Maryam Mir is a filmmaker and writer based between Brooklyn & Bahrain. As a Kashmiri-Canadian born in Germany, raised in Bahrain, with Kenyan ancestry, Maryam finds inspiration in stories that center the warmth, gentleness and joy of her many communities.
Her short film, “Sweet Refuge”, starring Laith Nakli (from Hulu's RAMY) and Mahira Kakkar (from Broadway's LIFE OF PI), has played at 45+ festivals and won 9 awards, including a Jury Award for Best Asian American Filmmaker from the Director's Guild of America, Best of 2024 Award from NewFilmmakers LA and an Artist Award from the New York Foundation of the Arts. Sweet Refuge was acquired by AMC+ as part of their "Future of Film: AAPI Rising Stars" collection, is now streaming on YouTube’s top showcase for award-winning short films, Omeleto and is a NOWNESS Asia Pick.
Her latest short film, “Grandma Swim”, set in Bahrain, received awards from the Doha Film Institute, Tisch Initiative for Creative Research, PANO Network and HEAR US. It was also selected as 1 of 3 finalists for the AnnaRose King Production Award for Comedic Storytelling.
Alongside narrative filmmaking, she recently produced documentary short, “Sarah Thankam Mathews: After All This”, for PBS’ American Masters x Firelight Media’s “In the Making” series, following emerging cultural icons as they become maestros of their disciplines. It premiered at Oscar-qualifying Hot Springs ‘24 and DOC NYC ‘24, and is now streaming on PBS. She has several upcoming documentary projects in progress with REI Co-op Studios, The Redford Center and the Refugee Women’s Network.
Maryam is a 2024 Pillars Artist Fellow (in partnership with Riz Ahmed & Netflix), Gotham Marcie Bloom Fellow '23, UCP Thousand Miles Project Participant ‘22 (founded by Pachinko’s Soo Hugh) & Asian American Writers’ Workshop Open City Fellow ‘19.
Maryam holds an MFA in Film Production from NYU Tisch, where she was an Ang Lee scholar and concentrated in writing and directing. She received her Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Marketing and minoring in English.
Prior to film school, Maryam spent half a decade as a strategist at SYPartners in New York & Wolff Olins in Dubai. She now uses this experience to supplement her creative work—helping purpose-led individuals, nonprofits and foundations strengthen their voice through visual and narrative-driven storytelling.