Iman Zawahry | |
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| Born | Panama City, Florida, U.S. |
| Education |
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| Occupations |
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| Notable work | Americanish |
Iman Zawahry is an American filmmaker and academic. She is a senior lecturer for the film production program at the University of Florida and is the director of the feature film Americanish (2021). [1] Zawahry's work primarily focuses on narratives about Muslim-American experiences. [2]
Zawahry was raised in Panama City, Florida. [3] [4] She graduated from Rutherford High School in 1998. [5] She received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Florida and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from Florida State University. [6]
Zawahry is an associate professor and the director of the film production program at the University of Florida College of the Journalism and Communications. [7]
Zawahry has directed multiple short films, including Tough Crowd and UnderCover. Her work led to a collaboration with the Islamic Scholarship Fund to create the first American Muslim Film Grant. [2]
Her debut feature film, Americanish, is one of the first American Muslim romantic comedy films directed by an American Muslim woman. The film follows the lives of three Muslim women in Jackson Heights, Queens. It screened at numerous film festivals and won the Audience Award at the CAAMFest in 2021. [8] [5]
In 2022, Zawahry directed episodes of the Canadian comedy series Zarqa, which was created by and stars Zarqa Nawaz. The series was broadcast on CBC Gem. [9]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Paperback | No | No | Yes | |
| 2021 | Americanish | Yes | Yes | Yes | Sony Pictures International Productions [10] |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tough Crowd | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | The Cape | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2010 | UnderCover | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 | Portrait of a Young Man | No | No | Yes |
| 2023 | I Am from Palestine | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bentonville Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | [11] |
| 2021 | CAAMFest | Audience Award | Won | [12] |
| 2021 | Heartland International Film Festival | Narrative Feature Grand Prize | Won | [13] |
| 2021 | New York Asian Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | [14] |
| 2021 | Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival | Audience Choice, Narrative Feature | Won | [15] |