Biography

Hayder Rothschild Hoozeer is a BAFTA-winning / Academy Award® (OSCARS®) Shortlisted film producer and founder of WHO'S HERE? PRODUCTIONS. He champions cinematic stories of wonder, inspiration, and how adversity shapes us. His acclaimed short Rock, Paper, Scissors embodies his commitment to culturally defining filmmaking that challenges perception and influences how we understand the world.

Surviving trauma from abuse and abandonment as a child & homelessness as a youth, Hayder is inspired by how people's lives impact their sense of self & perspective and how using film as escapism can help those enduring hardships. His focus is on exploring complex relationships & multifaceted characters, challenging audiences' everyday perspectives.

Hayder is currently developing and producing a slate of feature projects under WHO’S HERE? PRODUCTIONS, with a focus on ambitious storytelling designed for global audiences. The company focus is prestige drama and elevated genre.

A recipient of the BAFTA Kirsh Scholarship (2020-2022) and the Toledo Scholarship, awarded by renowned producer and former BAFTA Chairman Duncan Kenworthy, Hayder completed an MA in Producing Fiction at the National Film & Television School in February 2023.

His breakout short Rock, Paper, Scissors, directed by Franz Böhm and produced at the National Film and Television School, won the BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film in 2025 and was shortlisted for the 98th Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short. The film sustained visibility across two awards cycles, received wartime commendation from the Office of the President of Ukraine, and was screened internationally with the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office as part of the United Kingdom’s cultural diplomacy initiatives. Covered by Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, and Screen Daily, it demonstrated rare global reach for a short film, securing multiple Oscar- and BAFTA-qualifying selections, generating significant audience demand, and continuing to be used in UK schools and referenced in university research, including at Stanford University.

His earlier short Sayeh (Shadow) had its World Premiere at the Academy Award®-qualifying ShortShorts Film Festival in Japan, where it was nominated for the Audience Award. It was also selected for the Academy Award®-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival and BronzeLens Film Festival.

Before NFTS, Hayder worked across feature films and high-end television dramas, including Blue Story, Brian & Charles, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and County Lines. He built his career from runner and driver to production coordinator and manager, later producing short films, music promos, and commercials as he transitioned fully into independent producing.
- IMDb mini biography by: Solomon R.

Storytelling shapes how we see the world and each other; its power reaches beyond the screen. It transforms lives. To the dreamers who find escapism in cinema, this is for you. And to those who need to hear it, you make the world a better place. - 2025 BAFTA Film Awards Acceptance Speech