Azadeh Navai is an Iranian independent filmmaker and editor. As a descendant of Bakhtiari nomads on one side of her family and the Qajar dynasty on the other, Azadeh finds inspiration in her Persian roots. Her films are explorations of the people, culture and history of her home country, and have screened internationally–including New York Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Edinburgh International Film Festival, SLAMDANCE, St. Kilda Film Festival, Atlanta film Festival and FILMADRID. Azadeh holds a BFA in Graphic Design from University of Tehran, an MFA in Film & Video from California Institute of the Arts and is a grant recipient from the arthouse streaming platform, Fandor. Her recent film, Rizoo, is the story of an eight-year-old girl about to reach the legal age of wearing the hijab in Iran and the implications surrounding the transition. Walnut Sandwich, her current project, tells the story of a elderly Iranian man who visits his daughter in Los Angeles and finds her life very different from what he expected. Azadeh’s debut feature screenplay, Sheepish, is a participant in Storylines Lab 2023 at Cine Qua Non Lab. She is a co-founder at the production collective, Studio Dastan.