Elissa Ayoub is a scholar and filmmaker who produces fiction and non-fiction films about the Middle East with a focus on women’s lives. She is the Interim Associate Dean and Assistant Professor of Digital Production and Storytelling, Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication, American University in Dubai. She is a member of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). She was the co-writer and executive producer of the feature-length film Nour (2017), which received four awards, Best Film, Best Director, Best Script and Best Actress, at the Alexandria Film Festival. The film also won the Silver Prize at the 10th Muscat International Film Festival (2018). Ayoub holds a BA in Communication Arts from the Lebanese American University, Beirut (2006). She earned an MA and a PhD in filmmaking from the Kingston School of Arts, London (2009 and 2021 respectively). Born in 1985 in Lebanon, Ayoub currently lives and works in Dubai. SAF Participation: Sharjah Film Platform 4 (2021)