Joe Balass

Who is Joe Balass?

Joe Balass is an Iraqi Canadian film maker.

Of Jewish heritage, Balass is most known for Nana, George and Me, which is an autobiographical video by a young, gay Iraqi Jewish filmmaker who takes a charmingly unconventional look at three Iraqi Jewish lives; that of the filmmaker, his 92-year-old Nana and his 73-year-old friend, George. It was screened at the Castro Theatre.

Balass escaped from Iraq with his family at age four, and eventually settled in Canada. He has previously worked as a freelance editor, photographer and producer. He has directed a number of short films and videos including; Funhouse, Caroline, Tattoo Needle Pricks, and On a Very Violet Night in the Apartements Daphne, which won a Golden Apple Award at the New England Film & Video Festival