Monzer Darwish is a Syrian-American film director, producer, and editor. He is best known for his feature-length documentaries, including The War Around Us (2014) and Of Fathers and Sons (2018).
Born in Damascus, Syria, Monzer Darwish was raised in a politically active family and was always passionate about storytelling. After completing his studies in cinema at the Damascus University, he began his career as a producer and editor in the Syrian film industry.
In 2012, Monzer and his family were forced to flee Syria due to the civil war. He relocated to the United States and continued his work as a filmmaker. He soon released his first feature-length documentary, The War Around Us, which follows two journalists in Syria during the civil war. The film was released in 2014 and won multiple awards, including the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Special Jury Award in 2015.
In 2018, Monzer released his second feature-length documentary, Of Fathers and Sons. The film follows a family of radical Islamic fundamentalists in Syria and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2019 Academy Awards.
Monzer has also worked in television, directing multiple episodes of the series Maron (2017-2018) and the mini-series The Spy (2019). His other notable projects include the short films In the Land of Pointless Dreams (2015) and The Crossing (2017).
Monzer Darwish is a passionate and committed filmmaker who has used his work to shed light on the complexities of the Syrian civil war. He is an emerging talent in the independent film industry and is sure to continue making impactful work in the years to come.
