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Shamim Sarif | |
---|---|
Born | London, England, United Kingdom | 24 September 1969
Occupation(s) | Novelist, film director, screenwriter |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Website | https://www.shamimsarif.com/ |
Shamim Sarif (born 24 September 1969) is a British novelist, screenwriter, and film director of South Asian and South African heritage. Sarif is best known for her work in writing and directing films with themes that often explore issues of identity and cultural diversity.
Sarif was born in London to Indian parents who had emigrated from South Africa in the early 1960s to escape apartheid. [1] [2] She studied English literature at Royal Holloway, University of London and later completed a Master's degree in English at Boston University. [1]
Sarif's work has received critical acclaim for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships and its exploration of the complexities of love and identity. She is known for her contributions to both literature and film, especially within the context of LGBTQ+ storytelling.
Sarif's debut novel, The World Unseen (2008), won a Betty Trask Award and the Pendleton May First Novel Award. The novel explores issues of race, gender and sexuality and was heavily inspired by the stories of Sarif's grandmother and her Indian and South African heritage. [3]
Sarif has adapted and directed the films of three of her novels including The World Unseen (2001), which was selected for TIFF, I Can't Think Straight (2008), and Despite the Falling Snow (2016).
Her 2011 film The House of Tomorrow is a documentary about the 2010 TEDx Holy Land Conference, which brought together Arab and Israeli women to discuss issues of mutual interest in technology, entertainment, and design. [4]
Her latest books, The Athena Protocol (2019) and The Shadow Mission (The Athena Protocol #2) (2020), represent a departure from her more familiar themes of romance and LGBTQ+ relationships, as it falls into the action-adventure and espionage genre.
Identifying as having Muslim roots, Sarif is openly lesbian, and she has mentioned that her work on I Can't Think Straight is semi-autobiographical in nature. [2] [5]
On 23 September 2015, she celebrated her marriage to producer Hanan Kattan in London, marking nearly two decades of being together. [6]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | The World Unseen | Yes | Yes | Feature films Based on Sarif's novel |
2008 | I Can't Think Straight | Yes | Yes | |
2011 | The House of Tomorrow | Yes | Yes | Documentary film |
2016 | Despite the Falling Snow | Yes | Yes | Feature film Also based on Sarif's novel |
2020 | Murdoch Mysteries | Yes | No | TV series Episode "Rigid Silence" |
2021 | A Woman on Fire | Yes | No | TV film |
Diggstown | Yes | No | TV series Episode "Christian Spry" | |
2022 | SkyMed | Yes | No | TV series Directed 2 episodes |
2023 | Polarized | Yes | Yes | Feature film Also producer |
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The World Unseen is a 2007 historical drama film, written and directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her own novel. The film is set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid. The film stars Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth as two Indian South African women who fall in love in a racist, sexist, and homophobic society.
I Can't Think Straight is a 2008 British romantic drama film directed by Shamim Sarif. Based on Sarif's 2008 novel of the same name, the film tells the story of a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding when a turn of events causes her to have an affair, and subsequently fall in love, with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian. The film stars Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth.
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Despite the Falling Snow is a 2004 book by Shamim Sarif. It was first published on May 4, 2004 through Headline Book Publishing and is set during two different time periods. One part of the story is set in 1950s Moscow, Russia during the Cold War years, while the other follows the story of 1992 Moscow and London in the period after the collapse of USSR.
Enlightenment Productions is multi-media entertainment company based in London and founded in partnership between producer Hanan Kattan and writer and director Shamim Sarif in 2001.
Despite the Falling Snow is a 2016 British Cold War espionage film directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her novel of the same name. Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Sam Reid, Charles Dance, Antje Traue, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Thure Lindhardt and Anthony Head, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2016.
I Can't Think Straight is a 2008 novel by Shamim Sarif.
The World Unseen is a 2008 novel written by Shamim Sarif.
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