Kurdish collective memory. His work often reflects the emotional and visual realities of migration, identity, and belonging through intimate and human-centered storytelling.

Born in Aleppo – Kobani in 1978, Schamlian moved to Germany in the early 2000s, where he continued developing his artistic experience between theater and cinema. He participated in several acting workshops and theatrical programs in Germany, including training experiences connected to Landtheater Saarbrücken, before becoming involved in independent film and theater productions across Europe and the Middle East.

He gained particular recognition through his leading role in The Road to Aleppo, a film centered around one of the darkest moments in contemporary Syrian and Kurdish memory. His performance earned him the Best Actor Award at the Hofer Filmtage Film Festival in Germany, through an acting style rooted in emotional realism and internal character expression.

Later, he expanded his work into writing and directing through the film A House Near the Sun, which he co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in, continuing his exploration of exile, memory, and the fragile relationship between people and homeland. He also participated in several independent productions across Europe and the Middle East, including Salt Sellers directed by Maryam Samadi.

His artistic language combines cinematic realism with restrained emotional performance, often focusing on characters living at the margins of war, migration, and fractured identity rather than relying on dramatic excess.

Alongside his film work, Schamlian participated in several artistic and cultural discussions addressing cinema, exile, and identity, while his work and performances received attention from German press and media outlets. In 2023, together with Basel Bunni, he founded the independent production company:
RB Film-Photo Maker

At the 4th edition of the Kobani International Film Festival 2023, Roni Schamlian participated as a member of the Narrative Films Selection Committee, representing a cinematic experience shaped by Kurdish storytelling and contemporary independent European cinema.