Halkawt Mustafa

Biography

Halkawt Mustafa is an Iraqi Kurdish filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer born in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. He moved to Norway in 2000, where he studied filmmaking at the Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio (NISS). He made his feature directorial debut with Red Heart (2011), followed by El Clásico (2016), Iraq’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. He later directed the acclaimed documentary Hiding Saddam Hussein (2023). His latest feature, No Paradise If You Are Killed by a Woman (2026), premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. Inspired by true events, the film follows a Kurdish woman searching for her missing sister in ISIS-occupied Mosul. It was selected as Iraq’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.