Zain Duraie

Zain Duraie
زين دريعي
Born12 August
Amman, Jordan
EducationToronto Film School
OccupationsDirector, and Writer
Years active2013 - present

Zain Duraie (Arabic: زين دريعي) is a Jordanian director and writer.[1][2][3] She is best known for her short film Give Up the Ghost (2019) and her feature film debut Sink (2025).[4][5][6][7]

Life and career

Duraie was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. Duraie graduated from the Toronto Film School.[8] Her directorial debut short film Horizon, won the Best of the Festival Selects at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, Audience Choice Award at the Franco Arab Film Festival and Best first young filmmaker at the Algeria’s International women film festival.[9][10][11] In 2019, her second short film Give up the Ghost premiered in the Orizzonti Short Films Competition at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Best Arab Short Film award at the El Gouna Film Festival.[4] In 2024, she was selected for Berlinale Talents and named one of Screen International's Arab Stars of Tomorrow.[12]

Duraie’s debut feature film, Sink, premiered in the Discovery section 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the only Arab film in the section.[13] It later had its European premiere in competition at the BFI London Film Festival as the only Arab film in the First Feature Competition for the Sutherland Award. The film went on to receive the prestigious Ecumenical Jury Award at the 74th International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg and the Bronze Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival, becoming the first Jordanian film to receive both awards.[14][15]

Filmography

Year Film Writer Director Notes
2013 Horizon Green tick Green tick Short film
2019 Give Up the Ghost Green tick Green tick Short film
2025 Sink Green tick Green tick

As actress

  • 2016 - In Overtime (short film)
  • 2018 - The Box (short film)

References

  1. ↑ "Zain Duraie: "I Made a Movie About Women's Rights in a Male-dominated Society"". bostonpalestinefilmfest.org. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  2. ↑ "Women's Optimism in the Face of Oppression". bbc.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  3. ↑ "Every young director's dream: Cannes exposure a great opportunity for Jordan's film industry". albawaba.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  4. 1 2 De Olivia, Ana. "El Gouna Film Festival: Give Up The Ghost wins Best Arab Short Film". Euro News. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "Biennale Cinema 2019 | Give Up The Ghost". La Biennale di Venezia. 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  6. ↑ "'Sink' director Zain Duraie talks tackling mental health issues in Arab cinema". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  7. ↑ "Red Sea Competition Film 'Sink' Debuts Trailer as Director Discusses Mental Health, Motherhood and Defying Western Tropes (EXCLUSIVE)". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  8. ↑ "Round-up of Toronto Film School Involvement at TIFF". torontofilmschool.ca. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  9. ↑ "Horizon". bostonpalestinefilmfest.org. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  10. ↑ "Franco-Arab Film Festival concludes with Falcon Awards". vista.sahafi.jo. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  11. ↑ "Algeria: First International Women Film Festival Opens in Algiers". allafrica.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  12. ↑ "Arab Stars of Tomorrow 2024: Zain Duraie, writer/director (Jordan)". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  13. ↑ Diao, Claire (2025). "Sink". tiff.net. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Mannheim-Heidelberg 2025". inter-film.org. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  15. ↑ "Carthage Film Festival Crowns Egyptian Film with Top Honor "Golden Tanit"". tmo-mag.com.tn. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
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