Naza Alakija

Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifar
Born	Nazanin Jafarian February 1989 (age 36)
Alma mater	University of Manchester Queen Mary University of London
Occupation(s)	Activist, filmmaker
Website	Official website

Naza Alakija (born Nazanin Jafarian Ghaissarifar in 1989) is a former model, philanthropist, socialite and filmmaker.

Biography

Alakija was born in February 1989. ^[1] Originally from Iran, her family relocated to England when she was nine, ^{[2] [3]} settling in Cheshire. ^[4] Alakija graduated from with a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Manchester in 2010. She later pursued a Master of Arts (MA) in International Relations and Affairs. ^[5]

In 2017, Naza married Folarin Alakija, the son of Nigerian oil billionaire Folorunso Alakija. ^{[6] [7] [8]} The wedding received wide attention for its opulence, which was held at Blenheim Palace with an estimated cost of up to $8 million. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

In 2019, Alakija founded SAGE Innovation Centre to advocate for climate change and women's rights. ^[12] Alakija also supports a project that operates mobile library buses in Afghanistan. ^[13]

Filmmaking

Alakija later turned to filmmaking, using film to advocate for environmental and social causes. The 2022 climate change documentary Overheated was produced by Maggie Baird and Naza Alakija, under the director Yassa Khan. ^[14] In 2023, Alakija produced Rise, a short film about the death of Mahsa Amini. The film features Yasaman Mohsani portraying Amini. ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. "Naza ALAKIJA personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
2. "Meet Folarin Alakija's Wife, Naza (Pictures & Biography)". Paper Nigeria. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
3. "Meet Nazanin Alakija". Women Moving Millions. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
4. Adigwe, Amaka (15 June 2017). "Meet Folarin Alakija'a Beautiful New Wife: Naza Jafarian". Motherhood In-Style Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
5. "About". Naza Alakija. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
6. "Step inside a Nigerian oil billionaire's son's incredibly lavish £5 million wedding at a British palace". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
7. "The OTT wedding that cost over $8 million". Yahoo Life. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
8. "Step inside a Nigerian oil billionaire's son's incredibly lavish £5 million wedding". The Independent. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
9. Fitzmaurice, Rosie (2017-06-11). "Step inside a Nigerian oil billionaire's son's incredibly lavish £5 million wedding at a British palace". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
10. Flynn, Caitlin (2017-06-10). "This Wedding Actually Cost $6.3 Million & The Pictures Are Stunning". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
11. Connor, Liz (2017-06-13). "Billionaire weds model girlfriend in £5m ceremony at Blenheim Palace". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
12. "Naza Alakija: I want to make sure that women and girls are given priority in the midst of these crises". marieclairearabia.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
13. "Mobile Libraries in Afghanistan". Naza Alakija. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
14. Villamil, Valentina (10 June 2022). "'Overheated': el nuevo documental sobre cambio climático protagonizado por Billie Eilish". Rolling Stone en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2022.
15. Vivarelli, Nick (2023-03-20). "Iranian Activist Naza Alakija Pays Tribute to Mahsa Amini With Short Film 'Rise' Where a Young Woman is Abducted by Tehran's Morality Police: Watch Clip (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
16. Admin (2023-04-22). ""Rise" by Naza Alakija - New York Kurdish Cultural Center" . Retrieved 2025-03-27.