Azita Ghanizada(I)

Azita Ghanizada is a political refugee and asylum seeker who has broken many cultural barriers in Hollywood. She has worked consistently on film and TV, holding her own opposite Academy Award winners and nominees such as Rachel Weisz, Mahershala Ali, David Strathairn, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, and Casey Affleck. In 2016, she was named one of the "Seven Sundance Breakout Actresses You Must Know" alongside Jenny Slate and Riley Keough, for her work in the 2016 film "Complete Unknown." On television, she has appeared on several hit TV shows, including CBS's "United States of Al," HBO's "Ballers," Freeform's "Good Trouble," and Syfy's "Alphas." In 2022, she became the first woman from Afghanistan on Broadway in her Broadway debut in "The Kite Runner" at The Helen Hayes Theater. She most recently appeared as Rosalyn Noori in the highly anticipated "SUITS LA" spinoff. She will next be seen opposite William Fichtner, JD Padro and Cameron Monaghan in the "Bosch" prequel, "Start of Watch", for MGM+.

Azita is also the Founder and President of the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC). She launched MAAC after lobbying to add the first new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion hiring category to a labor contract in 37 years. The Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), or MENASA when including South Asian performers, was added to the SAG-AFTRA theatrical agreements in 2017. Azita is a TED Speaker, has served as the SAG-AFTRA National MENA Committee Chair, and is a Global Ambassador to Women for Women International, championing women's rights globally.