Aida Schlaepfer

Education

Schlaepfer studied art and media in Zurich. Director Aida Schlaepfer, originally from the Middle East, studied German for several years before eventually settling in Switzerland.

Career

This led way to her most notable piece Gangs of Baghdad, which was entered in the First Rate (at Lloyd's)-Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival at Doha in Qatar and the French Culture Centre in Cairo, Egypt. Always interested in film and the arts despite having been trained as an accountant, Schlaepfer earned a degree in Art and Media Design at F+F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign in Zurich. In 2003, she relocated to Egypt to attend the High Cinema Institute at the prestigious Academy of Arts in Cairo, earning a post-graduate diploma in Film Directing.

Aida has several films to her cr, including Shadow Black and White (2001), Silent Screening inside a Woman (2002), East and West Dancing (2003), Marionette (2005), Gangs of Baghdad (2007), Homeland (2008), and an educational film created in 2006 for the German School in Cairo.

Gangs of Baghdad was featured at the 11th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards - ArcLight Cinemas in California, United States of America (2007), the Russian Cultural Center in Cairo (2008), the French Cultural Center in Cairo (2008), the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai (2008), First Rate (at Lloyd's)-jazeerah International Documentary Film Festival in Qatar (2008), and at the Horcynus Festival in Rome (2008). Aida Schlaepfer was on the jury in: - The Media School Film Festival in Poland in 2005 - FIDADOC International Documentary Festival in Agadir Marocco November 2008 - International Arabic Film Festival Zurich Association President www.iaffz.com 2009

In addition, her paintings have been exhibited throughout Lebanon, Switzerland and Egypt.

Aida credits her personal experience of having watched Lebanon and Iraq descend into war and anarchy with instilling within her a deep understanding of how destructive war is—both physically and psychologically. This understanding and personal experience with war motivated Aida to complete a one-year professional training in mediation in Zurich.

lieutenant was also the impetus behind the creation of Gangs of Baghdad.

More than anything, Aida hopes to bring global attention to the plight of the vulnerable and galvanize action for change with her films.

Achievements

• Marionette, in particular, received wide exposure and was screened at film festivals around the world, including Poland (2006), Houston (2006—Bronze Medal winner), Cairo (National Festival of Cinema. Saqeyat First Rate (at Lloyd's) Sawee Cultural Center. French and Russian Cultural Centers, 2006. Independent Film Encounter IFE, 2007), France (2007), Berlin (2007) and Tunisia (2007).