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Bio

Zayed Siddiki is an emerging Bangladeshi independent filmmaker, development communications expert, and Impact Producer with 13+ years’ experience; an alumna of TV, Film and Photography, University of Dhaka. He has led storytelling for USAID, USCDC, WFP, UNDP, Save the Children, World Vision, Helvetas, The Asia Foundation, EngageMedia among others. He channels this experience into socially driven cinema bridging grassroots realities and bold, human-centered storytelling. He’s directed 10 independent films, 25+ development documentaries and impact productions. His works have screened at 50+ international film festivals and earned numerous awards. His latest short Raven (2024) focusing aging issues won Best Film at Hill Film Festival 2024, Bangladesh; and won Special Jury Award at 10th International Film Festival of Shimla, India and at 4th Bangladesh Short & Documentary Film festival 2025 by National Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, and was critically acclaimed at 18 prestigious film festivals e.g.; Minsk IFF-Listapad, IFF Melbourne, IFFSA Toronto, Kazan IFF, Toulouse Indian FF and others. His latest short documentary In Expedition to Happiness (2022) won Best Film at Bangladesh’s National Academy of Fine & Performing Arts’ 3 Minutes Film Festival in 2022. His impact films focused on Human Rights, democracy, Freedom of expression and Digital Rights are widely featured at Asia-Pacific-EU rights-based forums and conferences. His interdisciplinary background in Film, Communication, and Sociology fuels his bold, human-centered storytelling.