Jano Rosebiani is a self‐taught Kurdish/American filmmaker, born and raised in the town of Zakho in Southern Kurdistan. In 1974, then a seventh‐grader, he along with his family joined the Kurdish mass uprising against repression and took to the mountains. Two years later he became a refugee in the Untied States.

Rosebiani acquired his knowledge of film making during his college years in the mid eighties while managing movie theaters and making experimental videos that received local and national awards, among them the Hometown, USA prize in 1987.

In 1995 he made his feature film debut with "Dance of the Pendulum" ‐ a dark comedy parodying exploitation in Hollywood. The film has recently been re-edited and will be re-released under the title "Gods and Clowns".

“Jiyan” (life) is his first Kurdish film made in 2002, intended to be a window to the world for the Kurds. The film received high critical acclaim, including four‐star ratings by The Guardian, The Observer and BBC World, and became a festival favorite, garnering numerous awards.

Rosebiani currently lives in Temecula with his wife, Hezha and two children, Avesta (4) and Janovan (2) while his production company, Evini Films remains based in the Kurdish capital of Erbil.

Filmography:

Feature films:
‐ Dance of the Pendulum ‐ (96 minutes) 1995
‐ Jiyan (Life) ‐ (94 minutes) 2002
- Gods and Clowns (89 minutes) 2008

Documentaries:
‐ Saddam's Mass graves ‐ (60 minutes) 2004
‐ Chemical Ali (producer) ‐ (60 minutes) 2004
‐ WMD (co‐producer) ‐ (78 minutes) 2004

Awards for Jiyan:
• Winner Special Jury Award ‐ New Director's Showcase, Seattle Int’l Film Festival
• Winner ‐ International Film Festival Festroia , Setubal, Portugal
• Winner Rights to Have Rights Film Festival, Modena, Italy
• Honerary Mention, In The Spirit of Freedom Award ‐ 19th Jerusalem Film Festival

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