Cherien Dabis
- Known For
- Directing
- Born
- November 27, 1976 in Omaha, Nebraska
- Active Years
- 2004–2025 (22 Years)
- Total Credits
- 45 credits in database
Biography
Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian-American director, producer, and screenwriter born on November 27, 1976, in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father is Palestinian and her mother is Jordanian, and she spent many of her childhood summers in Jordan. After experiencing racist and Islamophobic incidents when she was fourteen years old, she began wanting to change the portrayal of Arabs in Western media. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in creative writing and communications from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Fine Arts in film from the Columbia University School of the Arts, completing her film studies in 2004. She began her career as a television writer on the series The L Word from 2006 to 2008 and later released the short film Make a Wish, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Variety magazine named her one of the ten directors to watch in 2009, she received a United States Artists Fellowship in 2010, and she received an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding directing for a comedy series in 2022.
Career overview
Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian-American director, producer, and screenwriter who was born on November 27, 1976, in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father is Palestinian and her mother is Jordanian, and she spent many of her childhood summers in Jordan. After experiencing racist and Islamophobic incidents directed at her family when she was fourteen years old, she was motivated to change the portrayal of Arabs in Western media. Dabis earned her bachelor of arts degree with honors in creative writing and communications from the University of Cincinnati and later completed her film studies at the Columbia University School of the Arts in 2004.
Dabis began her professional career as a writer for the television series The L Word from 2006 to 2008. Three years after finishing her studies at Columbia University, she gained recognition with her short film Make a Wish, which was featured at the Sundance Film Festival. Throughout her career, she has accumulated numerous known credits in directing.
Her work has garnered significant professional recognition. In 2009, Variety magazine named her one of its ten directors to watch, and she received a United States Artists Fellowship in 2010. Additionally, she received an Emmy Award nomination in the category of outstanding directing for a comedy series in 2022.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
45 titles- Eagles of the Republic (2025) as Rula Haddad
- All That's Left of You (2025) as Hanan
- All That's Left of You (2025) Director
- All That's Left of You (2025) Writer
- All That's Left of You (2025) Producer
- Fallout (2024) as Birdie
- Extrapolations (2023) as Lina
- Invitation to a Bonfire (2023) Director
- Mo (2022) as Nadia
- Mo (2022) as Nadia Najjar
- Only Murders in the Building (2021) Director
- Little Voice (2020) Director
- Ramy (2019) Director
- This Changes Everything (2019) as Self
- Impulse (2018) Director
- Sweetbitter (2018) Director
- Ozark (2017) Director
- The Sinner (2017) Director
- Empire (2015) Writer
- Empire (2015) Director
- Quantico (2015) Director
- Quantico (2015) Producer
- Quantico (2015) Writer
- May in the Summer (2014) as May
- May in the Summer (2014) Writer
- May in the Summer (2014) Director
- Villa Touma (2014) as Antoinette Touma
- Not Another Word (2013) Director
- Amreeka (2009) Director
- Amreeka (2009) Executive Producer
- Amreeka (2009) Writer
- Make a Wish (2006) Director
- Make a Wish (2006) Writer
- The D Word (2005) Director
- The L Word (2004) Writer
- The L Word (2004) Co-Producer
- The L Word (2004) Staff Writer
- The L Word (2004) Story Editor
- Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother (2004) Writer
- Memoirs of an Evil Stepmother (2004) Director
- Little Black Boot (2004) Writer
- The Fighting Shirley Chisholm Director
- Sharon and My Mother-in-Law Director
- Sharon and My Mother-in-Law Screenplay
- Sharon and My Mother-in-Law Producer
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Cherien Dabis best known for?
Cherien Dabis is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Eagles of the Republic (2025), Fallout (2024), Extrapolations (2023), Mo (2022).
When and where was Cherien Dabis born?
Cherien Dabis was born on November 27, 1976 in Omaha, Nebraska.
How many credits does Cherien Dabis have?
Cherien Dabis has accumulated over 45 film and television credits across a career spanning from 2004 to 2025.
What is Cherien Dabis's background in cinema and television?
Cherien Dabis is a Palestinian-American director, producer, and screenwriter born on November 27, 1976, in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father is Palestinian and her mother is Jordanian, and she spent many of her childhood summers in Jordan. After experiencing racist and Islamophobic incidents when she was fourteen years old, ...
Cherien Dabis by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Fallout (2024) as Birdie — aged about 47
- Mo (2022) as Nadia — aged about 45
- Mo (2022) as Nadia Najjar — aged about 45
- Eagles of the Republic (2025) as Rula Haddad — aged about 48
- Extrapolations (2023) as Lina — aged about 46
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