Maryam Mir is a filmmaker and writer based in Brooklyn. As a Kashmiri-Canadian born in Germany, raised in Bahrain, with Kenyan ancestry, Maryam finds inspiration in stories that center the warmth & whimsy of her many communities.
Her narrative short, “Sweet Refuge”, starring Laith Nakli (from A24's RAMY) and Mahira Kakkar (from Broadway's LIFE OF PI), has played at 50+ festivals and won 10 awards, including the prestigious Jury Award from the Directors Guild of America Student Film Awards, a Best of 2024 NewFilmmakers LA Award 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: Rising Stars" collection, distributed by Omeleto, YouTube’s top showcase for award-winning short films and is a NOWNESS Asia Pick.
Her latest short film, “Grandma Swim”, set in Bahrain, received 6 awards, including recognition from the Sundance Institute, Doha Film Institute and NYU Tisch’s HEAR US Awards. She is currently developing her feature debut, a whimsical love story set in the Gulf.
Alongside narrative filmmaking, she recently produced PBS documentary short, “Sarah Thankam Mathews: After All This”. The series premiered at Oscar-qualifying DOC NYC ‘24, and is now streaming on PBS. She has also produced documentary work with REI Co-op Studios and The Redford Center and recently co-directed her first documentary project, in partnership with the Refugee Women’s Network.
Maryam is a 2026 Directing Resident at the Canadian Film Centre, a 2025 Sundance Institute | The Walt Disney Studios Artist Fellow, a 2024 Pillars Artist Fellow (supported by Riz Ahmed), and 2023 Marcie Bloom Fellow (Sony Pictures Classics).
Maryam earned her MFA in Filmmaking from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she was awarded the Ang Lee scholarship, and her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & English from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Prior to film school, Maryam spent half a decade as a creative strategist at SYPartners in New York & Wolff Olins in Dubai, working with leaders of pioneering companies. She now uses this experience to supplement her creative work—helping purpose-led organizations strengthen their voice through visual and narrative-driven storytelling.