Sonia K. Hadad

Sonia K. Hadad is an Iranian writer and director who earned her MFA in Film and Media Arts from Emerson College in Boston in 2017. Born in Tehran in 1989, she initially pursued degrees in Physics-Mathematics and Graphic Design before receiving her B.A. in Dramatic Literature and Theatre from Tehran Azad University of Art and Architecture in 2009. Sonia began her theater career in 2005, creating short stories and working in film and video art since childhood. 

After moving to the U.S. in 2013, Sonia began making short films. Her short films include The Box (2016), Personal (2017), Exam (2019), and File (2022). Exam premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and has been screened at over 150 festivals, earning more than 56 awards, including the AFI’s Oscar-qualifying Best Live Action Short. It also won Sundance's Best Actress Award, the EDA Award for Best Female Director, and the Golden Chair at Norway’s Kort Film Festival. Her most recent film, File, premiered at the Tirana International Film Festival and was later screened at the BFI London Film Festival. It has received several awards, including Best Short Film at the New York Short Film Festival, Best International Short Film at the Stockholm International Film Festival 2022, and the Special Jury Award at the Alice Nella Citta Film Festival.