Ali Kazimi D. Litt. (born 1961) is an Indo-Canadian filmmaker, media artist and writer.

Early life and education

Born and raised in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, Kazimi attended St. Columba's School and graduated from St. Stephen's College,

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

in 1982. He was awarded a scholarship to study film production at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

in Toronto Canada, in 1983 and graduated with BFA (honours) from the Department of Film in 1987. He joined the Department of Film, as a full-time faculty member in 2006 and served as the Chair of, what is now known as, the Department of Cinema and Media Arts from 2015-16.

Films

Kazimi has created a critically acclaimed body of work dealing with issues of race, immigration, history and social justice. His films have won more than thirty awards and nominations including the

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

Golden Conch Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestersh ...

(

MIFF MIFF may refer to: Film festivals * Listapad, aka Minsk International Film Festival, held each November in Minsk, Belarus *Maine International Film Festival, held in Waterville, Maine *Melbourne International Film Festival, held in Melbourne, Aus ...

2006),

Gold Plaque Gold is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a Brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, s ...

(

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, 1995), Golden Gate Award, (

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

, 1995) and Best Director Award (

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June ...

, 1995).

Honors

Kazimi was named the Best Documentarian in Toronto by NOW Magazine's Best of Toronto 2005. In 2019, Kazimi was one of 8 recipients of the

Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are annual awards for achievements in visual and media arts in Canada. Up to eight awards are presented annually with the prize amount is $25,000 Created in 2000 by then Governor General Adrie ...

- "Kazimi’s lovingly rendered and profoundly insightful works demonstrate a deep-rooted empathy for his subjects, a singular cinematic eye, and an unflinching commitment to shedding light on difficult truths." The same year he also received an honorary degree, D. Litt. ''honoris causa'' from the University of British Columbia.

Films

* '' Narmada: A Valley Rises'' (1994) * ''Shooting Indians'' (1997) * ''Some Kind of Arrangement'' (1998) * '' Continuous Journey'' (2004) * ''

Runaway Grooms ''Runaway Grooms'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Ali Kazimi and released in 2005. An examination of the dowry system in India, the film explores the phenomenon of Indo-Canadian men who fraudulently return to India ostensibly seeking w ...

'' (2005) * ''Random Acts of Legacy'' (2016)

Book

* ''Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru - An Illustrated History'' (2012)

References

External links

Official web site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kazimi, Ali 1961 births Living people Canadian cinematographers Canadian documentary film directors Canadian Muslims Film directors from Toronto Indian emigrants to Canada Indian Muslims Delhi University alumni York University alumni York University faculty Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners Canadian people of Indian descent Asian-Canadian filmmakers