Daniela Stephan is a Lebanese writer-director based between London and Beirut. Having grown up in Lebanon, she is drawn to coming of age stories and the ways political events shape intimate lives. Her work often explores the tension between personal desires and larger historical realities.

Her latest short film, The Sun Sets on Beirut (2022), screened internationally at festivals including the Oscar-qualifying Tampere Film Festival, Winterthur Kurzfilmtage, Marche du Film Cannes, and is now available on Short of the Week. Her previous short, Mummy Blue (2019), also screened internationally and received several awards.

Daniela is currently developing her debut feature film, Underbelly, a coming-of-age story set in Beirut in the months leading up to the 2006 war. The project follows a sheltered teenage girl whose relationship with a Palestinian boy from Shatila camp exposes her to a side of the city she has never known. The project is currently in development and has participated in programmes including the Red Sea Lodge 2026, and has been shortlisted for TorinoFilmLab and the BFI Feature Film Fund.

Alongside the feature, Daniela is developing Jellyfish, a short film set during the recent war in Lebanon, produced by Road2Films and Les Films de l’Altaï. The project was developed through the Doha Film Institute Short Film Lab and was shortlisted for the CNC Aide avant réalisation.

EDUCATION

London Film School
2018 – 2021 | London
MA in Filmmaking specialisations in Writing and Directing

Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts
2015 – 2018 | Beirut
Bachelor’s in Filmmaking

Photography Group Exhibitions
Carl Hanson and Son August 2023 - September 2023
Art District Gallery - August 2024 - September 2024

Press Coverage

https://a-rabbitsfoot.com/editorial/confessions/daniela-stephan-on-the-sun-sets-on-beirut-lebanese-cinema-is-proof-of-our-existence/
https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1366421/daniela-stephan-cineaste-dune-generation-en-colere.html
https://icibeyrouth.com/culture/292861
https://mubi.com/fr/cast/daniela-stephan?castSlug=daniela-stephan
https://mad-distribution.film/directors/4051525729757.php