Scandar Copti is a Palestinian filmmaker and visual artist from Yafa. Renowned for his distinctive approach to working with non-actors, he teaches this technique at New York University Abu Dhabi and internationally. His debut feature film, Ajami (co-directed with Yaron Shani), won the Camera d'Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards. His second film, Happy Holidays, premiered at the Mostra del Cinema di Venezia in 2024 and won the Orizzonti Award for the Best Screenplay. Copti is also the recipient of the prestigious Sutherland Trophy and the Council of Europe Film Award. He is a member of the Feature Film Competition Jury in FESCAAAL 2025.