Biography
Jihan El Tahri is a multi-award-winning film director, writer, visual artist and producer. She is a founding member of Documentary Network Africa and the founder and director of Big Sister, a Paris-based Art and Film production company engaging in film consultancy and mentorship. She was the General Director of DOX BOX, a Berlin-based non-profit institution that supports the Arab/African Art and Film sector. Since 2017, El Tahri has been a member on The Academy of Arts and Sciences’ (The Oscars) Feature Documentary and Short Format section.
She has directed more than 15 films and her visual art exhibitions have travelled to renowned museums and several biennales around the world. She is the co-author of The Fifty Years War: Israel and The Arabs (Penguin UK, 1998) and Les sept vies de Yasser Arafat (Grasset, 1997). She teaches documentary production at various international institutions and serves as a mentor in various documentary and filmmaking labs. She also sits on the boards of several African film organisations including the Federation of Pan African Cinema and The Guild of African Filmmakers in the Diaspora.
El Tahri has a BA in political science from the American University in Cairo (1984).
Born in Beirut in 1963, she lives and works between Berlin, Dakar, and Paris.
SAF participation:
March Meeting 2023