Saman Giraud

Laurence

Saman is an international award winning actress having won the ‘Best Actress’ for her performance in her first short film M4-My Many Married Men, at the Delhi Shorts International Film Festival 2016. Her portrayal of Valerie in M4 also won her the ‘Honorable Jury Mention’ at the Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival 2016 and the Awardeo Award.

Saman was born in Vienna, Austria to Iranian parents and grew up trilingual. She spent the majority of her childhood living in her parent’s art gallery where she was surrounded by art and music. She started acting at the age of thirteen at the Studio Molière in Vienna where she played the male leading role in Die Schlimmen Buben in der Schule by Johann Nestroy under the direction of Susanne Pollak.

In 2007 when she finished her studies in Theatre and Film Science at the University of Vienna, she moved to New York to attend the acclaimed Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute where she studied under the direction of the late Irma Sandrey and Robert Ellerman. Saman remained in NYC for seven years to work on several US-independent films, various art projects and music videos. Film credits include The Museum of Emotions, Hamartia, Jasmine and Trugbilder.

Saman discovered her talent as a screenwriter with her short film M4 – My Many Married Men which was picked by the Hollywood Entertainment Magazine “The Wrap” as one of “12 crowdfunded projects shooting for success”.

Last year, she starred in the European Premiere of Ayad Akhtar’s The Who and the What under the direction of Joanna Godwin-Seidl at Theater Drachengasse and can soon be seen in David Schalko’s new TV Series M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder, an ORF/RTL production.