Aida Schläpfer Al Hassani

IAFFZ President
Festival Co-Director

Director Aida Schlaepfer Al Hassani, born in Baghdad to a Lebanese mother and an Iraqi father, is a highly accomplished filmmaker with a diverse background. After moving to Europe, she studied German and settled in Switzerland. Despite her accounting and business management degree, Aida's passion for film and the arts led her to pursue a degree in Art and Media Design in Zurich.
She further honed her skills by earning a master’s degree in film directing from the High Cinema Institute at the Academy of Arts in Cairo. Aida has directed numerous films and advertisements, including notable works such as "Shadow Black and White," "Silent Screening Inside a Woman," and "Gangs of Baghdad." Her film "Marionette" gained international acclaim and was screened at various film festivals worldwide.
Aida's dedication to storytelling is evident in her award-winning documentaries, including "NouN" and "Souls in Transit", which qualified for the 95th Academy Awards 2023; the film is currently being shown in the cinemas. She has also served on film festival juries and represented Iraq at the Festival of Creative Arab Women. In addition, Aida's artwork has been exhibited in several countries, and she is a member of professional associations for filmmakers in Switzerland, Europe, Egypt, and Iraq.
Driven by her personal experiences of war, Aida seeks to raise awareness about important social issues through her films and promote positive change. She is involved in a production company and is the founder and president of the association International Arab Film Festival Zurich. Through her work, Aida strives to shed light on vulnerable communities and inspire action for a better world.