Marlene Dirven (Netherlands, 1992) is a writer, composer and filmmaker. She studied one year at the conservatory before pursuing Middle East Studies in Leiden and Edinburgh, with a focus on Iranian film and literature. After a brief career in diplomacy in Brussels and Tehran, she shifted her focus to writing.
Following the publication of several poems, she worked as a scriptwriter at a video production company and as assistant director to filmmaker Rob Rombout in Brussels.
In 2024, she graduated from the Artistic Research Master of Film at the Netherlands Film Academy. During this time, she started using music composition as a way to explore film language prior to writing a screenplay.
Her work has been supported by institutions including IDFA, MCM Marseille, and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF).
Since 2018, she has led coaching sessions, workshops, and courses on writing, screenwriting, and filmmaking to an international audience.