Kurdwin Ayub (born 1990 in Iraq) is a director, writer, and artist based in Vienna. She studied painting and animation at the University of Applied Arts and performance art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Since 2010, her films, animations and performances have been presented at international festivals and exhibitions, earning numerous awards.

Her debut feature-length documentary PARADISE! PARADISE! (2016), for which she served as director, writer, and cinematographer, screened at numerous international festivals and won the New Waves Non Fiction Award at the Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo and the Carte Blanche Young Talent Award at Duisburger Filmwoche.

Her first narrative feature SONNE (2022) premiered in the Berlinale Encounters section, winning the Best First Feature Award and earning a nomination for the European Discovery Award at the 35th European Film Awards.

Her second feature MOON (2024), starring Florentina Holzinger and Andria Tayeh, premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize and multiple other awards. The film was also nominated for a European Film Award that same year.

In 2025, Ayub wrote and directed her first stage play WHITE WIDOW which premiered to critical acclaim at the Volksbühne Berlin and subsequently toured across the German-speaking world. She is currently working on her first novel, to be published by Zsolnay/Hanser.

work:

fiction, documentary & animation films

2024    MOON / fiction feature / Production: Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion / International Sales: Bendita Film Sales  (Festivals among others: 77. Locarno Filmfestival Competition - Winner Special Jury Prize)

2022    SONNE / fiction feature/ Production: Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion / International Sales: Cercamon  (Festivals among others: 72. Berlinale Filmfestival 2020 competitive Section Encounters - Winner GWFF Best First Feature Award, Diagonale 2022 Opening Film)

2020    LOLOLOL / documentary short  (Festivals among others: CPH:DOX 2020)

2019    PRETTY-PRETTY / trailer for slash Filmfestival

2018    ARMAGEDDON / animation short

2018    BOOMERANG / fiction short film / Production: WildartFilm  (Festivals among others: Max Ophüls Preis 2019 - Winner Best Short Film, Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers 2019)

2016    PARADIES! PARADIES! / documentary feature / Production: Rudi Takacs  (Festivals among others: Diagonale 2016 - Winner Beste Bildgestaltung Dokumentarfilm), BAFICI 2016, Duisburger Filmwoche 2016 - Winner Carte Blanche Nachwuchspreis, Leipzig Int. Festival für Dok.- u. Animationsfilm 2016, Sevilla - Festival del Cine Europeo 2016 - Winner New Waves Non Fiction Award)

2012    FAMILIENURLAUB / documentary short film

2011    LANGSAM REITEN COWBOY / animation short film

2010    INTRIGE UND DIE ARCHENMUSCHELN / animation short film

theatre

2025    WEISSE WITWE / theatre / Volksbühne Berlin 

music videos

2022    HODENLOS AN DIE MACHT - HYÄNE FISCHER

2021    ALIVE - ANTHEA 

2021    LIBERATE YOU - BAITS

2019    LIKE LUCIFER - GO! GO! GORILLA 

2018    IM RAUSCH DER ZEIT - HYÄNE FISCHER

2018    AFFECTION

performance videos 

2014    VIDEO 1 

2013    SEXY  (Festivals among others: FIDMarseille 2014, Nashville Film Festival 2015, Rotterdam Int. Filmfestival 2015)

2012    KATZENHIMMEL

2011    ADELE 1  (Festivals among others: Los Angeles - AFI American Film Institute Festival 2012)

2011    SCHNEIDEREI 

2011    KATZENJAMMER 

2011    SOMMERURLAUB