Born in the Swabian city of Ludwigsburg and raised in the small Franconian commune of Oberkotzau.

Lived in Germany. Learned in Umbria and California. Heart in Palestine.

Yousef Khafaja is a film director, writer, actor, and student activist interested in social justice and religious dialogue. His projects center around making audiences rethink world issues and bringing people, cultures, and religions together. He wants to focus his work not only on Palestinian liberation but collective liberation and tell the stories of oppressed people from all around the world. Yousef himself was born a stateless Palestinian refugee in Germany. He is fluent in Arabic, German, and English, as well as proficient in French and Italian.

Yousef Khafaja - Director, Screenwriter & Actor

A smiling young man wearing a blue graduation cap and gown, with a black and white keffiyeh scarf, at a graduation ceremony outdoors with seated attendees in the background.

My Films

Director & Writer, 2024 - Pyramids

Director & Writer, 2026 - Black Vans & Worry Dolls

Other Experience

Production Assistant, 2023 - Relish Man dir. Daniel Young

Director’s Assistant, Drone Operator & Editor, 2023 - Die Glocke der Santa Chiara dir. Clemens Klopfenstein (Germany/Italy)

2nd Assistant Camera, 2023 - Deuces dir. Ibrahim Ahmed

Cinematographer, 2023 - Reality 101 Failure dir. Genevieve Erickson

Grip, 2024 - Rumours (Fashion Sizzle) dir. Mauricio Cimino

Cinematographer, 2024 - Sunny & Matt dir. Trelas Dyson IV

2nd Assistant Director, 2025 - Empty Lands dir. Karim ElDin ElAlfy

Production Assistant, 2025 - A Cinema’s Groove (Commercial) dir. Amirah Adem

Script Supervisor, 2025 - Pizzamania (Commercial) dir. Quinn Winchell

2nd Assistant Director, 2026 - Baby Girl Blue dir. Alana Morris

Two men in a backyard, one on the lawn crawling forward and the other at a grill, with the text "Relish Man" over the image.
A person with curly brown hair is seen from behind, standing outdoors with a backpack, looking towards a blue pyramid-shaped building in the distance, with outdoor seating and umbrellas around.
Black and white poster for the film "Empty Hands" by Karim Eldin Elalfy, featuring a family portrait of six members, with three women and three children, with a man in a suit in the center, set against a plain background.
A couple embracing in front of a mural depicting a man and woman holding hands, with the phrase 'A HOME FIND A HOME' repeated below.
A person wearing sunglasses and a long white robe, standing on grassy terrain with trees in the background, appearing in a negative image.

Production Assistant, 2023 - Paper or Plastic? dir. Karim ElDin ElAlfy

Acting Experience

Three men in military uniforms sitting and standing on an old military vehicle outdoors with trees and houses in the background.
A young man with dark curly hair and a mustache standing outside a glass door with a sign that says "Automatic Caution Door," and a blue wheelchair accessibility sign on the door.
Two men are on camera in front of a turquoise wall with arched windows, wearing matching blue polo shirts with a logo, looking slightly off-camera.
A man in a 1940s military uniform standing in front of a green screen outdoors, with a rural area and a barrel in the background.
Black and white photo of a young man with curly hair, wearing a suit and white shirt, sitting and looking to his right, with a woman partially visible on the left, in an indoor setting with a chair and towels hanging in the background.
A young man with curly dark hair and a mustache holding a camera, standing outdoors near pink flowers and trees, with a school or office building in the background.

GRIN, 2024 (California State University, Long Beach) dir. Angel Acosta

Shot Through The Heart, 2024 (California State University, Long Beach) dir. Alana Morris

Siraj Academy, 2025 (Chapman University) creat. Kareem Soussan

A Secret Conversation,
2025 (University of California, Los Angeles) dir. Maria Paula Ávila Vera

Empty Lands, 2025 (University of Southern California) dir. Karim ElDin ElAlfy