Naila Al Atrash

Naila Al Atrash, a Syrian director, film, television and theater actress, is a director in Arab theater. She has directed over forty major productions in the Arab World, Europe, Africa and US. She received the best actress award at the Carthage Film Festival for her leading role in Chronicle of the Coming Year. Her work was seen to encourage the public to think in ways that challenged the teachings of the Assad regime, and she left Syria in 2012. Currently she is a visiting assistant professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in New York University with the help of Scholars At Risk.