A documentary filmmaker, editor and screenwriter whose films encapsulate socio-political tensions and contradictions and extend well over time. She started as a filmmaker at age 25 and is best known for REPUBLIC OF SILENCE (La Biennale di Venezia 2021).
Her filmography as a producer includes the award-winning Silvered Water – Syrian Self Portrait by O. Mohamad & W. S. Bedirxan (Cannes 2014), and The Mulberry House by Oscar-nominated Sara Ishaq (IDFA 2013).
Over the years, Diana has supported many careers in cinema and tutored talents through professional film workshops. She’s also a long-term supporter of narrative documentary cinema. Her efforts in supporting and advancing the documentary community and culture, notably through establishing DOX BOX in Syria as the most prominent documentary film festival and campus in the region, and then as the Berlin-based documentary film support association, has earned her recognition. (EDN Award, The Katrin Cartlidge Award, The Heart of Sarajevo).
Diana is a member of several film academies and professional networks and serves repeatedly on film funds committees and festivals juries, most notably the Cannes Film Festival Golden Eye Documentary Award.
Memberships
OSCARS
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Life-time member
Deutsche Filmakademie
Life-time member / directors section
Asia Pacific Screen Academy
Lifetime member
DOX BOX e.V.
co-founder
life-time general assembly member
board co-chair 2014 – 2016
General Director 2014 – 2018
Documentary Association of Europe
life-time member
co-chair on the Board of Advisors
Awards
The Celebration of Lives Award
2022 Biografilm Festival
The Katrin Cartlidge Award
2012 Screen Daily
The European Doc Network Award
2012
The Heart of Sarajevo
2012
Nominations
for Republic of Silence
Luigi De Laurentiis
Venice Award for a Debut Film 2021
Golden Dove for best film 2021
in Dok Leipzig International Competition
Goethe-Institut Film Prize for the best long German film 2021
in Dok Leipzig International Competition
the FIPRESCI Prize for best film 2021
in Dok Leipzig International Competition
The Interreligious Jury Prize 2021
in Dok Leipzig International Competition
International Competition
BelDocs Award for International Competition 2022
For Dolls – A Woman from Damascus
CMCA Award Nomination in 2009
For The Pot
New Currents Nomination
at Yamagata IDFF 2005
Nomination for best Documentary
at Up & Coming Hamburg FF 2006
Jury duties
- RIDM Montreal International Documentary Festival National Feature Competition & New Visions Competition 2022
- DOKUFEST 2022 TRUTH DOX Jury 2022
- Ettijahat Independent Culture Fund 2022
- Dok Fest München Goethe Institut Film Prize Jury 2022
- Asia Pacific Film Academy Awards
Head of Nomination Committee 2020 - Ettijahat Independent Culture Fund 2020
- Asia Pacific Film Academy Awards Jury 2019
- FIPA Doc Grand Jury 2017
- The AFAC Documentary Fund 2017
- One World Doc Festival Main Competition Jury 2016
- Cannes Festival Goldeneye Documentary Award Jury 2015
- IDFA Dutch Film Competition Jury 2015
- Sundance Documentary Fund Jury (year concealed)
- CPH:DOX Human Right Competition Jury 2009
Writing & Publications
lead writer and project manager
Data is Beautiful:
Mapping the Arab Documentary Landscape
published 2018
Arabic, English, German and French
Courtesy DOX BOX e.V.
Organisation and Management
No Nation Films
Co-founder & CEO
Senior Producer 2014 – 2018
Founded in Berlin as a continuation to the uncompromising cinematic productions of Proaction Film in Syrian and Egypt.
The company produces and co-produces award- winning films released theatrically, on TV and VoD platforms in Germany, France, Japan, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain and the UK, and featured at international festivals, such as Cannes, Venice, IDFA, Busan, Locarno, London, New York, Sundance.. etc
DOX BOX e.V.
Co-founder & General Assembly member
Co-Chair of the Board 2014 – 2016
General Director 2014 – 2018
Acting Director for the Film Fund and The Academy 2015 – 2018
DOX BOX e.V. is a non-for-profit association based in Germany specialised and focused the the support of the documentary film culture and community in the Arabic-speaking region while promoting the values of human rights, dignity and equality.
DOX BOX Film Festival in Syria
Co-founded in 2007
Co-director & co-programmer 2007 – 2013
Head of Industry & Training 2009 – 2012
The largest and most prominent documentary film festival in its region from creation till closer 2007 – 2011. The Festival was highly selective, showcasing non-competitive selection of 45 films including DA Pennibaker, Guzman’s, Rosi’s, Longinotto, Philibert and hosting masterclasses and workshops under the CAMPUS banner.
The festival closed its curtains on the 4th edition just two days before the eruption of the Syrian uprising and protests and withheld next year with a public statement in projection to the excessive and brutal use of power by the Syrian Government in facing the protests.
DOX BOX Global Day for Syria
Co-director & Curator 2012 – 2013
In solidarity with the Syrian people and in objection to the violation of human rights, DOX BOX did not take place in 2012 as usual. Instead a Global Day in Solidarity with Syrian People was launched around the world with screenings all over the words on the 15-16 of March 2012, coinciding with the first anniversary of the Syrian revolution and the opening date of the festival.
This was repeated in 2013 as well screening 6 montage sequences of citizen journalists videos made in hiding in Syria since the eruption of the revolution documenting the current events.
The Guardians
Proaction Film
Co-founder & CEO
General Director 2002 – 2013
Senior Producer 2002 – 2013
Head of WOMAN distribution program
Founded in Damascus as the first independent documentary film outfit in the country. The company produced and co-produced international films, set up a regional sales-agency to distribute creative documentaries and ran a non-for-profit festival (DOX BOX). as a continuation to the uncompromising cinematic productions of Proaction Film in Syrian and Egypt.
Proaction Film titles, projects and team were numerously awarded: including the EDN Award, the FIDADOC honorary award, the Katrin Cartlidge Award, the first ever George Polk Award for Documentary Film and the Human Rights Watch Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Filmmaking, A Grierson, A Sundance Grand Jury Award, a Yamagata Award of Excellence …
Education
INA / Sorbonne
Certificate in Audio-visual Financing and International Co-Production
Paris – 2006
Damascus University
BA in Arts & Humanities – English Literature
Damascus – 2000
Diana El Jeiroudi 