Shawkat Amin Korki was born in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1973. To join his family, he was forced by Iraqi militia to flee to Iran where he stayed until 1999. During his years in Iran and afterwards when he returned to Iraqi Kurdistan, he began to work for the theatre, television and cinema. His short films, made between 1997 and 2005, have been presented at many international festivals to excellent reception and have won several awards. In 2002, he helped organise the first Erbil Short Film Festival. Crossing The Dust, his first feature film, was shown at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam in 2007.