From an early age, Yosef’s exposure to filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami and the Dardenne brothers gave him the understanding that subject matter in cinema does not have to be driven by entertainment, but also by realistic portraits of a particular society and culture.
After his studies in Film and Philosophy at Toronto’s York University and Humber College, Yosef wrote and directed his fifth short film Der Kandidat, recipient of the prestigious Norman McLaren Award at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2013 and Best International Short Film Award at the Afghanistan Human Rights Film Festival.
Serving as writer, director, cinematographer and camera operator, Yosef spent 19 days shooting Mina Walking (2015) with non-professional actors and heavy improvisation in the busiest of Kabul’s environments. The result is a loose narrative about Afghanistan’s youth issues and intimate portrait of seven days in the life of a young girl and her family.
Mina Walking was selected to have its world premiere at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it screened for 4000 people over a period of 4 days. It was nominated for a Crystal Bear, Best First Feature Award, The Amnesty Film Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize Commendation and the Milos Macourek Award at the 55th Zlin International Film Festival.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
