Maryam Ataei

Maryam Ataei wrote, directed and produced, the 2026 Sundance Dramatic Competition film, The Friend's House is Here.


She wrote and produced the Independent Spirit Award nominee, Dog Sweat, which was released to critical acclaim in 2011. NPR called it "astonishingly gutsy" and The New York Times said the film was "engaging, exalted by the particulars of its birth." It won Jury Awards at Rome and Austin Film Festivals.


Ataei was an associate producer for the Sundance Audience Award winner, Circumstance. 


Maryam Ataei completed her MFA in Dramatic Literature from Tehran Art University and her BA in Cinema from Soureh University.

Format: Scripted Feature, Scripted Episodic, Scripted Shorts, Unscripted Episodic, Unscripted Features, Unscripted Shorts

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Historical, Politics, Youth

Location: New York, New York, United States

Rome Film Festival - Special Jury Award 2010

Austin Festival - Special Jury Award 2010