Sholeh Zahraei was born in Iran, grew up in Berlin, and studied Film in Amsterdam before completing a Master’s degree in Visual Arts in Cyprus. She has collaborated with acclaimed filmmakers including Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Bahram Beyzaie, and Derviş Zaim. Sholeh is a Berlinale Talents 2016 alumna and a member of the European Film Academy.

Since 2011, she has been working in close collaboration with Cypriot filmmaker Kamil Saldun, with whom she writes, directs, and produces films exploring the social, cultural, and political complexities. In 2016, they were selected for a workshop in Cuba under the mentorship of Abbas Kiarostami, where they produced a short film. Their collaborative work has been recognized at international film festivals. Their film ‘The Hunt’ is the first Cypriot fiction to address homophobia and patriarchy from an intersectional perspective, created in collaboration with Cypriot professionals and LGBTIQ+ organizations across the divide.

In 2018, they were selected by curator Nicolas Vamvouklis to contribute to the Imago Mundi Cyprus Collection, part of the art collection of works commissioned and collected by Luciano Benetton on his travels around the world.

In 2024, their short film ‘Gomşu’ was selected by curators Dr. Yiannis Toumazis and Demetra Ignatiou for the ongoing ‘Cyprus Insula’ exhibition at the ‘Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation’ in Nicosia.

In 2025, Sholeh and Kamil established their film production company, Ocean of Emotions Films, in Cyprus. They are currently developing their feature project ‘Shepherd Scar’ in its financing phase, while writing their second feature ‘Linobambaki’, both centered on Cyprus’ historical complexities.