Shawkat Amin Korki's life story is one of resilience and creative expression, as he fled his native Iraqi Kurdistan with his family in 1975 to escape military oppression and spent the next 24 years in exile in Iran. During this period, he began to explore his passion for the arts, working in the theatre, television, and cinema.
Korki's early work consisted of short films, made between 1997 and 2005, which gained international recognition and accolades. His feature film debut, Crossing the Dust, was released in 2006 and premiered at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam in 2007. The film garnered numerous international awards, including the Best Director and NETPAK Award at the Singapore International Film Festival.
His subsequent features, Kick Off (2009) and Memories on Stone (2014),continued to receive widespread critical acclaim and international recognition, winning a total of 27 awards. Kick Off won twelve international awards, including the Busan International Film Festival New Currents Award and FIPRESCI Prize, while Memories on Stone won fifteen awards, including the Best Film from the Arab World at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the APSA UNESCO Award.
Korki's most recent film, THE EXAM (2021),premiered at the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and won the coveted PIPRESCI Award. Throughout his career, Korki's films have participated in over 200 international film festivals and have won more than 50 international awards. He is also a Member of the Asia Pacific Academy Award.
