Marya Zarif was born in Syria and grew up in Aleppo. She holds a degree from the National Institute of Image and Sound in Montreal. In 2013, she co-created the Maison de la Syrie to pay homage to Syrian culture. In 2020, she created, wrote and co-directed the animated web series Dounia. Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo (2022) is her first feature-length film. André Kadi arrived in Canada in 2007 as a graphic novel author and a musician. He joined Frima Studio, where he made the series MaXi and Super Agent Jon le Bon!, among others, before co-founding Du Coup Animation in 2018 and Du Coup Production in 2021. Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo (2022) is his first feature-length film.