Mashael Alqahtani is a Saudi Arabian, Muslim writer based between Los Angeles and Saudi Arabia. Her work depicts characters fighting to tell the truth about themselves and their worlds, through both the horrific and comedic. Mashael earned a BA in Film Production from Emerson College, and dual MFAs in Screenwriting from USC and the American Film Institute — feel free to ask her why she literally can’t stop going to school.

Mashael is a Blumhouse x Sundance Screamwriting Fellow with her horror feature, Sila. Her action-comedy feature, Tafheet, was a 2024 Script Pipeline First Look Winner. Mashael spends her free time baking, reading gore-y comic books, and spinning basketballs on her fingertips.