Shamim Sarif facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shamim Sarif
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | 24 September 1969 London, England, United Kingdom
|
| Occupation | Novelist, film director, screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) |
Hanan Kattan
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
Shamim Sarif (born 24 September 1969) is a British novelist, screenwriter, and film director of South Asian and South African heritage. Sarif is best known for her work in writing and directing films with themes that often explore issues of identity and cultural diversity.
Early life and education
Sarif was born in London, England, to Indian parents who had left South Africa in the early 1960s to escape apartheid. She studied English literature at the University of London, then took a Master's in English at Boston University.
Career
Sarif's work has received critical acclaim for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships and its exploration of the complexities of love and identity. She is known for her contributions to both literature and film, especially within the context of LGBTQ+ storytelling.
Sarif's debut novel, The World Unseen (2008), won a Betty Trask Award and the Pendleton May First Novel Award. .....
Sarif has adapted and directed the films of three of her novels including The World Unseen (2001), which was selected for TIFF, I Can't Think Straight (2008), and Despite the Falling Snow (2016).
Her 2011 film The House of Tomorrow is a documentary about the 2010 TEDx Holy Land Conference, which brought together Arab and Israeli women to discuss issues of mutual interest in technology, entertainment, and design.
Her latest books, The Athena Protocol (2019) and The Shadow Mission (The Athena Protocol #2) (2020), represent a departure from her more familiar themes of romance and LGBTQ+ relationships, as it falls into the action-adventure and espionage genre.
Personal life
Identifying as having Muslim roots, Sarif is openly lesbian, and she has mentioned that her work on I Can't Think Straight is semi-autobiographical in nature.
On 23 September 2015, she celebrated her marriage to producer Hanan Kattan in London, marking nearly two decades of being together.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The World Unseen | Yes | Yes | Feature films Based on Sarif's novel |
| 2008 | I Can't Think Straight | Yes | Yes | |
| 2011 | The House of Tomorrow | Yes | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2016 | Despite the Falling Snow | Yes | Yes | Feature film Also based on Sarif's novel |
| 2020 | Murdoch Mysteries | Yes | No | TV series Episode "Rigid Silence" |
| 2021 | A Woman on Fire | Yes | No | TV film |
| Diggstown | Yes | No | TV series Episode "Christian Spry" |
|
| 2022 | SkyMed | Yes | No | TV series Directed 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Polarized | Yes | Yes | Feature film Also producer |
See also
- List of Indian women film directors
- List of Indian women screenwriters
- List of female film and television directors
- List of lesbian filmmakers
- List of LGBT-related films directed by women
