Samir Syriani is a Lebanese film director and screenwriter.

Having graduated from the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) with a full scholarship at the age of 21, his first short film, To Baalback, was screened in more than 15 local and international film festivals from Germany to Dubai and won the Best Short Film Award at the 18th European Film Festival.

His work with major and up-and-coming singers and performers on music videos attracted media attention and successfully caught the attention of viewers with fresh aesthetics and insightful storytelling, winning him several awards within the music video industry, including for Best Director.

Samir also works with local and international brands on TV film campaigns and content films, resulting in his winning many prizes in the world of advertising. His film for Crepaway, a local diner chain, for which he was both the creative director and director, attracted international attention with a dedicated article on CNN.com upon its release.

In 2019, he completed Contact, his second short film which premiered on the international scene at the 49th Tampere Film Festival and won the special jury mention at the Valletta Film Festival, in addition to an honorable mention at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival and Best National Film at the Banff Mountain Film Festival (BMFF) and other international festivals.

As an instructor at USEK, Samir considers teaching a mission more so than a job, a means to share his experiences with students but also to retain a young and “fresh” perspective. His passion for the cinematic and moving images art-form grows every day, urging him to strive for creating films that appeal to the viewers’ emotions.