Mike Elsherif is an award-winning Palestinian-American writer and director who immigrated to America from Kuwait following the Persian Gulf War. His films deal with themes of displacement, mortality, and the immigrant experience. He was recently awarded the Sunbird Stories Award by FilmLab Palestine and the 40 Under 40 Award by Arab America Foundation. He's been a Rawi Fellow at the Rawi Screenwriters Lab, an Al Smith Fellow selected by the Kentucky Arts Council, a Writer-in-Residence at The New Harmony Project, a COLLIDER Artist-in-Residence through the Louisville Free Public Library, and an Artist-in-Residence at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. Mike is a graduate of the University of North Carolina - School of the Arts School of Filmmaking.