Amin Matalqa was born and raised in Jordan until he was 13, when he immigrated to the US with his family and studied Business Marketing at Ohio State University. He led a five-year telecommunications career before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of filmmaking. In 2003, he started writing, directing, and collaborating with new friends he met in coffee shops. Four years later, he had completed 25 short films and received his MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute. In 2007 he went on to write, direct, and produce his first feature film, Captain Abu Raed, Jordan’s first-ever entry into the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Captain went on to win the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 along with 26 other international awards, including Best Director in Seattle, Portland, and Palm Springs; and the Grand Prize and Audience Award at Heartland Film Festival. Amin was also awarded the 2008 Variety Middle East Filmmaker of the Year. Living in Los Angeles, he plans to continue making both American and international character-driven comedies.
