Saman Mustefa was born in 1996 in Kurdistan, Iraq. From a young age, he developed a passion for acting, initially participating in home videos directed by his brother, the award-winning filmmaker Sahim Omar Kalifa. While deeply passionate about acting, Saman was hindered by the limited opportunities in the Kurdish film industry. His insatiable desire to pursue acting regularly led him to create his own films, marking the beginning of his journey as a filmmaker.
Saman has appeared in numerous films by renowned Kurdish and European directors. His standout performance in the short film Aforoz earned him the Best Actor award at the Internacional de Cine de Galdar in Spain in 2022.
In addition to acting, Saman has written, produced, and directed six short films. His most recent work, IDO, received nominations at various international film festivals in 2021, and won "Best Short Film" at the Australia International Short Film Festival, as well as the "Best Short Film Award" at the Kurdish Film Festival in Berlin.
Saman is also a key figure in the Kurdish film industry as the representative of Mitosfilm in the Kurdistan Region, the Storyline Manager (Duhok office), and the coordinator for the Duhok International Film Festival. Furthermore, he is an actor represented by Karen Cifarelli Talent Consulting (Germany).