Azadeh Navai is an Iranian independent writer and director. As a descendant of Bakhtiari nomads on one side of her family and the Qajar dynasty on the other, Azadeh finds inspiration in her Persian roots; in the explorations of the people, culture and history of her home country. Azadeh’s films have screened internationally–including BFI London, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Edinburgh International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, SLAMDANCE, and International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. Azadeh’s latest film, Rizoo, is the story of an eight-year-old girl about to reach the legal age of wearing the hijab in Iran and the implications surrounding the transition. Her developing short, The Dressmaker’s House, tells the story of a seamstress during the early days of 2026 war in Iran. Azadeh’s feature debut screenplay, Sheepish, is a recent participant in the Cine Qua Non’s Storylines lab and a semi-finalist at Atlanta Film Festival competition. Azadeh’s projects have been funded and supported by The New Yorker, the arthouse streaming platform, Fandor, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Azadeh holds an MFA in Film & Video from California Institute of the Arts.