I grew up in Beirut during the civil war. When bombs rained outside our home and I'd sit inside and watch films: Hollywood, Bollywood, Turkish and Arabic.

When I was 10 my family fled to Sweden. The refugee camp had no school, and, since there was nothing else to do, I caught up with the films I had missed: the European, Scandinavian, independent and arthouse.

I studied directing at the UK’s National Film & Television School. My graduation film "Bilingual", a comedy about a Lebanese family living in London, dealt with identity and belonging. It was selected for festivals around the world, won a couple of awards, and screened on French and German national TV channel ARTE.

Soon after graduating, a feature project of mine went into development with Film4, another was supported by the UK Film Council, and I started making commercials and virals. At the end of last year, I sold and co-wrote my first TV series.

Directing is an exciting and rewarding vocation, underpinned by a need to connect with an audience, the way films connected with me as a child.