Eddie Arya

Eddie Arya is known for his low budget indie film, Risen, which became an instant favorite at festivals, winning 10 awards and a distribution deal with Vertical Entertainment for a theatrical release in United States, and a worldwide release on VOD platforms.Born on October 29, 1981 in Kabul, Afghanistan, and raised in Sydney, Australia, Arya made his film debut with the indie feature film, “The Navigator,” followed by “The System” – an Australian drama based on the economy and its effect on unemployment. Both films were written, shot, directed, produced, and edited by Arya.Arya’s third feature film, Risen, an American sci-fi thriller which is distributed by Vertical Entertainment for a limited theatrical release in United States and a worldwide release on VOD platforms. Risen became commercially successful and it won many festival awards, including 2 Best Director awards.Arya found his passion for filmmaking at the young age of 7 while staying home most of his childhood and consuming TV and film. He found himself being drawn to behind the scenes, cinematography, sets, character development, and how a story was told to keep an audience engaged. Arya bought his first camera on eBay and started his first feature film “The Navigator” on his 29th birthday. Although Arya felt pressure to become a medical doctor and discouraged to pursue filmmaking, he had other plans in mind, which was to channel his passion to inspire and change lives through the power of storytelling.Working tirelessly for years – not only directing, writing, producing and editing, but also stepping into other roles in design and set production – Arya is now recognized as a passionate independent self-taught filmmaker. He is driven and inspired by other filmmakers who share the same passion and determination as him. Today, Arya helps and shares his knowledge of storytelling with other young filmmakers and has been invited to be a jury member at film festivals.