Ali Elarabi’s debut feature documentary, “Captains of Zaatari,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2021 and went on to screen at a further 85 film festivals worldwide, before streaming on Hulu in the USA and being distributed worldwide by Dogwoof. Ali has since directed the official music video for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 and more recently, he was one of the producers of”Goodbye Julia,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and was Sudan’s nomination in the Best International Feature category for the Oscars that year. Ali also executive produced “Arze,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024.
Before turning to feature filmmaking, Ali started his career as a war reporter, producing documentaries focusing on topics such as refugee displacement and women’s and children’s rights. In 2016, after working for ZDF, Stern TV Germany, and National Geographic in the MENA region, Ali set up Ambient Light, an international film production company based in Cairo, Egypt, and Los Angeles, California.
