Samir was born the son of a Swiss mother and an Iraqi father in Baghdad.
He attended the School of Design in Zurich (today's ZHdK), completed an apprenticeship as a typographer (1971–73) and subsequently trained as a cameraman with Condor Films.
In 1994, he and documentary filmmaker Werner Schweizer overtook the Dschoint Ventschr [de] film production company.
His list of works – as a writer, director and/or producer – now includes over 40 short and feature films for cinema and TV.
: documentary film White Terror by Daniel Schweizer (2005), mockumentary Birdseye by Stephen Beckner and Michael C. Huber (2002), feature films Nachbeben / Aftershock by Stina Werenfels (2006), Das Fräulein by Andrea Staka (2006), Opération Libertad by Nicolas Wadimoff (2012), Dawn by Romed Wyder.