Nawaf Al-Janahi, is an actor and a film director, who was born in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 7 February 1977. He started acting at 7, and at the age of 19 he moved to California (USA) to study the arts of cinema.

After returning to the UAE, Al-Janahi produced and directed several independent short films which were recognized globally at many well known international film festivals. His last short film, 'Mirrors of Silence', was highly celebrated by film critics and audiences alike, and has been officially selected in over 22 international film festivals around the world, frequently the only film from the United Arab Emirates represented.

His first feature length film, 'The Circle', premiered at the Gulf Film Festival (April 2009) in a spectacular night to an absolute full house of diverse multinational audience, and was described after the screening as "a major turning point in Emirati and Gulf cinema".