Marlene Dirven (1992) has a background in music (cello, composition) and writing (poetry, screenplays). After graduating from a master in Middle East Studies, Dirven worked in diplomacy and business in Brussels and Tehran, publishing her writings on the side, before being employed as a scriptwriter and video producer in Brussels.

Since 2021 she has been assisting filmmaker Rob Rombout in film workshops for the Peloponnese Film Festival and as a founding member of the Flaherty Think Tank on anthropology-based filmmaking. She is currently co-authoring her first essay film on video art (scheduled for 2024) funded by Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds. In her artistic research at NFA, Dirven foregrounds her music compositions before turning to writing: she explores how cinematic narrative develops if the storyline is mainly informed by music and sound.