About Us
Founded in 2016 by Sarah Kaskas and Liliane Rahal, Karaaj Films produces independent fiction and documentary films that focus on topics of identity and social injustice in marginalized communities.
Sarah Kaskas
https://vimeo.com/user5465556
Filmmaker, Emmy-Nominated Producer, Film Educator, Music Composer, Co-Founder
Sarah Kaskas is an award-winning Lebanese/American filmmaker, an Emmy Nominated producer and film educator. Focusing on the struggles and perseverance of marginalized communities, Sarah’s films have been touring world renowned festivals such as Tribeca, Aspen Shortsfest, Odense International and Hollyshorts. In 2016, Sarah co-founded Karaaj Films released “Bread and Tea” which premiered and won Best Short Documentary at Cinéma Vérité. Her feature documentary “Underdown” premiered at IDFA in 2018 and picked up 5 awards including the Grand Prix at Mediteran Film Festival and the Jury Prize at Malmö Arab Film Festival. Her short documentary “STRUCK” and short fiction “The Window” were both completed in 2021, the latter of which won Best Cinematography at Imagine This Women’s Film Festival and Best Narrative Short at Arab Film Festival. In 2022, she produced “Beirut Dreams in Color,” which received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Short Documentary. Sarah is currently based in Qatar where she is an Assistant Professor in Residence at Northwestern University.
Music Composer:
Sarah is a multi-instrumentalist composer working on film scores and her solo musical project Wanderland.
She received a nomination for Best Original Film Score at the Festival International du Film d’Aubagne in 2017 for her work on Bread and Tea and is the music composer of She’s Swimming (2025), Underdown (2018) & STRUCK (2021).
In 2020, Sarah released her debut album Time Knows Better under her solo project Wanderland and was featured on the compilation album Beirut 20_21, produced by Beirut Music and Beyond and supported by SACEM.
https://vimeo.com/user5465556
Filmmaker, Emmy-Nominated Producer, Film Educator, Music Composer, Co-Founder
Sarah Kaskas is an award-winning Lebanese/American filmmaker, an Emmy Nominated producer and film educator. Focusing on the struggles and perseverance of marginalized communities, Sarah’s films have been touring world renowned festivals such as Tribeca, Aspen Shortsfest, Odense International and Hollyshorts. In 2016, Sarah co-founded Karaaj Films released “Bread and Tea” which premiered and won Best Short Documentary at Cinéma Vérité. Her feature documentary “Underdown” premiered at IDFA in 2018 and picked up 5 awards including the Grand Prix at Mediteran Film Festival and the Jury Prize at Malmö Arab Film Festival. Her short documentary “STRUCK” and short fiction “The Window” were both completed in 2021, the latter of which won Best Cinematography at Imagine This Women’s Film Festival and Best Narrative Short at Arab Film Festival. In 2022, she produced “Beirut Dreams in Color,” which received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Short Documentary. Sarah is currently based in Qatar where she is an Assistant Professor in Residence at Northwestern University.
Music Composer:
Sarah is a multi-instrumentalist composer working on film scores and her solo musical project Wanderland.
She received a nomination for Best Original Film Score at the Festival International du Film d’Aubagne in 2017 for her work on Bread and Tea and is the music composer of She’s Swimming (2025), Underdown (2018) & STRUCK (2021).
In 2020, Sarah released her debut album Time Knows Better under her solo project Wanderland and was featured on the compilation album Beirut 20_21, produced by Beirut Music and Beyond and supported by SACEM.
Liliane Rahal
Producer, co-founder
Liliane Rahal is a Lebanese producer and filmmaker, and co-founder of Karaaj Films, an award-winning company focused on identity and social injustice. She co-directed the short documentary Bread and Tea, which won Best Short Documentary at Cinéma Vérité (Iran, 2016). In 2018, she produced the feature documentary Underdown, which premiered at IDFA and earned five awards at international festivals. Liliane also produced the short fiction The Window (2022), which won Best Picture at Imagine This Women’s Film Festival (New York) and Best Short Narrative at AFMI (San Francisco). She recently directed her debut short documentary, She’s Swimming, which won the Bronze Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival (December 2025).
