Abid Khan (born 1980) is a British film director. He is best known for his debut coming-of-age feature film Granada Nights (2021).
Abid Khan (born 1980) is a British film director. He is best known for his debut coming-of-age feature film Granada Nights (2021).
Abid Khan is from Surrey and of Pakistani descent. [1] [2] At sixteen, he became an usher at a small local cinema, where he "discovered a love for cinema and visual aesthetics". He went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in multimedia from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2002, followed by a Master of Arts (MA) from the University of Huddersfield. [3]
After completing university, Khan founded EyeFive Ltd, [4] a film production and digital design company.
For fourteen years, Khan freelanced as a digital designer/art director for advertising agencies: "I storyboarded, designed, directed, edited and produced worldwide campaigns for clients such as Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Time Magazine, Nike, ASOS, Canon, Lacoste and Mercedes Benz." He has worked in Alabama, Charleston, Berlin, NYC, London, Granada and Islamabad. He said "these global experiences have given me valuable insights into other cultures and visual aesthetics which has shaped my vision and allowed me to create stories about self-discovery, rebellion, exploration and identity in a multi-cultural society." [5]
Khan's first feature Granada Nights [6] [7] was released in the UK in June 2021. The Guardian felt that "in a post-Brexit world, the film and its host of international characters will certainly make the audience pine for the once robust Erasmus programme." [8] Rachel Brook in One Room with a View wrote: "his expat exploits make for infectious fun and the film hits its stride as he does." [9] Franglais27 Tales called it "a charming, beautifully poetic directional debut ... that will certainly leave it's mark on audiences". Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and average reviews, it obtained a release in the UK. [10] Khan references the work of Richard Linklater and his Before trilogy as one of the film's inspirations. [11] Daniel Battsek (head of Film4) awarded Abid Khan's debut as Winner of Best Film at Barnes Film Festival 2020 and a "director to watch". [12]
Khan has three upcoming feature films: Hello, Somebody; Izzat; and The Ringtone King. [13]