Will Niava is an Ivorian-Ghanaian film director and screenwriter based in Montreal, working across West Africa, the United States, and Canada. Born in Abidjan in 1992 and raised in Ghana, he studied at Concordia University’s Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema, where documentary training shaped a preference for raw observation, non-actors, and rhythmically edited visuals. His short Zoo (2019–2020) became a Vimeo Staff Pick, entered the Criterion Collection/Channel, and earned a Cinéfest Sudbury audience-choice shorts runner-up among a wide festival run. Element won Best Short in the “Rebels with a Cause” program at Tallinn Black Nights 2023. Jazz Infernal (2025) played TIFF Short Cuts, made TIFF’s Canada’s Top Ten, and won the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. He co-wrote the feature Paradise with Oscar-nominated director Jérémy Comte. Evidenced commercial work includes Orange (“All Connected”), NBA (“Giants Make Us Tall”), Amazon/Amazon Music (Billie Eilish Amazon Prime Day Show; H.E.R. content), Jameson Whiskey, Yoobi, Yango Deli, MTV, CBS, Loto-Québec (FIFA World Cup collab), and Apple Music. He has been repped in the U.S. by Florence since 2021 and in Canada by Denim since March 2026.