Biography

Mai Masri is a Palestinian filmmaker who was born in Amman. She founded Nour Productions with her late husband, Jean Chamoun, and directed and produced over 18 films, which were screened worldwide and won over 90 awards. Masri is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is internationally known for her documentary work. Her solo directorial journey began with the film “Children of Fire” (1990) and continued to include films like “Hanan Ashrawi: Woman for Her Time” (1995), “Children of Shatila” (1998), “Frontiers of Dreams and Fears” (2001), “Beirut Diaries” (2006), “33 Days” (2007). Her latest film was released in 2021 “Beirut: Eye of the Storm”. Her debut feature film “3000 Nights” premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and represented Jordan at the Academy Awards for Foreign Language Film (2015). Masri co-directed with her late husband filmmaker, Jean Chamoun : “Under the Rubble” (1983), “Wild Flowers” (1986), “War Generation – Beirut” (1988), “Suspended Dreams” (1992), and produced: “In the Shadows of the City” (2000), “Hostage of Time” (1994), “Women Beyond Borders” (2004), “Yearning of the Laurel” (2007), and “Lanterns of Memory” (2009).