Our Founder
Azita Ghanizada is an Afghan American actress, writer, producer, and cultural advocate whose journey from political asylum seeker to working artist in Hollywood has helped reshape representation for Middle Eastern and North African creatives.
As one of the first women from Afghanistan to star in a U.S. television series, and on Broadway, Ghanizada has built a career spanning film, television, and theater, working alongside Academy Award–winning and nominated artists, including Rachel Weisz, Mahershala Ali, David Strathairn, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, and Casey Affleck. Her work has been recognized by Sundance, where she was named one of the Seven Breakout Actresses You Must Know for her performance in Complete Unknown.
Beyond her on-screen career, Ghanizada is the Founder and President of the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC), launched in 2017 to address systemic exclusion and misclassification of MENA creatives in the entertainment industry. Under her leadership, MAAC played a central role in the historic introduction of the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) designation into the 2017 SAG-AFTRA theatrical contracts—establishing a long-overdue labor and representation category and setting a precedent for institutional change across Hollywood.
Through MAAC, Ghanizada has built pipelines, industry partnerships, and acceleration programs that connect MENA writers, actors, directors, and executives to meaningful access, mentorship, and opportunity. Her advocacy work—along with her widely viewed TEDx Talk—has contributed to ongoing conversations around equity, authorship, and cultural accuracy in global storytelling.
In recent years, Ghanizada’s work has expanded to include thoughtful dialogue around health, resilience, and self-trust, informed by her personal journey through breast cancer. She brings the same rigor, honesty, and accountability to these conversations as she does to her advocacy—creating spaces that center clarity, dignity, and long-term sustainability, particularly for women navigating high-pressure industries.
She has served as the Chair for SAG-AFTRA National MENA Committee, the National Welcome Council for refugees on behalf of Welcome US, and as an Ambassador to Women for Women International, supporting global efforts to aid women facing oppression, famine, and gender-based violence, with a focus primarily on Afghanistan.
Azita Ghanizada
Actress, Producer, Speaker