Biography

Sulayman "Lay" Tahir is an award-winning Philadelphia filmmaker whose work blends psychological tension, genre-bending world building, and emotional truth. His sci-fi/horror film Peripheral won Best Picture at ABFF, earned Best Director at the Oscar Micheaux Film Festival, and is currently streaming on BET+, cementing his reputation as a striking new voice in modern genre cinema. Known for crafting atmospheric, character-driven stories that merge the grounded with the surreal, Lay continues to expand his slate of films and series while shaping a distinct visual and narrative style that bridges intimacy, myth, and momentum.
- IMDb mini biography by: Niema Dunbar