Daniela Stephan is a Lebanese writer-director based between London and Beirut. Having grown up in Lebanon, she is drawn to coming of age stories and the ways political events shape intimate lives. Her work often explores the tension between personal desires and larger historical realities .Her latest short film, The Sun Sets on Beirut (2022), screened internationally at festivals including the Oscar-qualifying Tampere Film Festival, Winterthur Kurzfilmtage, Marche du Film Cannes, and is now available on Short of the Week. Her previous short, MummyBlue (2019), also screened internationally and received several awards.Daniela is currently developing her debut feature film, Underbelly, a coming-of-age story set in Beirut in the months leading up to the 2006 war. The project is currently in development and has participated in programmes including the Red Sea Lodge 2026, and has been shortlisted for Torino Film Lab and the BFI Feature Film Fund. Alongside the feature, Daniela is developing Jellyfish, a short film set during the recent war in Lebanon, produced by Road2Films and Les Films de l’Altaï. The project was developed through the Doha Film Institute Short Film Lab and was shortlisted for the CNC Aide avant réalisation. Daniela has also been selected to serve on the International Shorts Jury at the Marrakech Short Film Festival 2026.