Kosar Ali (born 21 December 2003) is a British actress. Her debut role in the 2019 film ''

Rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

'' leading her with a nomination at only 17 for Best Supporting Actress at the

74th British Academy Film Awards The 74th British Academy Film Awards, also known as the BAFTAs, were held on 10 and 11 April 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2020 and early 2021. Presented by the British Academy of Fil ...

whilst also being the youngest recipient to win two

British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports, and promotes British independent cinema and film-making talent in the United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early Nov ...

. She plays Victoire in ''

Dangerous Liaisons ''Dangerous Liaisons'' is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'', itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the s ...

'' on

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

Early and personal life

Ali lives in

Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London boroughs, London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of County Borough of West Ham, West Ham and County ...

, East London. She comes from a large British Somali Muslim family she had no acting experience before being street cast.

Career

Ali was discovered at her school when she was 13 years old by director

Sarah Gavron Sarah Gavron (born 20 April 1970) is a British film director. She has directed four short films, and three feature films.Garcia, Maria. "Demanding To Be Heard". ''Film Journal International''. 118. Her first film was ''This Little Life'' (2003) ...

and casting director Lucy Pardee as they were street casting for the film ''

''. The actresses were given a story outline, but no dialogue, and worked chronologically with Gavron and the writers,

Theresa Ikoko Theresa Ikoko is a British playwright and screenwriter of Nigerian descent. Her play ''Girls'', about three girls abducted by terrorists in northern Nigeria, won the Alfred Fagon Award and other awards. Ikoko later gained greater nationwide reco ...

and Claire Wilson. Occasionally the actresses were not even told the cameras were rolling; they naturally fell into conversations that were filmed without the director calling "action" or "cut". Gavron said that she even reshot a classroom scene which Ali told her was not working authentically. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and opened in Britain on 18 September 2020. For her work on this film Ali was nominated at the British Academy and Film awards in the Best Supporting Actress category being the first hijabi woman to be nominated for this. Ali also was one of the youngest actors to win two

(BIFA), for 'supporting actress' and 'most promising newcomer', in February 2021. In 2021, Ali starred in a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

short, ''PRU'', about unruly adolescents in the British system; the title stands for Pupil Referral Unit, an alternative schooling system for badly behaved students. In 2022, she plays the leading role of Victoire in the Starz television series ''Dangerous Liaisons''. In 2023 she starred in two short films Muna which she also produced and Luna as well as her debut performance in WorldPlay at the royal court theatre which she has had critical acclaim for.

Accolades

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Kosar Living people Actresses from London English Muslims English people of Somali descent Actors from the London Borough of Newham 2003 births Black British actresses