Nuh Omar

Nuh Omar (born June 5, 1988) is a director and screenwriter, originally from Pakistan.

Background

Nuh was born in Karachi, Pakistan into the prominent Indian/Pakistani Kureishi family as the grandson of Sattoo Kureishi (MBE), older brother of Omar Kureishi. Famous family members also include Hanif Kureishi, Maki Kureishi, Bilquis Nasrullah, Imran Kureishi, and Nusrat Nasrullah.'The Storyteller', Pakistan, She Magazine, November 2014, Pg 128 He received his early educated at Karachi Grammar School, a classmate of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.'Geo News: Mental Health & Filmmaking: Interview with Nuh Omar', Pakistan, Geo News, June 2021 He has an older sister and a younger brother. His mother was Pakistan’s first female sports photojournalist.

Education

Nuh decided to make films after seeing Jurassic Park when he was 5.'Tete-a-Tete with Nuh & Musa', Pakistan, Women's Own Magazine, July 2012, Pg 136 He spent his earlier years writing short stories, and with a camera at his hip. Photography became his hobby. He went to the New York Film Academy in 2006, where he participated and played a part in the creation of their first ever 2nd Year Film Program. He then went to Full Sail University where he received his bachelor's degree in The Science of Film, and was named Valedictorian.

Career

After graduating from Full Sail, Nuh interned for Scott Gardenhour at The Institute.'Cult Classic', Pakistan, Page 3 Magazine US & Canada Edition, November 2014, Pg 92 He worked as a freelance assistant director, having worked on a number of award-winning shorts, as well as working behind the scenes as a documentarian. He wrote and produced the short film ''We're Americans, Eh?'', which received the Audience Award and the award for Best Wardrobe in 2011 at the 24 Hour Film Festival.

In 2012, Nuh returned to Pakistan. In collaboration with Y Productions and producer Ayesha Jalil, he directed a series of short films for Engro Corporation Excellence Awards. His Engro film on the late renowned sculptor Shahid Sajjad, ''Mojiza-e-Fun (The Miracle of Art)'', was the final project to feature Sajjad before he passed away. He parted with the company in early 2014 to return to filmmaking. As of 2018, The Fortress of Dorkness has produced over 100 episodes, all written and directed by Nuh. The channel went on hiatus in 2019, with more intended content to be announced in the future.

In 2019, Nuh teamed up with writer Mark Davis to produce ''The Alexandrian'' (known then simply as ''Cleopatra''), an episodic historical drama about the dynasty of the infamous ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra, and work on the project is underway.

In 2014, Nuh began writing a modern adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s ''The Happy Prince''. The screenplay, named ''The Porter & The Stone'', has won numerous awards, including Best Short at Screencraft’s Public Domain Competition 2021, and finalist at The Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2022. As of early 2022, it was ranked the number one in the categories of Family and Family-Short on Coverfly’s aggregated ranking system, was in the Top 1% of all projects on Coverfly, and was featured on the Coverfly Red List.The Nuh-Wave of Filmmmaking
FHM Pakistan, April 2021

His TV pilot screenplay, ''A Matter of Time'', co-written with Christian Villarreal, won the grand prize at Filmmatic’s TV Pilot Awards Season 6 as Best TV Pilot, along with numerous other accolades, and is currently being shopped around.

Also in development is ''I'm Here'', a TV series about his own journey in the American heartland told through the eyes of a tabloid journalist that interviews cryptids and creatures of folklore, which he initially began developing as a student in 2007. In 2015, Nuh attempted to turn the series into a comic book, but by 2020 decided to return to its intended television roots. The pilot’s screenplay has been a selection at numerous festivals and competitions.

Nuh is currently working with production company Rustic Lightbulb, and producer Severn Lang, to develop the short ''The Universe at Midnight'' and the feature ''Tijuana Bible'', which he will write and direct. ''The Universe at Midnight'' is expected to go into production in 2022.Djinn