Ala Riani is an award-winning Swedish actress who is best known for her role in the acclaimed Netflix series Caliphate, and has worked in many international film projects. Riani was in the feature film Rebel, directed by Hollywood duo Adil & Bilall and plays the lead in the American film Jin, a UCLA production to premiere in 2026.

She is also a published author with her debut book ‘Krigets dotter – Kvinna, Liv, Frihet’ (Natur&Kultur 2023), a memoir and history of the Kurdish people in eastern Kurdistan (Iran). As an activist Ala has been engaged in matters related to the rights of the Kurdish people for many years and written several pieces on the topic, published in the Swedish publication ETC, Los Angeles Review of Books, The National Interest, and many more.