Scandar Copti
Associate Arts Professor of Film
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BSc Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Research Areas: Filmmaking, fiction, documentary
Scandar Copti is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for his distinctive approach to working with non-actors.
His debut feature film, Ajami (co-directed with Yaron Shani), won the Camera d'Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.
His second film, Happy Holidays, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2024 and won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay.
Copti is also the recipient of the prestigious Sutherland Trophy and the Council of Europe Film Award.