In 2001, he came to Belgium, and in 2008 he got his Master’s degree in filmmaking at Sint-Lukas Film School, Brussels. Kalifa has won 80 international awards with his short films Land of the Heroes, Baghdad Messi and Bad Hunter. Bad Hunter won the Jury Prize in the Muhr Short Film Competition at the 2014 Dubai International Film Festival. The most prestige Award was at 61st Berlinale with Land Of The Heroes as Jury Award – Best Short Film Generation. Baghdad Messi won 50 international Awards and it is shortlisted for the Oscars. Bad Hunter won also several international Awards at some important film festivals, like the Jury Award at 59th Valladolid, 38th Montreal World, Dubai IFF and Flickerfest International Film Festival. Sahim Omar Kalifa was chosen in Istanbul as Best Kurdish film director in 2014.