Draft:Firas Sameer

Firas Sameer (born 25 March 1977) is an Iraqi award-winning film director and post-production artist. He is best known for his feature film on the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, and his work in I don't Know, short film and Kingdom of Sher, short video. Sameer is the founder of the Babylon Gate Films LLC, a leading production house based in Dubai.[1][2]

Sameer has over a decade’s experience in the film and entertainment industry and has gained recognition for his directing, editing, and full post-production services for numerous media projects ranging from films, tv ads, music video clips, corporate videos, and others. Throughout his career, he has worked with several prolific clients such as the Government of Sharjah, American Hospital, MODA beauty, Strawberry advertising LLC, Misty Valley, Ahmed Zain Films, Dhabi Gulf Film, DST, Emirates Pictures, X-Movies, Tape Talent, Academedia, and Applause Solutions to name a few.

Early life and education'''

Sameer was born on 25 March 1977 in Bagdad. Since his young age, Sameer was inclined towards the artistic field and was passionate about painting, sculpting, and music. When he was 12 years old, Sameer discovered his interest in filmmaking and began acquiring knowledge of the same.

In 1996, Sameer enrolled in the University of Technology, where he did a bachelor’s degree in Computer & Control Engineering and graduated in 2001. In 2006 Sameer moved to Dubai, and in 2011 he did a diploma course in cinematography, and film production from the Hollywood Film Institute, acquiring producer and director certificates for his excellence.

Career Sameer started his career in 2001, soon after graduating from college. He began working as an IT engineer at Al-Hayat Computer Services alongside working as a system support engineer at Baghdad University.[4][5]

In 2003, Sameer joined Shiloh Industries as an IT engineer and Dealer, where he worked for over a year and then began working at Alcatel-Lucent. After serving for over a year as a microwave commissioner for this firm, Sameer joined Huawei Telecommunications.[6]

Sameer worked for over a year at Huawei as a GSM-NSS engineer and then in 2007 joined Gulf Smart Solutions, where he worked for a year. In the same year, Sameer also started working in the Dubai International Financial Centre (the DIFC) as an ICT infrastructure operations engineer, where he stayed for over three years.[7]

In 2009, Sameer started his freelance journey as a video producer and editor. In 2013, Sameer became an IT Manager at Kefan Optics LLC, where he worked for five years. He established Babylon Gate Films in 2018, a company known for its services in the film industry. The company offers all types of video production ranging from corporate videos to featured movies.

Awards and nominations

 * Best Dance Music Video Award 2018 - USA - Consonance Film Festival
 * Award of Merit 2018 - Impacts Docs Awards
 * Best Director Award - Virgin Spring Cinefest 2018
 * Best Silent Film Award - Virgin Spring Cinefest 2017
 * Outstanding Achievements Award (Golden Fox Award) CICFF 2017 - Silent Film category
 * Jury Award - Baghdad International Film Festival 2013
 * Rising Star Award - Canada International Film Festival 2013
 * Silver Award - California Film Festival 2012

Nominations

 * Best Music Video Award Finalist Nomination - 2021 - USA - Sci-On film Festival
 * Best Film Award Nomination - 2019 - UAE - Alain film festival
 * GOLDEN ORYX AWARD NOMINEE – Best Short Film – WOIS FF 2018
 * OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD NOMINATION – Short Film Category – CICFF 2017
 * BEST DIRECTOR AWARD NOMINATION – CICFF 2017
 * BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD NOMINATION – CICFF 2017
 * BEST EDITING AWARD NOMINATION – CICFF 2017

Personal life
Sameer is married and has one daughter named Lara. He is fluent in Arabic and English.