Josef Fares facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josef Fares
Fares in May 2025
Born	(1977-09-19) 19 September 1977 (age 47) Beirut, Lebanon
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, actor, video game designer
Years active	1996–present
Relatives	Fares Fares (brother) Roy Fares (cousin)

Josef Fares was born on September 19, 1977. He is a talented film director and video game designer from Lebanon and Sweden. His brother, Fares Fares, is an actor who has been in many of Josef's films. One of their big successes together was the video game A Way Out in 2018.

Josef Fares is also the person who started Hazelight Studios, a company that makes video games. In 2021, his game It Takes Two won "The Game Of The Year Award" at The Game Awards. He also directed another game called Split Fiction, which came out in 2025.

About Josef Fares

Fares in 2013

Josef Fares moved to Sweden when he was 10 years old. His family left Lebanon because of a war happening there.

In 2006, a famous magazine called Variety named him one of the top ten new directors to watch. That same year, he won an award called the Nordic Council Film Prize for his movie Zozo.

His Start in Video Games

In 2013, Josef Fares directed his very first video game, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Many people liked the game. It was special because it focused on how two brothers worked together on a journey to save their father.

After that, he created his own game company, Hazelight Studios. He teamed up with a big game publisher, Electronic Arts, for his next video game. This game was A Way Out, which was released on March 23, 2018.

Speaking Up at The Game Awards

On December 7, 2017, Josef Fares appeared at The Game Awards 2017. He gave a speech where he shared his strong opinions about how movies are sometimes seen as more important than video games.

He even included a fun hidden message, called an Easter egg, about this speech in his 2021 game It Takes Two. When he accepted the Game of the Year Award for It Takes Two at The Game Awards 2021, he mentioned his earlier speech again.

His Thoughts on the Game Industry

After It Takes Two won Game of the Year in 2021, Josef Fares talked about his views on the video game world in an interview.

He said he would never include certain digital items called NFTs in his games. He also believes that games should not be designed to make players pay extra money all the time. He strongly stated, "For me, gaming is art."

Josef Fares has also shared his thoughts on important topics like treating everyone fairly in the gaming industry. He believes that learning and understanding are very important for making things better.

His Family Life

Josef Fares has two daughters. Their names are Mio and Zoe. The main characters in his 2025 game Split Fiction are named after his daughters.

Filmography

Ludography