Souls In Transit

Director Aida Schlaepfer was born in Baghdad to a Lebanese mother and an Iraqi father, spending her childhood living between her parents' homelands. At the age of 20, she moved to Europe, where she studied German for several years before eventually settling in Switzerland. Although she graduated as a Head of Accounting with a degree in business management, Aida's passion for film and the arts led her to pursue a degree in Art and Media Design from F+F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign in Zurich.

In 2003, she relocated to Egypt to attend the prestigious High Cinema Institute at the Academy of Arts in Cairo, where she earned a master’s degree in film Directing. Aida boasts an impressive portfolio of films and advertisements, including "Shadow Black and White" (2001), "Silent Screening Inside a Woman" (2002), "East and West Dancing" (2003), "Marionette" (2005), an educational film created for the German School in Cairo in 2006, "Gangs of Baghdad" (2007), "Homeland" (2010), "Ana Esmy Mwaten Masry" (My Name is Egyptian Citizen) (2011), "To Be We Also Want to Be" (2013), and "NouN" (2015). Her most recent work, "Souls in Transit," was released in 2021.

"Marionette" received significant acclaim and was screened at numerous film festivals worldwide, including Poland (2006), Houston (2006—Bronze Medal winner), Cairo (National Festival of Cinema; Saqeyat Al Sawee Cultural Center; French and Russian Cultural Centers, 2006; Independent Film Encounter, 2007), France (2007), Berlin (2007), and Tunisia (2007). "Gangs of Baghdad" was showcased at the 11th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards at ArcLight Cinemas in California, USA (2007), as well as at the Russian Cultural Center in Cairo (2008), the French Cultural Center in Cairo (2008), the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai (2008), the Al-Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Qatar (2008), and the Horcynus Festival in Rome (2008). "My Name is Egyptian Citizen" was nominated for Best Short Film at the Al Jazeera International Film Festival in 2012.

"NouN" won Best Arab Film, the Golden Medallion, and received special mention at the 9th Muscat International Film Festival in 2016. It also won Best Film ("Golden Cave") at the Tangier International Film Festival in 2016 and was screened at various festivals globally. "NouN" was broadcast on several television networks, including SRI Swiss Italian TV, LRT Lithuania, RTL Klub Hungary, Suroyo TV Sweden, and Iraqi TV. It was shown in cinemas such as Cinema Iride in Lugano (Switzerland), Cinema Bellaria in Vienna (Austria), GOSFILMOFOND, Cinema Filum, and Illusion Cinema in Moscow (Russia). Additionally, it was presented at the 21st ICO Conference in 2018 in Salzburg, Austria, as well as at multiple universities and conferences around the world.

"Souls in Transit" (2021) is a documentary that qualified for the 95th Academy Awards in 2023, Best Human Rights Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival and has been nominated for the Remi Award at the 56th Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival in 2022. It has been featured at several international film festivals and cinemas.

Festival Programming:
- International Documentary Film Festival, Baghdad (2012)

Film Curator:
- Hurghada Asian Film Festival (2012)
- The 12th Moqavemat International Film Festival

Jury Memberships:
Aida has served on the jury for numerous prestigious film festivals, including:

- The Media School Film Festival, Poland (2005)
- FIDADOC International Documentary Festival, Agadir, Morocco (November 2008)
- Festival du Film Arabe de Bruxelles (2009)
- The Third Jam-e-Jam TV Awards, International Selection (2013)
- 1st Erbil International Film Festival (2014)
- President of the Interreligious Jury at Visions du Réel, Nyon (2015)
- 31st Alexandria Film Festival for Mediterranean Countries (2015)
- 9th Muscat International Film Festival (2016)
- 10th Tangier International Film Festival (2017)
- Damascus Youth Film Festival (2018)
- 8th Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) (2018)
- Global Science Film Festival (2019)
- Sharjah International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFF) (2022)
- Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF) (2023)
- Semaine de la Critique at Locarno Film Festival (2023)
- Saudi Film Festival (2024)
- President of the 6th BICFF (2025)
- President of the Interreligious Jury at 35. FilmFestival Cottbus (2025)

International Representation:
Aida represented Iraq at the Festival of Creative Arab Women in Sousse, Tunisia (2010), where she spoke on "The Impact of Modernity on Creativity: Women in Arab Film."

Lectures:
She delivered a lecture at Lichtspiel, Bern, on the topic: "Arab Cinema: From Youssef Chahine to the Daring Cinema of Tunisia."

Acting Career:
In addition to her film production activities, Aida was the principal actress in the film "Al Haj Nejim," directed by Amer Alwan (2013). The film won the "Prix de Meilleur Film" at the 20th edition of the Festival International du Cinéma d'Auteur de Rabat (2014).

International Observations:
- Member of the International Independent Observer team for the Presidential election in Russia (2018).
- Presented at the 21st ICO Conference (2018) on "The Image of Women in Islam," held in Salzburg, Austria.

Professional Syndicates:
Aida is a member of the following professional associations:
- Professional Syndicate of Swiss and European Filmmakers
- Professional Syndicate of Egyptian Filmmakers
- Professional Syndicate of Iraqi Filmmakers
- Professional Syndicate of Egyptian Critics

Art Exhibitions:
Her paintings have been exhibited in Lebanon, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Egypt.

Leadership and Advocacy:
Aida is the founder and president of the International Arab Film Festival in Zurich. Her personal experiences witnessing the descent of Lebanon and Iraq into war and anarchy have instilled in her a profound understanding of the destructive nature of war—both physically and psychologically. This understanding motivated her to complete a one-year professional training in mediation in Zurich and inspired the creation of her film "Gangs of Baghdad." Above all, Aida aims to bring global attention to the plight of the vulnerable and galvanize action for change through her films.