Anouar H. Smaine

North African Director, writer, producer and actor Anouar H. Smaine was born in the city of Algiers on the shores of the Mediterranean to a playwright and stage actor, and a french professor. Before moving to the United States as a teenager, Anouar spent his childhood between the cities of Algiers, Constantine, and Paris due to the nature of his parents' work in the arts and education. As his native Algeria sank deeper into a bloody civil war costing the lives of over a million people (among those were some family members and childhood friends), and witnessing a sharp rise of xenophobia in France and other parts of Europe, Anouar moved to America. In the US, Anouar attended Eastern Michigan University and earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration and Computer Science, then two Master's degrees in Arts and Political Science. After moving to Los Angeles and completing his filmmaking training at the New York Film Academy, Anouar wrote, directed and produced multiple short films among which are "Axis of Evil", "Sharia", and "Battle Fields" which earned him multiple "Best Director", "Best Actor", and "Best Screenplay" Awards, but also high Acclaim not only in the US festival circuit, but also throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Russia. Over the years, his films would ultimately screen and compete in over 30 countries. Being multi-lingual (Arabic, French, North African dialects, and a vast array of European & African accents) also helped Anouar become a successful Voice Actor with credits in Academy Awards Officially Selected films as "I Lost my Body" opposite Dev Patel, "The Life Ahead" opposite Sofia Loren, and "The Ballad of Lefty Brown" lending his voice to legendary actor Peter Fonda in the French version of the film. A passionate storyteller and natural director, Anouar's multi-cultural background, his extensive traveling while growing up and beyond, his natural ability to truly see people and connect with them on a human level, put him in a unique position to tell stories that are not often told, and amplify voices that are not often heard. He resides in Los Angeles, CA