Directing

Ava Maria Safai

Ava Maria Safai, a Canadian-Iranian artist from Vancouver, Canada, is a graduate of UBC’s BFA in Acting program and currently serves as the artistic director of The Harlequin Theatre Society. She is also a Leo award-winning editor, and has produced every project she’s directed. Ava Maria is also an accomplished actor, musician, and writer, known for infusing her diverse talents into every project…

Known For

The Decision

A sharp-witted 30-year-old man with cerebral palsy living in assisted care has his independence tested when his overprotective mother secretly enrolls him in a risky medical trial – forcing him, his girlfriend, and his neighbor to confront what freedom really means.

ZIP

On her 16th birthday, singer-songwriter Melody awakens with a zipper sewn to her mouth. A story about the voiceless, who must fight to be heard.

Foreigner

Foreigner · 2025

MovieHorrorThriller

Set in 2004, Iranian immigrant Yasamin aka Yasi is the new girl at a Canadian school. Her high school experience is daunting, as she tries to improve her English by watching her favorite sitcom and befriends a trio of pastel-clad girls who feed Yasi’s need to fit in. Desperate for acceptance, she dyes her hair blonde and, in doing so, also attracts a demonic force.

Red Light Rebel

Red Light Rebel · 2025

Red Light Rebel

A pastor stuck at a red light finds himself at a crossroads with God.

The Forbidden University

The Forbidden University · 2026

The Forbidden University

MovieDocumentary

In Iran, higher education is a crime—for Bahá’ís. The Forbidden University exposes a secret underground network where students and teachers risk prison, raids and exile, for the right to learn. Told through daring first-person accounts and striking animated reenactments, this is the hidden story of a secret beacon of hope born in the shadows.

My Roommate Ahriman

My Roommate Ahriman · 2023

My Roommate Ahriman

A young Iranian-Canadian man comes to terms with his sexuality, and contends with the disconnection from his culture, while inadvertently cohabitating with an ancient Persian Spirit of Chaos.

Filmography

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The Decision

A sharp-witted 30-year-old man with cerebral palsy living in assisted care has his independence tested when his overprotective mother secretly enrolls him in a risky medical trial – forcing him, his girlfriend, and his neighbor to confront what freedom really means.

Executive Producer

ZIP

On her 16th birthday, singer-songwriter Melody awakens with a zipper sewn to her mouth. A story about the voiceless, who must fight to be heard.

Director

Foreigner

Foreigner · 2025

MovieHorrorThriller

Set in 2004, Iranian immigrant Yasamin aka Yasi is the new girl at a Canadian school. Her high school experience is daunting, as she tries to improve her English by watching her favorite sitcom and befriends a trio of pastel-clad girls who feed Yasi’s need to fit in. Desperate for acceptance, she dyes her hair blonde and, in doing so, also attracts a demonic force.

Director

Red Light Rebel

Red Light Rebel · 2025

Red Light Rebel

A pastor stuck at a red light finds himself at a crossroads with God.

Producer

The Forbidden University

The Forbidden University · 2026

The Forbidden University

MovieDocumentary

In Iran, higher education is a crime—for Bahá’ís. The Forbidden University exposes a secret underground network where students and teachers risk prison, raids and exile, for the right to learn. Told through daring first-person accounts and striking animated reenactments, this is the hidden story of a secret beacon of hope born in the shadows.

Tolou

My Roommate Ahriman

My Roommate Ahriman · 2023

My Roommate Ahriman

A young Iranian-Canadian man comes to terms with his sexuality, and contends with the disconnection from his culture, while inadvertently cohabitating with an ancient Persian Spirit of Chaos.

Ahriman 2