Firas Abou Fakher is a BAFTA-winning composer, producer, and music industry executive who has established himself as a central figure in modern Arab indie culture and global film scoring. A Voting Member of the Recording Academy (The Grammys), he currently serves as Vice President of Universal Music MENA, bridging artistic innovation with audience growth across the region.
Originally trained in architecture at the American University of Beirut, he gained global recognition as a co-founder, composer, guitarist, and keyboardist for the groundbreaking band Mashrou' Leila, shaping the musical identity of one of the region's most influential indie rock groups across five studio albums. Over more than a decade, his work helped reshape the region's sonic identity and garnered critical acclaim across major global music platforms and international stages.
Building on his foundation in music production, Abou Fakher expanded his creative practice into screen composition, sound design, and executive production, bridging contemporary musical scoring with complex narrative storytelling across global screen media. In 2024, his scoring work achieved prestigious international recognition when he was awarded the BAFTA for his original score on the high-profile BBC documentary feature THE SHAMIMA BEGUM STORY.
This milestone highlighted his mastery of narrative tension through sound, building on his composition work for major international television and documentary projects, including BBC'S LOUIS THEROUX: THE SETTLERS, as well as festival-selected short films such as SOUDADE KAADAN's Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning AZIZA, Raed Alsemari's Sundance winner DUNYA'S DAY, Henri Bassil's LOVE, and Dania Bdeir’s acclaimed short KALEIDOSCOPE.
Beyond traditional film, he has also composed soundscapes for immersive installations like the virtual reality experience AVRA, as well as short-form documentary series for global brands and institutions like Apple and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
In addition to his work as a composer, Abou Fakher has proven to be a dynamic force behind the camera and within narrative development. In 2019, he co-founded Last Floor Productions alongside long-time friends Nasri Atallah and Daniel Habib. Last Floor Productions became an innovative creative banner dedicated to crafting genre-focused film and television projects tailored for regional and international audiences.
Under this banner, he helped spearhead, produce, and score successful original series such as AL SHAK and FIXER for streaming platforms like Shahid, as well as the horror comedy short IT GETS DARKER — which won the Best Horror award at the Seoul International Short Film Festival and the Jury Prize for Best International Horror at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival — demonstrating a commitment to elevating Arab storytelling on a global scale.
