Golnar Fakhrai

Born and raised in San Diego, Golnar is an Iranian-American filmmaker with a passion for visual storytelling. As a child, she spent weekends watching films with her father, something that would plant the seed for her desire to work behind the camera and make films of her own. After receiving a Student Heritage Award from the American Society of Cinematographers for her undergraduate thesis film, she went on to complete her Masters at the American Film Institute (AFI). Since then, she has taught at both AFI and University of New Orleans, while continuing to work in the industry as a director and cinematographer, lensing projects for clients such as Nike, Ford, 7Up, Oreo, and Fujifilm. In her free time, Golnar loves making arts and crafts, spending time outdoors with her husband and daughter, and watching live sports.