Izer Aliu

Izer Aliu (born 1982) is a Norwegian-Macedonian director and screenwriter. He is most well known for his 2016 debut feature film, Hunting Flies. He wrote and directed TV series Countrymen and a second feature film, 12 Dares , while a third feature film is under way .

Early life and education Izer Aliu, who is of Albanian descent, was born in Macedonia in 1982. He moved to Sweden when he was two years old, and grew up mostly in Norway and Sweden, later becoming a Norwegian citizen.

Career Iliu's first short film, made as a student for exam purposes, among others.

His next short film was The Good Life, Over There , which was nominated for the Amanda.

In 2018 Aliu made a short film, Crazy Love , produced by frequent collaborator Khalid Maimouni. In this film, a man pretends to be mad in order to scare his neighbours in his small village, and then moves to the city to do the same thing. After being screened at Canneseries, Countrymen was broadcast on NRK in October 2021. The film, a comedy drama, is a Swedish-Norwegian co-production, produced by Lizette Jonjic of Zentropa Sweden, Maria Ekerhovd of Mer Film, and Khalid Maimouni of Storyline. Its title derives from the plotline: a 16-year-old boy in Sweden has to do 12 dares to prove his loyalty to his friends.

Aliu's third feature film, 4 Guys and a Bag, is in post-production.

He says that what challenges him most in filmmaking is balancing his "need to be impulsive and improvise based on the surroundings" with the lengthy and meticulous planning needed to make a film. Winner, Amanda Award for Best Direction Winner, BUSTER Award for Best Children's Film Nominated, Nordic Council Film Prize 2021: Special Interpretation Prize (for the whole cast) and the High School Prize for Best Series (voted by students from local lycées) at Canneseries, for Countrymen 2021: Countrymen is selected as one of the best international series released that year 2022: Nominated (one of five) for the Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize for outstanding screenwriting of a Nordic drama series

Personal life Aliu has two children.

He is an avid gamer, and proud of his achievements in Hearthstone and World of Warcraft TBC expansion.