Mahshad Afshar (b.Iran) is an award-winning self-shooting director and producer and visual artist, living in London. Coming from a multi-disciplinary background, Afshar graduated from the London Film School in Filmmaking/Directing with an MA in 2014 and continued her research interests with a Ph.D. in Film Studies at Kingston University (2021), London. Afshar co-directed her debut feature docudrama Cul-de-sac (2010) which earned a large reception by the International press and media. It was screened at twenty-three international film festivals, as well as at Amnesty International and many other human rights and women's rights organisations. She has since directed and produced a wide range of documentaries and short films including Carmen (2013), producing Angelus Novus (2015), Five (2017) and many more. In her most recent documentary and film essay project, Women on Both Sides of the Camera (2020), Afshar questions the idea of the female gaze by addressing how Iranian female filmmakers represent female identity on the screen. The film is currently circulating at international film festivals. It is Nominated and screened by a large number of festivals including ReadingFilmFEST 2021, Imagine This Women's International Film Festival at New York, Cine-Excess International Film Festival, Spotlight on Academics Film Festival, Women's Vices now festival at Los Angeles, and many more.