Karim Rahoma studied acting at the Prayner Konservatorium for Music and Dramatic Arts with a diploma in Vienna and was an associate student at the Film Akademie Wien (film analysis) with Prof. Michael Haneke, and a student of Ludwig „Wickerl“ Adam. In 2014 he graduated his photography training as a professional photographer with a diploma. He may have chosen the camera lens as his primary professional residence, but he has passed through the essential realms of the entertainment business as an actor: https://www.karimrahoma.com appearing in plays to theater, shows (Slava’s Snowshow) television and film productions (as the Locarno IFF winner „Schweizer Helden“ engl. „Unlikely Heroes“, directed by Peter Luisi) throughout his international career.

Rahoma’s upbringing by an Austrian mother and Egyptian father has helped to shape his photographic style and globe-traversing career, bouncing from Festival de Cannes, Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale IFF in search of his subjects. Rahoma’s remarkably candid photographs of actors such as Judi Dench, Robert Redford, Sir Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem speak more as intimate portraits at some of the least intimate moments in the film industry. Each image of his work is in a limited edition of only 10. It is this exclusivity, coupled with his inimitable intuition and craftsmanship, that makes his photos a must-see for any art or film enthusiast. Karim Rahoma is a three-time „Venice Movie Stars Award“ winner.

 „I met Karim a few years ago at the Venice Film Festival when he started attending as a professional photographer. From the very beginning, I was impressed by the quality and originality of his photos. They are not like the usual ones you see reproduced thousands of times in the media … His portraits are not just content to offer the viewer a beautiful representation of a character: they try to reveal its soul. I think that’s the highest praise you can give a portrait photographer. Karim is one of the best“

Alberto Barbera
Director of the Venice Film Festival

Karim Rahoma at the 78th Annual Cannes Film Festival, 2025

Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Clint Eastwood and all the others are not just actors on a screen, but people in Rahoma’s pictures. Lost, searching, hoping. In a world saturated with images, Rahoma calls us to take a closer look, to look deeper, to feel, to uncover the true self.

„Karim Rahoma’s natural way of capturing people with the camera is unique. He manages to capture people even in the greatest turmoil, like on the red carpet – which resembles a desert of truth and authenticity
and where the focus is otherwise on perfect staging
in a moment of solitude.
This gives the snapshots a very
impressive emotional depth. As Karim himself is also an
actor himself, he has a unique approach and a
special flair for capturing celebrities„

Stefan Ruzowitzky
Academy Award Winner

Rahoma’s work is an ode to unobserved moments that are often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of glamorous life. As an actor and photographer with a deep understanding of both worlds, he takes us on a journey that spans a wide arc between the artificial, radiant surface and the unadulterated, authentic personality. His images not only show the physical presence of the stars, but also their vulnerability, their dreams, their fears and their triumphs. Rahoma’s camera surprises with the unexpected.

His work is a dance between light and shadow, between the public and the private, between what is shown and what remains hidden. It is by no means mainstream, no inflationary paparazzi. The works are windows into the souls of these icons.

AWARDS:

  *   2013, James Franco, „Nominated for the prize from the public, Venice Movie Stars Award“
  *   2014, Dachi Orvelashvili, „Sezione Fotoritratto 3° classificato“(portrait), Venice Movie Stars Award
  *   2015, Lina Wertmüller, „Sezione Fotoritratto 2° classificato“ (portrait), Venice Movie Stars Award
  *   2016, Sara Serraiocco, „Sezione Fotoritratto 1° classificato“ (portrait), Venice Movie Stars Award

* 2017, „Certificate for Art and Culture“, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Vienna