Naziha Arebi is an award-winning Libyan-British filmmaker and director. She was born in Tripoli, Libya and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of eight.
Arebi initially studied photography at York University and worked as a freelance photographer before beginning her career as a filmmaker. Her first documentary, Freedom Fields, explored the Libyan revolution and its aftermath. It was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 AFI DOCS Festival, and has since been screened at festivals around the world.
Arebi’s second documentary, Libya in Motion, looks at the post-revolutionary period in Libya through the eyes of the country’s youth. It was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival.
Arebi’s other work includes short films and music videos, as well as the feature-length documentary, The Man Who Sold the World. The film tells the story of a Libyan arms dealer who sold weapons to the Gaddafi regime and was later convicted of war crimes. It won the Best International Feature award at the 2021 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
Arebi has also written and directed a feature-length drama, which is currently in post-production.
Through her work as a filmmaker, Arebi aims to provide a voice to those whose stories are too often overlooked and to shed light on issues that are often ignored. Her work has been recognized as an important contribution to the understanding of the Middle East and North Africa, and her films have been praised for their unique and honest perspective.
