Fawzia Mirza | |
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Born | Fawzia Mirza |
Education | Chicago-Kent College of Law Indiana University Bloomington |
Occupation(s) | Director, Writer, Producer, Actor |
Years active | 2006-Present |
Known for | Writing, Filmmaking, Queer Muslim Advocate |
Notable work | Signature Move, The Red Line, Noor & Layla, Me My Mom & Sharmila |
Fawzia Mirza is a Canadian film and TV actress, writer, producer, and director. Her work includes web series Kam Kardashian and Brown Girl Problems, and the 2017 film Signature Move . [1] [2]
Mirza was born in London, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Sydney, Nova Scotia.[ citation needed ] Her parents were born in India and migrated to Pakistan; they eventually moved to Indiana, where Mirza finished high school before relocating to Chicago.[ citation needed ]
Mirza came out as a Muslim lesbian in 2016, and describes herself as "a lesbian, Muslim, Pakistani, actor, activist, writer, producer, lawyer and creature of passion". [3] [4] [5]
Mirza majored in English and political science at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and then moved to Chicago for law school at Chicago-Kent College of Law. After two and a half years of working as a litigator, she changed professions to become an actor. She has focused on projects relating to the LGBT community, particularly relating to being a queer Muslim woman, "to gain visibility for women and Brown performers, and find space for queer stories".
Her first short film The Queen of My Dreams she co-wrote, co-directed with collaborator Ryan Logan. As a young girl, Fawzia Mirza fell under the spell of Bollywood heroines and their promise of love and feminine perfection. As an adult, she looks back and re-imagines the epic romance in the classic film Aradhana, in a queer light. [6]
Her one-woman show Me, My Mom and Sharmila explores growing up queer and South Asian; in 2015 she performed it at the International Theatre Festival at the National College of Arts in Lahore. Also in 2015, she appeared in Emmy-nominated Her Story, a six-part series on the lives of trans and queer women. Mirza plays Ayesha Ali Trump, a fictional Muslim daughter of Donald Trump, in the mockumentary The Muslim Trump Documentary. She has made a number of award-winning short films including The First Session, Spunkle, Reclaiming Pakistan, The Streets Are Ours, Saya and I Know Her..
In 2016, she announced her film Signature Move (2017) starring Shabana Azmi in the role of her mother. Fawzia produced, starred in and co-wrote with Lisa Donato. The film world premiered at SXSW and won over 14 awards all over the world, including the Jury Prize for US Narrative at Outfest, Best Narrative Film at Columbus International, Best Director and Best Actress at Out San Diego, Audience Award for Best Narrative in Connecticut, and Mirza won a Jury prize at the Canadian South Asian Mosaic Film Festival. The film was inspired by her actual ex-girlfriend and their relationship in the city of Chicago. [7]
She wrote for the CBS show The Red Line executive produced by Ava Duvernay and Greg Berlanti. Her episode marked the first instance of a gay-Muslim romance on network television. [8]
In 2020, her feature screenplay adaptation of The Queen of My Dreams was accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival Writers Studio and Filmmaker Lab, under the working title Me, My Mom & Sharmila. She was one of five women selected to FUSE 2, Paul Feig's writer/director incubator program and will develop a short film with Powderkeg in 2021. In 2021, she was added to Peter Luo's Starlight Media's Stars Collective. [9]
She received a nomination for the DGC Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film in 2024 for The Queen of My Dreams. [10]
Year | Film/Series | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Fair & Lovely | Writer / Producer / Star | Commercial Spoof |
2012 | The Queen of My Dreams | Co-Director / Writer / Producer / Star | Short Film. later expanded into her 2023 feature debut |
2012 | Kam Kardashian | Co-Writer / Producer / Star | Web Series |
2014 | Brown Girl Problems | Writer / Producer / Star | Web Series |
2015 | The First Session | Writer / Producer / Star | Short Film |
2015 | Reclaiming Pakistan | Writer / Producer / Narrator | Short Doc |
2016 | The Muslim Trump | Writer / Producer / Star | Mockumentary |
2016 | The Streets Are Ours | Writer / Producer / Subject | Short Doc |
2016 | Spunkle | Co-Writer / Producer / Star | Short Film |
2017 | Two Lesbians In Search of Allah | Co-Creator / Star | Short Doc |
2017 | Burger King: Anti-Bullying PSA | Subject | PSA / Commercial |
2017 | You Should Know This By Now | Writer / Producer / Star | Web Series |
2017 | Signature Move | Co-Writer / Producer / Star | Feature Film |
2019 | Saya (Shadow) | Co-Director / Writer / Producer / Star | Short Film |
2019 | I Know Her | Director / Writer / Producer / Star | Short Film |
2020 | Hidden Canyons | Director | Web Series |
2020 | Un Oeuf | Director / Producer / Star / Editor | Short Film |
2020 | Jiyo (Live) | Director / Writer / Producer | Short Film |
2021 | Noor & Layla | Director / Writer | Short Film |
2021 | The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night | Director / Writer | Short Film |
2023 | The Queen of My Dreams | Director / Writer | Feature film |
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi film industry has spanned over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist parallel cinema, though her work extended to mainstream films as well as a number of international projects. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several genres. She has won a record of five National Film Awards for Best Actress, in addition to six Filmfare Awards and several international accolades. The Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012.
The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female performer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954 for the films released in the preceding year 1953.
Kaifi Azmi was an Indian Urdu poet. He is remembered as the one who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jaun Elia and others he participated in many memorable Mushaira gatherings of the twentieth century. He was also a communist who wanted to see India one day become a socialist state. His wife was theatre and film actress Shaukat Kaifi.
Garm Hava is a 1973 Indian drama film directed by M. S. Sathyu, with Balraj Sahni as the lead actor.
Umrao Jaan is a 2006 Indian period musical romantic drama film produced and directed by J. P. Dutta, based on the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada, and is about the famous Tawaif of the title. Aishwarya Rai stars in the lead role along with Abhishek Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Sunil Shetty, Divya Dutta, Himani Shivpuri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in supporting roles.
Ankur is an Indian colour film of 1974. It was the first feature film directed by Shyam Benegal and the debut of Indian actors Anant Nag and Shabana Azmi. Anant Nag was introduced in Ankur by Shyam Benegal in Hindi film after his higher education in Mumbai. The film was shot in Hyderabad. Though Shabana Azmi had acted in other films as well, Ankur was her first release.
Train to Pakistan is a 1998 Indian Hindi film adapted from Khushwant Singh's 1956 classic novel by the same name set in the Partition of India of 1947 and directed by Pamela Rooks. The film stars Nirmal Pandey, Rajit Kapur, Mohan Agashe, Smriti Mishra, Mangal Dhillon and Divya Dutta.
The Elements trilogy of films by Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta deals with controversial issues of social reform on the Indian subcontinent. Fire, the first release in 1996, dealt with issues of arranged marriage and homosexuality in the patriarchal culture of India. Earth, released in 1998, dealt with the religious strife associated with the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan in the mid-20th century. Water, released in 2005, was the most critically successful of the three, and dealt with suicide, misogyny, and the mistreatment of widows in rural India.
The Iris Prize, established in 2007 by Berwyn Rowlands of The Festivals Company, is an international LGBTQ film prize and festival which is open to any film which is by, for, about or of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex audiences and which must have been completed within two years of the prize deadline.
Tehzeeb (transl. 'Etiquette') is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Khalid Mohammed. It premiered on 21 November 2003. The film stars Shabana Azmi, Urmila Matondkar, Diya Mirza, Arjun Rampal and Rishi Kapoor in a special appearance. Urmila and Shabana were praised for their roles. It was inspired by Ingmar Bergman's Swedish drama Autumn Sonata (1978), and was dedicated to Bergman.
Hari-Bhari (Fertility) is a 2000 Hindi film by Shyam Benegal, starring Shabana Azmi, Rajit Kapur, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Surekha Sikri and Nandita Das in the lead roles.
Amber L. Hollibaugh was an American writer, filmmaker, activist and organizer concerned with working class, lesbian and feminist politics, especially around sexuality. She was a former Executive Director of Queers for Economic Justice and was Senior Activist Fellow Emerita at the Barnard Center for Research on Women. Hollibaugh proudly identified as a "lesbian sex radical, ex-hooker, incest survivor, gypsy child, poor-white-trash, high femme dyke."
Kam Kardashian is an American web series written by Fawzia Mirza and Ryan Logan and directed by Logan, which premiered on February 14, 2012, via YouTube. Filmed in Chicago, IL, the comedic show chronicles the day to day adventures of Kameron, the fictional long-lost lesbian sister from a very famous family, and her best friend Mary Hollis. The show is directed by Ryan Logan, shot by Amanda Clifford, and based on a character created by Fawzia Mirza. In January 2013, it announced it would return for season two after a successful Kickstarter campaign, premiering in mid-March.
Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).
Signature Move is a 2017 American indie comedy-drama film directed by Jennifer Reeder and co-written and produced by Fawzia Mirza about a Pakistani Muslim lesbian living in Chicago with her mother. Fawzia Mirza also introduced herself as a lesbian on Twitter before the film was announced. The film premiered at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival.
Evening Shadows is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Sridhar Rangayan. The film stars Mona Ambegaonkar, Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, Devansh Doshi, Arpit Chaudhary, Yamini Singh, Abhay Kulkarni, Veena Nair, Kala Ramnathan, Disha Thakur, Sushant Divgikar and Faredoon Bhujwala.
Poshida: Hidden LGBT Pakistan is a 2015 Pakistani and British documentary about the LGBT community in Pakistan. Created by Faizan Fiaz and others, the 25-minute documentary explores the lives of a group of LGBT Pakistanis. It was described by the Daily Pakistan as the first ever movie on the topic. The film screened at film festivals in Spain and the United States.
What's Love Got to Do with It? is a 2022 British romantic comedy film directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Jemima Khan. It stars Lily James, Shazad Latif, Shabana Azmi, Emma Thompson, Sajal Ali, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry, Jeff Mirza, Alice Orr-Ewing and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Amrit Kaur is a Canadian actress, producer, and writer, best known for her role as Bela Malhotra on the 2021 HBO Max series, The Sex Lives of College Girls. She is a company member of Gracemoon Arts Theatre, Salon, and Gallery.
The Queen of My Dreams is a 2023 Canadian-Pakistani comedy-drama film, written and directed by Fawzia Mirza in her feature directorial debut. The film is based on Mirza's theatrical stage play Me, My Mom & Sharmila, which in turn was based on her 2012 short film The Queen of My Dreams.The film stars Amrit Kaur as Azra, a Pakistani Canadian woman who has had a strained relationship with her parents since coming out as lesbian, who undergoes an emotional journey after the sudden unexpected death of her father Hassan.