BIO

Ghafar Faizyar is a Berlin-based filmmaker working primarily as a cinematographer, while also directing and editing his own films. His work moves fluidly between fiction and documentary, shaped by a strong technical foundation and a deep sensitivity to real-world stories. He is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents 2014, and his films have screened at national and international festivals as well as on television.

Ghafar’s path into filmmaking began early. In 2005, he completed a two-year professional training as a camera operator and editor at the Afghan Film Directorate, complemented by a three-month workshop at the INA Institute in Paris, where he worked with Steenbeck editing machines and telecine processes for transferring 35mm film to digital formats. He subsequently gained hands-on experience as a camera operator and editor at TOLO TV, one of Afghanistan’s national broadcasters, where he worked for two years.

To further expand his visual language, Ghafar completed an intensive camera and lighting workshop at AAFT in India in 2008. Between 2008 and 2014, he worked extensively as a camera operator and editor for international organizations including USAID, NATO/ISAF, UNAMA, and the German Development Service (DED), documenting complex political, social, and humanitarian contexts across Afghanistan.

Since 2011, Ghafar has been developing his own films as a director, cinematographer, and editor. His practice is informed by both journalistic precision and a strong authorial approach to storytelling. He later pursued formal studies in Visual Communication with a focus on Film and Television at the University of Kassel, completing both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees between 2019 and 2025.

Ghafar’s work is driven by a belief in cinema as a tool for witnessing, reflection, and connection. Combining technical rigor with an intimate, human-centered visual approach.