Karzan Kardozi was born in Kurdistan and left with his family in 1999 due to war and conflict. They settled in Nashville, US, where he studied film directing. In 2010, Karzan graduated from Watkins College of Art, Design & Film with a BA in Film Directing and Cinematography. In 2015, Karzan went back to Kurdistan to make the documentary film "I Want to Live" about the lives of Kurdish refugees from Syria. The film was shot on a small budget of $400. Considered among the leading figures of the Kurdish Independent Cinema, in 2023, Karzan wrote, produced and directed "Where is Gilgamesh?", a film noir based on the Epic of Gilgamesh. The film was shot on location in Kurdistan Region of Iraq with a crew of only seven.