Born in the UK, Naji Abu Nowar began his filmmaking career when he was accepted into the 2005 RAWI Screenwriters lab held in association with the Sundance Institute, to develop his first screenplay Shakoush (Hammer). He then wrote and directed the short film Death of a Boxer (2009) which screened at international film festivals including the Palm Springs International Shortfest, the Dubai International Film Festival, the Miami Short Film Festival and the Franco-Arab Film Festival. Theeb is Naji's debut feature film. Abu Nowar has been added to the list of members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was also named 2014 Filmmaker of the Year by Variety magazine.