Photo by Elsa Okazaki
Kurdwin Ayub was born in Iraq in 1990. Currently, she works as a director, screenwriter, and video and performance artist in Vienna, Austria. Studies in Painting and Animation with Christian Ludwig Attersee and Judith Eisler at the University for Applied Arts Vienna from 2008 to 2013. 2011, studies in Performing Arts with Carola Dertnig at the University of Fine Arts Vienna.
Her shorts have been shown and awarded at numerous international film festivals. In 2013, Ayub was awarded the Vienna Independent Short Newcomer Prize, in 2011 and 2012, she received the Viennale Mehrwert Short Film Prize. In 2012, she presented a series of her short films at the Viennale. Her entire works were shown as part of a special short film series at the BAFICI Festival for International Independent Cinema in Buenos Aires (2016) and at the Sevilla European Film Festival (2016).
Her feature documentary Paradise! Paradise! – direction, screenplay and cinematography by Ayub – won Best Camera at the Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film, the New Waves Non Fiction Award at the Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo and the Carte Blanche Prize of the Duisburger Filmwoche in 2016. The first fiction short Boomerang was premiered at the Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis 2019 and won the Jury Award for best Shortfilm.
And first fiction feature Sonne had its world premiere at the 72. Berlinale in the competitive section Encounters and won the GWFF Best First Feature Award and will open the Festival of Austrian Film Diagonale.
Photo by Yasmina Haddad
Filmography & Film Festivals (selection):
Written and directed:
2022 SONNE / fiction / 87 min / Production: Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion / International Sales: Cercamon
72. Berlinale Filmfestival 2020 competitive Section Encounters - Winner GWFF Best First Feature Award, Diagonale 2022 Opening Film
2021 ALIVE - ANTHEA / music video / 3 min
2021 LIBERATE YOU - BAITS / music video / 4 min
2020 LOLOLOL / documentary / 20 min
CPH:DOX* 2020, Diagonale 2020
2019 PRETTY-PRETTY / trailer for /slash Filmfestival / Performance Video, 1 min
2019 LIKE LUCIFER - GO! GO! GORILLA / music video, 4 min
2018 ARMAGEDDON / animation / 6 min
2018 IM RAUSCH DER ZEIT - HYÄNE FISCHER / music video / 3 min
2018 BOOMERANG / fiction / 22 min / Prod: WildartFilm
Diagonale 2018, VIS 2018, Kino unter Sternen 2018, dotdotdot 2018, Max Ophüls Preis 2019, Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers 2019
2018 AFFECTION / music video / 7 min / Prod: Matthias Halibrand
2016 PARADIES! PARADIES! / documentary / 78 min / Prod: Rudi Takacs
Diagonale 2016 (Preis Beste Bildgestaltung Dokumentarfilm), BAFICI 2016, Duisburger Filmwoche 2016 (Carte Blanche Nachwuchspreis), Leipzig - Int. Festival für Dok.- u. Animationsfilm 2016, Crossing Europe 2016, Sevilla - Festival del Cine Europeo 2016 (New Waves Non Fiction Award), Dortmund / Köln - Internationales Frauenfilmfestival 2017, Hamburg - Dokumentarfilmwoche 2017, Wien - Frauenfilmtage 2017
2014 VIDEO 1 / performance video / 6 min
Diagonale 2014, Kassel - Dokumentarfilm- & Videofest 2015, Dortmund / Köln - Internationales Frauenfilmfestival 2016
2013 SEXY / performance video / 3 min
Diagonale 2014, Edinburgh - International Film Festival 2014, Marseille - FIDMarseille International Film Festival 2014, München - UnderDox, Festival für Dokument und Experiment 2014, Wels - YOUKI Youth Media Festival 2014, VIS 2014, Nashville Film Festival 2015, Rotterdam - Int. Filmfestival 2015, Stuttgart - Filmwinter, Expanded Media Festival 2015, Busan - Intern Short Film Festival 2016
2012 Familienurlaub / documentary / 22 min
Viennale 2012, BAFICI 2013, Diagonale 2013, VIS 2013 (Vienna Independent Shorts Newcomer Filmpreis)
2012 KATZENHIMMEL / performance video / 12 min
Viennale 2012
2011 LANGSAM REITEN COWBOY / animation / 2 min
Viennale 2012
2011 ADELE 1 / performance video / 5 min
Diagonale 2012, Kassel - Dokumentarfilm- & Videofest2012, Los Angeles - AFI American Film Institute Festival 2012, Neubrandenburg (D) & Szczecin (PL) - dokumentART Film & Video Festival2012, Viennale 2012, VIS 2013, BAFICI 2012
2011 SCHNEIDEREI / performance video / 5 min
Diagonale 2011, Viennale 2011, BAFICI 2013, Stuttgart - Filmwinter, Expanded Media Festival2013
2011 KATZENJAMMER / performance video / 5 min
Diagonale 2012, Viennale 2012, YOUKI2012, BAFICI 2013
2011 SOMMERURLAUB / performance video / 3 min
Viennale 2011, Limassol - Cyrus Int. Short Film Festival 2012, VIS 2012, Bradford - International Film Festival 2013, BAFICI 2013, Marseille - FIDMarseille International Film Festival 2013, Wroclaw - WRO-International Media Art Biennale 2013
2010 INTRIGE UND DIE ARCHENMUSCHELN / animation / 2 min
Bristol - Encounters Short Film Festival2011, Diagonale 2011, Vilnius - Tindirindis International Animated Film Festival2011, Wien - One Day Animation Festival 2011, Wiesbaden - exground on screen 2011, Lima - Peru Int. Short Film Festival2012, Nashville Film Festival 2012, New York MIX-NY, Queer Film Festival 2012, Regensburg - Kurzfilmwoche 2012, Teplice - Anifest (Animation Film Festival) 2012