I have gathered a significant amount of information about Faraz Shariat, including his birth year and place, his educational background, and his Iranian-German heritage. I have details about his career, particularly the success of his debut feature film “No Hard Feelings” (“Futur Drei”), and his work with the Jünglinge film collective. I also found information about the autobiographical nature of his work, including the real-life event that inspired “No Hard Feelings.” The names of his parents and their involvement in his film are also noted.
I have information on the themes he explores, his artistic style, and his focus on queer, feminist, and anti-racist narratives. I have a good list of his awards, especially the Teddy Award for “No Hard Feelings.”
However, I lack specific details on the following:
His exact date of birth (only the year is available).
His net worth (which is common for many artists).
His current relationship status (husband/wife or gf/bf).
Details about his social media following (number of followers/subscribers).
* Any specific public controversies.
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Brief Introduction of Faraz Shariat
Faraz Shariat is a prominent German-Iranian film director, screenwriter, and producer who has quickly emerged as a significant voice in contemporary German cinema. Born in Cologne, Germany, in 1994, Shariat is celebrated for his deeply personal and politically charged films that explore the intersections of queer identity, migration, and racial politics. He is best known for his critically acclaimed debut feature film, “Futur Drei” (“No Hard Feelings”), a semi-autobiographical work that premiered at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival and won the prestigious Teddy Award for best LGBTQ-themed feature film. Shariat is also a co-founder of the Jünglinge film collective, a Berlin-based group dedicated to creating queer, feminist, and anti-racist content that challenges mainstream narratives through a pop-culture-inflected lens. His work is characterized by its bold visual style, emotional honesty, and commitment to centering the complex experiences of second-generation immigrants and queer people of color.
Faraz Shariat Overview
| Full Name | Faraz Shariat |
| Date of Birth | 1994 |
| Age(as of 2025) | 31 |
| Birthplace | Cologne, Germany |
| Profession | Film Director, Screenwriter, Producer |
| Husband/Wife | Information not disclosed |
| Family | Nasser Shariat (Father), Mashid Shariat (Mother) |
| Relationship/Affairs(GF/BF) | Not publicly available |
| Net Worth | Not publicly available |
Early Life and Education of Faraz Shariat
Faraz Shariat was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1994, to Iranian parents who had fled their home country. Growing up in what he describes as the “hybrid cultures of post-migrant Germany,” Shariat’s upbringing as a second-generation immigrant profoundly shaped his worldview and artistic sensibilities. His family’s history of migration, with his parents having arrived in Germany around 1979, became a central theme that he would later explore in his work. Before venturing into filmmaking, Shariat gained his initial experiences in the performing arts through acting and directing at the Schauspiel Köln. He also created video installations for the Staatstheater Hannover. For his higher education, Shariat enrolled at the University of Hildesheim, where he studied dramatic and cultural arts. It was during his time at university that he, along with Paulina Lorenz and Raquel Dukpa (née Molt), co-founded the Jünglinge film collective. The collective was born out of their shared academic engagement with queer studies, post-colonialism, and feminist theory, and their desire to translate these critical perspectives into film. This academic foundation provided Shariat with a theoretical framework to analyze and articulate his personal experiences with identity, otherness, and systemic racism in Germany.
Faraz Shariat’s Career
Faraz Shariat’s filmmaking career is distinguished by its rapid ascent and critical success, firmly establishing him as a vital new voice in German and international queer cinema. His work is deeply rooted in his personal experiences as a gay, second-generation Iranian-German, and he uses film as a medium for activism and political storytelling. The foundation of his professional career is intrinsically linked to the Jünglinge film collective, which he co-founded with Paulina Lorenz and Raquel Molt. This collective champions queer, feminist, and anti-racist filmmaking, aiming to create “activist popcorn cinema” that is both politically incisive and accessible to a broad audience. Together, they developed Shariat’s debut feature film, “Futur Drei,” internationally titled “No Hard Feelings.” The film is a semi-autobiographical story about Parvis, a young, openly gay son of Iranian exiles living in Germany. The plot was directly inspired by Shariat’s own life; after being caught shoplifting at age 19, he was sentenced to community service as a Farsi translator in a refugee shelter in 2015. This experience of confronting his own privilege as a German-born citizen in relation to newly arrived refugees became the catalyst for the film’s narrative. “No Hard Feelings” premiered to widespread acclaim at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020, where it won the prestigious Teddy Award for Best Queer Feature Film and the Teddy Readers’ Award. The film was lauded for its vibrant aesthetic, its tender and explicit portrayal of queer love and sexuality, and its nuanced exploration of identity, belonging, and the complexities of the migrant experience in contemporary Germany. Even Shariat’s own parents, Nasser and Mashid Shariat, play the protagonist’s parents in the film, further blurring the line between fiction and autobiography. Following the success of his debut, Shariat has expanded his work into television, directing episodes for the acclaimed German series “Druck” (the German adaptation of “Skam”) and the HBO/Sky horror-comedy series “The Baby” in 2022. He has also been involved in producing other projects, such as the series “Schwarze Früchte.” As of early 2026, he is developing his next feature film, “Staatsschutz,” which delves into the themes of far-right violence and institutional racism in Germany. Through his work with Jünglinge, Shariat continues to develop multiple feature films and series, aiming to challenge the conventions of the film industry by centering marginalized perspectives.
Faraz Shariat Personal Life & Family
Faraz Shariat’s personal life is deeply interwoven with his artistic work, providing the foundational experiences for his most acclaimed projects. Born in 1994 in Cologne, he is the son of Iranian parents, Nasser and Mashid Shariat, who fled Iran and settled in Germany. Their story of migration and establishing a new life for their family is a recurring theme and a source of inspiration for his films. In a move that highlights the personal nature of his filmmaking, Shariat cast his own parents to play the parents of the protagonist in his debut feature, “No Hard Feelings.” Shariat is openly gay, and his identity as a queer man of color in Germany is central to his storytelling. He explores the nuances of this identity with radical honesty, from the joys of queer community and club culture to the experiences of racism within the gay dating scene. Much of the narrative of “No Hard Feelings” is autobiographical, stemming from his own adolescence and a pivotal experience where a conviction for shoplifting led to community service in a refugee center. This event forced him to confront his own identity and privilege in relation to newly arrived refugees from his parents’ homeland. While Shariat is very open about his identity and family background as it pertains to his work, he maintains a private stance on his romantic relationships. Information regarding a husband, wife, or current partner (gf/bf) is not publicly available. He lives and works in Berlin, where the Jünglinge film collective is based.
Awards and Achievements of Faraz Shariat
- Teddy Award for Best Feature Film for “Futur Drei” (No Hard Feelings) at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival.
- Teddy Readers’ Award for “Futur Drei” at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival.
- First Steps Award for Best Feature Film for “Futur Drei” in 2019.
- Guild of German Art House Cinemas Prize for “Junges Kino” (Young Cinema) for “Futur Drei” in 2020.
- CIVIS CINEMA AWARD in 2021 for “Futur Drei”.
- Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at Outfest 2020 for “No Hard Feelings”.
- Best First Feature at Inside Out LGBT Film Festival 2020 for “No Hard Feelings”.
- Nominated for Best First Feature at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival for “Futur Drei”.
- Became a member of the European Film Academy in May 2023.
Faraz Shariat Net Worth and Income
Information regarding Faraz Shariat’s specific net worth and income sources is not publicly available. As a film director, screenwriter, and producer, his income is primarily derived from his work on feature films, television series, and projects developed through his production company, Jünglinge Film. The critical and commercial success of his debut film “No Hard Feelings” likely contributed significantly to his financial standing. He also earns income from directing television episodes for major networks like HBO and Sky. However, as an independent filmmaker focused on activist and artist-led projects, his financial motivations appear to be secondary to his creative and political goals. There are no verified public estimates of the Faraz Shariat net worth.
Legacy and Influence
Faraz Shariat has already carved out a significant legacy as a transformative voice in German cinema, despite his relatively young career. His primary influence lies in his unapologetic centering of queer, post-migrant narratives, bringing stories to the screen that have long been marginalized in mainstream European media. Through “No Hard Feelings,” Shariat challenged the often one-dimensional portrayal of immigrants as either victims or perpetrators, instead presenting complex, flawed, and fully realized human characters who experience joy, desire, and community. He is considered a pioneer in what can be termed “post-migrant” cinema, moving beyond simple stories of arrival and integration to explore the nuanced realities of second and third-generation individuals navigating hybrid identities. His work actively pushes back against a white, heteronormative gaze, creating a cinematic language that is vibrant, pop-infused, and politically charged. Shariat and the Jünglinge collective’s commitment to “activist popcorn cinema” demonstrates a desire to bridge the gap between arthouse and mainstream, making political films that are both entertaining and culturally resonant. By attracting a younger, more diverse audience to cinemas, he has proven that there is a significant market for these stories. His influence extends to his collaborative and community-oriented approach to filmmaking, working to dismantle hierarchical structures within the industry. He is often cited as part of a new wave of filmmakers who are redefining what a “German” story can be, paving the way for a more inclusive and representative national cinema.
Interesting Facts about Faraz Shariat
- The plot of his debut film, “No Hard Feelings,” is based on his real-life experience of being sentenced to community service in a refugee shelter after being caught shoplifting a Givenchy sweater.
- He cast his own parents, Mashid and Nasser Shariat, to play the parents of the protagonist in “No Hard Feelings.”
- He co-founded the Jünglinge film collective with Paulina Lorenz and Raquel Dukpa while they were all students of cultural studies at the University of Hildesheim.
- An old home video of a young Shariat dancing in a Sailor Moon costume is featured in the opening scene of “No Hard Feelings,” emphasizing the film’s deep autobiographical roots.
- He considers himself as much an activist as a filmmaker, using his work to address systemic issues like racism, which he describes as “a tool that structures our entire society.”
- For his films, he makes a conscious political choice to use multiple languages, with “No Hard Feelings” being roughly sixty percent in Farsi, to reflect the linguistic reality of many migrant communities in Germany.
Controversies
There are no widely reported public controversies involving Faraz Shariat. His work is intentionally political and challenges societal norms, particularly concerning queer sexuality and racism in Germany, which can be seen as provocative. However, this has generally been met with critical discussion and acclaim rather than public scandal. Shariat’s open critique of institutional racism within the film industry and German society is a core part of his public persona as an activist-filmmaker, but this has not led to any notable controversies.
Social Media Presence
Information on Faraz Shariat’s social media following is not consistently archived or publicly prioritized. While he maintains a presence on platforms like Instagram, specific follower counts are subject to frequent change and are not considered a primary metric of his professional standing.
- Instagram – Not publicly available
- Twitter – Not publicly available
- YouTube – Not publicly available
Final Words about Faraz Shariat
Faraz Shariat stands as a formidable and essential filmmaker in the landscape of modern European cinema. Through his deeply personal yet universally resonant storytelling, he has powerfully articulated the complex, intersectional experiences of being queer and of Iranian descent in Germany. His debut, “No Hard Feelings,” was not just a film but a cultural statement, one that announced the arrival of a director unafraid to blend pop aesthetics with profound political inquiry. His continued work, both in film and television, promises to further dissect and challenge the societal structures of racism and heteronormativity. As the creative force behind the Jünglinge collective, Shariat is not only building a remarkable filmography but is also fostering a community and a platform for other marginalized voices. His legacy will likely be defined by his success in making the personal political, and in crafting a new, more inclusive visual language for the future of German film.
