Shamim Sarif (born 24 September 1969) is a British novelist and filmmaker of

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

n and South African heritage. Her work often focuses on various aspects of identity including gender, race, and sexuality. It often draws upon her own personal experience with cross cultural, non-heterosexual love.

Early life and education

Sarif was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, to Indian parents who had left South Africa in the early 1960s to escape

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. She studied English literature at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, then took a Master's in English at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Career

Writer and director Shamim Sarif is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter and director for film and series whose themes often focus on feminism, social impact and humanism. Shamim recently completed her fifth feature film, indie drama ''Polarized'', which was shot in Manitoba. Her previous feature films as a writer and director, all based on her novels, have won 47 awards between them. Titles include ''

The World Unseen ''The World Unseen'' is a 2007 historical drama film, written and directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her own novel. The film is set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid. The film stars Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sh ...

'' (2001), (selected for

TIFF Tag Image File Format, abbreviated TIFF or TIF, is an image file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists, the publishing industry, and photographers. TIFF is widely supported by scanning, faxing, word processin ...

) and '' Despite the Falling Snow'' (starring

Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film ''Drowning Ghost'' (2004). She came to in ...

and

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in ''The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in ''A ...

). Her debut feature ''

I Can't Think Straight ''I Can't Think Straight'' is a 2008 British romantic drama film directed by Shamim Sarif. Based on Sarif's 2008 novel of the same name, the film tells the story of a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an e ...

earned her a notice from the ''Los Angeles Times'' as a "filmmaker of exceptional promise". ''

Moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

'' (eOne) ''

Diggstown ''Diggstown'' (known as ''Midnight Sting'' in the UK), is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Steven McKay, based on the 1978 novel ''The Diggstown Ringers'' by Leonard Wise. It stars James Woods ...

'' (CBC/Fox) and '' SkyMed'' (Paramount Plus). Her latest books, ''The Shadow Mission'' and ''The Athena Protocol'' (HarperCollins) are being developed as a series with Village Roadshow and Gran Via Productions. An accomplished speaker, Shamim has spoken at

TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

events worldwide, at the INK Conference in India and DLD in Munich. Corporate speaking events have included Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Citibank and Disney. Shamim was invited to join the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

in 2019. She is also a member of BAFTA, the WGA, the

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assistant ...

and the Canadian Media Producers Association. In January 2001, Sarif co-founded a multi-media entertainment company based in

and in partnership between her spouse, producer Hanan Kattan, called Enlightenment Productions. Her roots inspired her to write her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''

'' (2001), which explores issues of race, gender and sexuality, which she later adapted into a film starring

Lisa Ray Lisa Rani Ray (born 4 April 1972) is a Canadian actress and model who has also worked internationally. Ray began her modelling career in India in the early 1990s, appearing for leading Indian brands like Bombay Dyeing and Lakmé. She made her a ...

and

Sheetal Sheth Sheetal Sheth (born June 24, 1976 ) is an American actress, author, producer, and activist. She starred opposite Albert Brooks in his film ''Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World''. She debuted to rave reviews in the films ''ABCD'' and '' Ame ...

. It was heavily inspired by the stories of Sarif's grandmother and the family's Indian and South African heritage. She has also adapted and directed a film based on her book ''

''.Rachael Scott
"Having a gay old time: Novelist turned film-maker Shamim Sarif has two films, both based on her books, coming out tomorrow. She tells Rachael Scott how this one-two punch came about."
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 2 April 2009. 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.

Awards and nominations

* Her debut novel, ''The World Unseen'' (2001), won the Pendleton May First Novel Award and a

Betty Trask Award The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35, who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. Each year the awards total £20,000, with one author receiving a larger prize amount, called the ...

. *

won the Authence Award at the Miami Gay & Lesbian film festival in 2008, and the Best Feature Film award at the

Paris Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival The Paris Feminist and Lesbian Film Festival (French: Festival International du Film Lesbien et Féministe de Paris) is a women-only film festival founded in Paris, France, in 1989. The festival is organized by Cineffable, an association dedicate ...

* I Can't Think Straight won the Authence Award at the Miami Gay & Lesbian film festival in 2009 * She is the recipient of Best Director awards for ''The World Unseen'' film from the

South African Film and Television Awards South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

, the

Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films and their creators. Started in 2000, the annual celebration takes place in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The festival is a showcase for feature and short films from all over the wo ...

and the Clip (Tampa) Festival. * '' The House of Tomorrow'', winner of Documentary Audience Award at the Festival Regards Sur Le Cinema Du Monde 2014 in Rouen (France) * Despite The Falling Snow has won 13 awards to date including 3 at Milan International Film Festival, 3 at Prague International Film Festival, and others at Canada, Buffalo Niagara, Soho, Manchester and Orlando International Film Festivals * Enlightenment Productions were Winner of the Kingston Business Excellence Awards 2014, Best Creative and Media Sector Business.

Personal life

Sarif's background was in her family's financial business for 10 years before becoming a full-time novelist and film director. Sarif, who claims Muslim origins, is openly

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

and described ''

'' to be semi-autobiographical. She has stated that

Jeanette Winterson Jeanette Winterson (born 27 August 1959) is an English writer. Her first book, '' Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit'', was a semi-autobiographical novel about a sensitive teenage girl rebelling against convention. Other novels explore gender pola ...

's ''The Passion'' is one of her favorite books. On 23 September 2015, she married producer Hanan Kattan in London after being together for nearly 20 years. They have two sons, Ethan (b. 1999) and Luca (b. 2002).

Filmography

Bibliography

*''The World Unseen'' (2001) *'' Despite the Falling Snow'' (2004) *'' I Can't Think Staight'' (2008) *'' The Athena Control'' (2020) *'' The Shadow Mission'' (2020)

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarif, Shamim 1969 births 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English women writers English film directors English women film directors Living people English lesbian writers LGBT film directors English LGBT novelists LGBT screenwriters English women novelists Writers from London English people of Indian descent English people of South African descent Alumni of the University of London Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni 21st-century British screenwriters