Zaven Najjar

Biography

  • Illustrator, Motion

    Zaven Najjar is an illustrator and director of Lebanese origin based in Paris. He studied animation at the Ecole des Arts Déco de Paris (ENSAD) then cinema at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Since then, Zaven has designed images and produced animated films with vivid colours and clear shapes. In 2013, he made himself known on the web with his illustration series Rapposters, declined in clothing collection with the brand Quatre Cent Quinze. He also creates prints of his personal illustrations and for advertising campaigns and a lot of artwork for series, films, and documentaries. He has notably worked for the Institut du Monde Arabe, the Grand Palais, Cinema Paradiso and Canal+ but also Roger Dubuis, Moet & Chandon and Sofitel. In 2015 he released his first animated short film “Un Obus Partout” produced by Caïmans Productions with Arte, which won several festival awards, including a special mention at the Cabourg Festival. In 2016, he directed the opening credits of “Demain tout commence”, a film by Hugo Gélin, starring Omar Sy and Clémence Poésy. He is currently directing his first feature film « Allah n’est pas obligé » adapted from the eponymous novel by Ahmadou Kourouma, while at the same time providing artistic direction for another feature film in development, « La Sirène » by Sepideh Farsi.