Pillars Artist Fellowship

Jude Chehab

Writer/Director

Jude Chehab is a Lebanese-American filmmaker whose richly layered visual style was developed under the mentorship of Abbas Kiarostami’s final student group. Her work has been awarded fellowships through CAAM, BGDM, Firelight Media and Chicken & Egg.
Vogue Magazine named Jude’s feature documentary, “Q”, one of the best documentaries of 2023. It was supported by: IDA, ITVS, TFI and the Sundance Institute. It has won the Albert Maysles award for Best New Documentary Director at Tribeca and a Cinema Eye Honor. She is a Guggenheim Fellow and Filmmaker Magazine named her one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film.

Mahnoor Euceph

Write/Director

Mahnoor Euceph is an award-winning Pakistani-American writer and director. With her stylized feminine gaze, Mahnoor is interested in creating entertaining stories about the South Asian diaspora that seek to decolonize the mind and encourage radical self love. She has a BA in Design Media Arts from UCLA and an MFA in Film & TV Production from USC.
Mahnoor’s internationally awarded short film “Eid Mubarak” was in consideration for the 96th Academy Awards. For her film “Brown Girl”, she was selected for Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini, and Dr. Stacy L. Smith’s Proof of Concept Accelerator by a selection committee that included Greta Gerwig, Lilly Wachowski, Chloé Zhao, Lily Gladstone, Eva Longoria, Emma Corrin, Jane Campion, and Janicza Bravo.

Amber Fares

Documentarian

Amber Fares is an award-winning documentary filmmaker best known for her debut feature “Speed Sisters”, about the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East. Her subsequent credits include Netflix’s Emmy-nominated “Convergence” co-directed with Orlando von Einsiedel, “Reckoning With Laughter”, Peabody Award-winning “The Judge” and “We Are Ayenda”, which won her Best Director at Sundance Brand Storytelling and a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions.
Amber has also directed TV episodes including Gutsy and America Inside Out With Katie Couric. In 2019, Amber was a Sundance Momentum Fellow.

Nuhash Humayun

Writer/Director

Nuhash Humayun is a Bangladeshi-American writer and director interested in combining genre with South Asian identity. A self-taught filmmaker, Nuhash wrote, directed & edited the SXSW-winning short film “Moshari”, the first Oscar-qualifying Bangladeshi film. His horror anthology film “Pett Kata Shaw” won Best International Feature at the Raindance Film Festival.
Nuhash is a Sundance Screenwriting Fellow, also receiving support from Film Independent, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Berlinale Talents, Cannes Marche du Film and the ScreenCraft Film Fund.

Soudade Kaadan

Writer/Director

Soudade Kaadan is a Syrian director, based in London, born in France. She studied theater in the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and filmmaking in IESAV Lebanon.
Her first feature fiction film “The Day I Lost My Shadow” was awarded The Lion of The Future award for best debut film at the Venice Film Festival in 2018, has been screened in TIFF, BFI, Busan and IFFR and is now on Netflix. Her short film “Aziza” won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Her second feature film “Nezouh”, backed by BFI/Film4/Starlight, won the audience award at the Venice Film Festival 2022. Currently, she is working on her third fiction film.

Liam LoPinto

Writer/Director

Liam LoPinto is a filmmaker and animator from New York City. He graduated from NYU Tisch’s UGFTV program, studied at Waseda University in Tokyo and attended CalArts’ Character Animation program. His CalArts student film “French Fly” was selected for CAA Moebius’ 5th Showcase, while his short film “The Old Young Crow” won the Oscar-qualifying Best of Festival award at Palm Springs.
His documentary “Karam Camera” was made in partnership with Karam Foundation, whose mission is to empower young Syrian refugees. Liam is a second generation Iranian-American and his work focuses on diaspora, refugees, immigrants, and dissidents.

Aiman Mimiko

Writer/Director

Aiman Mimiko, is a Nigerian-American writer and director whose work centers on African and Muslim perspectives and the challenge of self-identity in worlds where your name is constantly mispronounced. Aiman is a 2023 Princess Grace Award winner in film and BAFTA Connect Talent. He holds an MFA in film from Columbia University, where he graduated with
the Ezra Litwak Distinction in Screenwriting.
In 2021, he participated in MPAC Hollywood’s Black Muslim TV lab with his teleplay, House Call. In 2022, his feature, Quarters, was part of ISF’s Inaugural Muslim Writer’s Lab. His short film, Mr. Bold, received a special jury mention at the 2024 Atlanta Film Festival. He is currently in development with his first feature.

Maryam Mir

Writer/Director

Maryam Mir is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. As a Kashmiri-Canadian born in Germany, raised in Bahrain, with Kenyan ancestry, Maryam finds inspiration in (im)migrant stories of warmth, joy and gentleness. She is a UCP Thousand Miles Project Workshop Participant ’22, a NYFA Awardee ’22, and a Gotham Marcie Bloom Fellow ’23.
Her latest short, “Sweet Refuge”, was acquired by AMC+, has screened at 20+ festivals and won several awards, including a DGA Jury Award. She is currently in post-production for her thesis short film set in Bahrain, with support from the Doha Film Institute. She holds an MFA degree from NYU Tisch’s Graduate Film Program, where she was an Ang Lee Scholar and concentrated in writing and directing.

Warda Mohamed

Writer/Director

warda mohamed is a BIFA-nominated filmmaker. She is an alumna of the BFI NETWORK@LFF and participated in the writers’ room for the second season of Nida Manzoor’s series “We Are Lady Parts”. Expanding her talents into the theater, Warda co-directed “Dugsi Dayz”, a comedic riff on “The Breakfast Club”, that has since transferred to New Diorama Theatre and the Royal Court.
Warda’s debut narrative short, “MUNA”, was backed by BBC Film, in association with UK Muslim Film and Sabrina Elba. Making its international premiere at 74th Berlinale Film Festival, the film has made official selection at over thirty film festivals globally including BFI London Film Festival, Aspen Shortsfest, ABFF and Curta Cinema Rio de Janeiro.
Warda is currently developing her debut feature screenplay “MOON” with BBC Film and Working Title. She is also developing her debut TV pilot as part of this year’s prestigious Channel 4 Screenwriting Course cohort.

Mobolaji Olambiwonnu

Documentarian

Mobolaji Olambiwonnu, is a storyteller and educator with Nigerian Muslim and Jamaican Christian parents. Growing up mediating multiple cultural identities has inspired him to use cinema as a tool to illuminate the superficial conditions that divide us and accentuate the merits of shedding our prejudices. He attended both UCLA and AFI. His feature documentary, “Ferguson Rises”, won an Audience Award at the TriBeca Film Festival and represented Independent Lens/PBS at the Television Critics Association. Noted critic Kenneth Turan it “excellent and impressive.”
Mobolaji was a Gotham/HBO Fellow, a Amplifier/Netflix Fellow through Film Independent and is repped at UTA where he is developing both narrative and documentary projects.

Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed is an Academy Award-nominated actor, writer, producer, and musician, as well as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People (listed in 2017). Themes of inclusion and representation run throughout Riz’s work as a creator and activist, from his roles in projects such as “Sound of Metal,” “The Night Of,” and “Mogul Mowgli,” to his essay in Nikesh Shukla’s “The Good Immigrant,” his 2017 address to Parliament on diversity in the creative industries, and his appointment to the Mayor of London’s 2021 Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm. Whether he’s using his power as a producer to bring refugee narratives to our screens via his production company Left Handed Films, writing about the inequalities of the COVID pandemic as contributing editor of British Vogue, or exploring Britishness through his critically acclaimed music release “The Long Goodbye,” the Gold List A100 honoree is driven by a mission to stretch culture, reimagine our narratives and landscapes of belonging, and include rather than divide.

Bisha K. Ali

Bisha K. Ali is a screenwriter, director, and producer who splits her time between London and Los Angeles. In 2019, Bisha was announced as the head writer of Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” series for Disney+, starring the MCU’s first Muslim superhero, Kamala Khan. Bisha’s previous work includes consulting on HBO and Sky’s upcoming series “The Baby” and writing on Marvel Studios’ “Loki” for Disney+, Hulu’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and Netflix’s “Sex Education.” Recently, Bisha partnered with Netflix and Sky Studios to develop The Screenwriters’ Fellowship for underrepresented U.K. writers that will provide them with financial aid, a support network, and placement in a writers’ room.

Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali is an acclaimed actor and producer. His dedication to his craft and ability to portray complex characters with authenticity and depth has created a path to an illustrious career in both film and television.

Ali is a two-time Academy Award winner for his roles in the Barry Jenkins’ Oscar winning film MOONLIGHT and Peter Farrelly’s Oscar winning GREENBOOK, for which he was also lauded with multiple SAG and BAFTA nominations. Ali recently starred alongside Julia Roberts in Sam Esmail’s phycological thriller LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND, which has become one of Netflix’s most popular/viewed films of all time. Ali currently is in pre-production on the highly anticipated Disney Marvel film BLADE, which will be released on November 7th, 2025.

Ali has garnered four Emmy nominations and multiple SAG nominations over the course of his career in television. As a guest role in the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed Hulu series RAMY from creator, writer, and actor Ramy Youssef, HBO’s TRUE DETECTIVE for which he was nominated for a SAG Award, and Netflix’s original series, HOUSE OF CARDS. He was also Emmy nominated for his narration work in Netflix’s acclaimed documentary CHIMP EMPIRE and won the Emmy for Outstanding Children’s program as an Executive Producer on HBO’s WE ARE THE DREAM.

Additional credits include Apple TV+’s SWAN SONG which Ali starred in, was nominated for a BAFTA and also produced, Academy award-winning SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, HIDDEN FIGURES, ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, Derek Cianfrance’s critically-acclaimed THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES and David Fincher’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, among others.

Sana Amanat

Sana Amanat is currently a creative executive at Marvel Studios. Over her 12 years at Marvel, Sana has worked as an editor, content creator, and producer. She’s worked on story and character development for much of her career beginning with comic books then moving to animation, games, and live action. Sana is most known for co-creating a Muslim American female superhero named Kamala Khan—a new Ms. Marvel—which gained worldwide media attention and sparked excitement and dialogue about identity and the Muslim American narrative. She has championed representation in storytelling, striving to cultivate new voices within the entertainment industry by creating platforms like the Women of Marvel. Sana has been featured in Vogue, Marie Claire, and Time Magazine. She has also had the distinct honor of introducing President Barack Obama at the White House, who called her a “real life superhero.”

Karim Amer

Karim Amer

is an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, whose verité-style filmmaking brings intimacy and empathy to whatever topic he pursues. Karim’s work is social and political, tackling large issues through the individuals experiencing them. His film “The Square” (2013) provided a ground-level view of the Egyptian Revolution and garnered an Oscar nomination, three Emmy wins, and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. His directorial debut, “The Great Hack” (2019), an exploration of the Cambridge Analytica hack, was hailed by The Guardian as “the most important doc [of the] year” and made the Academy Award and Grierson shortlists, received Emmy and BAFTA nominations, and won a Cinema Eye Award. As a producer, Karim co-produced “The Breadwinner” (2017) with Angelina Jolie and the Peabody Award-winning television series “Ramy” (2019). He is currently directing and producing the second season of acclaimed HBO series “The Vow.”

Karim is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and co-founder of THE OTHRS, a Brooklyn-based, full-service production company, with award-winning producer-director Jehane Noujaim.

Mo Amer

Mohammed “Mo” Amer is a Palestinian-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer from Houston, Texas. He can currently be seen on the award winning comedy Mo streaming on Netflix. The show won a 2023 Peabody Award, a TV Academy Honor and a Gotham Award for “Breakthrough Series “and was named one of AFI ‘s (American Film Institute) top 10 shows of the year. Mo was also nominated for “Best Actor” at the Independent Spirit Award for the series that has rare 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. He can also be seen opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in DC’s Black Adam and in the Golden Globe winning show Ramy. In 2022 he was named GQ ‘Man of the Year’ in the UAE. His two stand -up specials Mo Amer: The Vangabond and Mo Amer; Mohmand in Texas can also be seen on Netflix. Mo has performed in over 27 countries across 5 continents.

Rosa Attab

Rosa Attab, French of Algerian descent and a graduate of Cornell University and ESCP Europe, began her career at Wild Bunch as head of acquisitions. She switched to film production to handle development and run writing rooms on local comedies at Serenity Films, where she developed “Les Tuche,” the highest-grossing French franchise of the last 10 years, 

In 2010, she joined the multi-award-winning Paris-based outfit Why Not Productions, where she produced international and French projects with established and emerging directors such as Jacques Audiard, Cristian Mungiu, Arnaud Desplechin, Lynne Ramsay, Yann Demange, and Ken Loach.

Rosa is a BAFTA and Independent Spirit Awards nominee and was featured in Variety as one of 10 Producers to Watch in 2017. She is a producer on Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here” (best screenplay and best actor at Cannes Film Festival 2017), and a writer-producer on Samir Guesmi’s “Ibrahim” (Cannes FF 2020) and Yassine Qunia’s “A Brighter Tomorrow” (Director’s Fortnight 2021). Rosa is currently an independent writer-producer working between Paris and London.

Jessica Beshir

Jessica Beshir is a Mexican-Ethiopian filmmaker interested in cinema that responds to an intuitive process and the forms that emerge from this journey expressed through the textures of ordinary life and anchored by socio-political concerns. Her films have screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, BFI, MoMI, Fespaco and IDFA among others. Her feature debut, Faya Dayi, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and screened around the world garnering multiple awards including the Truer Than Fiction Award at the Independent Spirits (2022), the Grand Jury Prize & Fipresci Awards at Visions du Reel (2021), the Grand Jury Prize at the Full Frame Film Festival (2021), best Cinematography awards at the ASC (2022), IDA (2021), DOC NYC (2021) and was shortlisted for the Academy Awards (2022). Faya Dayi was released theatrically in North America by Janus Films, broadcast nationally on POV’s 35th season on PBS (2022) and was released in Europe & Latin America by Mubi. Beshir is a 2024 Guggenheim fellow and has been honored with grant support from the Jerome Foundation, Sundance Institute, the Doha Film Institute and NYSCA.

May Calamawy

Born and raised in Bahrain, Palestinian- Egyptian actress, May Calamawy, started her acting career in Dubai then started working in TV in the USA after studying at the William Esper Studio in NYC. She can be seen in the TV shows Ramy, as Dena Hassan, and Moonknight, as Layla El Faouly/ Scarlet Scarab. Her upcoming projects include The Actor, Duke Johnson and Gladiator 2, Ridley Scott.

Yann Demange

Yann Demange has always been passionate about telling unexpected, distinctive stories. Growing up in London as a man of Algerian and French heritage, Yann made a name for himself as a filmmaker in the U.K. on productions like “Top Boy” and “‘71,” for which he received the British Independent Film Award for Best Director. Transitioning to working in the U.S., Yann directed the feature film “White Boy Rick” (Sony) and the pilot of BAFTA-, Golden Globe-, and multi-Emmy-nominated television drama “Lovecraft Country” (HBO). Yann also recently launched a production company, Wayward Films, to develop film and television projects for a global audience, believing deeply in the commerciality of diverse and bold storytelling.

Mohamed Diab

Mohamed Diab is a prominent Egyptian filmmaker who began his career as a screenwriter. His work has achieved commercial success in the Middle East as well as international acclaim. In 2010, he made his directorial debut, “Cairo 678,” about a trio of female vigilantes who fight sexual harassment on the streets of Cairo. Paulo Coelho tweeted that the film “should be mandatory for all men to watch.” In 2016, he followed up with the Cannes Un Certain Regarde opener “Clash” (2016), an action-packed political thriller shot entirely from within the confines of a police truck, praised by Tom Hanks who urged people to see it, for “it will break your heart, but enlighten all.” His latest film, “Amira” (2021), centers around the phenomenon of Palestinian prisoners conceiving children through smuggled sperm. The Disney+ and Marvel Studios series “Moon Knight” marks his U.S. directorial debut.

Sarah Goher

Sarah Goher is an Egyptian American writer and producer, born and bred in the South Bronx. She attended the prestigious Nightingale Bamford school that inspired the series “Gossip Girl” before double majoring at NYU in film and economics. After graduating, she moved to Cairo and met her creative partner and husband, filmmaker Mohamed Diab. She produced his first film, “Cairo 678” (2010), about a trio of female vigilantes who fight sexual harassment on the streets of Cairo. Paulo Coelho tweeted that the film “should be mandatory for all men to watch.”

Her sophomore film was the Cannes Un Certain Regarde opener “Clash” (2016), an action-packed political thriller shot entirely from within the confines of a police truck, praised by Tom Hanks who urged people to see it, for “it will break your heart, but enlighten all.” Their latest film, “Amira” (2021), centers around the phenomenon of Palestinian prisoners conceiving children through smuggled sperm.

Sarah has co-written two scripts with Mohamed: “Yara,” a refugee superhero film housed at Blumhouse Productions, and “Quota,” a sci-fi thriller set at Thunder Road Films. In 2020, Sarah and Mohamed began working on the Marvel series “Moon Knight,” starring Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, and May Calamawy and airing on Disney+.

Sarah is currently preparing to direct her first feature.

Sahar Jahani

Sahar Jahani is a first generation Iranian-American writer raised in Los Angeles. She worked in scripted development at YouTube Originals before transitioning to the writers room on the Golden Globe winning Hulu series, RAMY, where she was awarded a Peabody, along with the other writers, for their work on the first season. Since then, Sahar has written on several acclaimed shows including 13 REASONS WHY, THE BOLD TYPE, ECHOES, and was most recently a consulting producer on LIFE AND BETH. She has also written feature films for producer Amy Pascal / SONY, and is adapting a YOU’VE GOT MAIL inspired rom-com for Amazon Studios with Executive Producer, Mindy Kaling. Sahar has developed her own series of shows at HBO Max, Netflix and currently developing at Amazon. In addition to her film and TV work, Sahar’s writing has been featured in The New York Times’ Modern Love column and she is writing her first novel for Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers / Macmillan publishing.

Zainab Johnson

Zainab Johnson is a stand-up comedian, actress, and writer quickly being propelled as one of the most unique and engaging performers on stage and screen. Zainab’s comedy is based on her unique point-of-view, which was shaped growing up in Harlem as one of thirteen siblings in a black Muslim family. Zainab was named one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics To Watch, she is one of the host for Netflix’s show “100 Humans”, she’s currently a series regular on the Amazon Original hit series titled “Upload” from Greg Daniels, and stars in her very first One Hour Comedy Special “Hijabs Off” which premiered worldwide October 24th on Prime Video.

Lena Khan

Lena Khan is a writer and director. Her first feature film, “The Tiger Hunter,” released in over 70 cities nationwide and garnered effusively positive reviews from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and more. Fresh off of her first film, Disney tapped Lena to direct “Flora & Ulysses” (2021), a live-action family comedy that was among the top streamed movies in the world for multiple weeks. She filmed several episodes of Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series “Never Have I Ever” and is working on several feature and television projects, including a show she recently sold, a half-hour dramedy she is executive producing, and a feature passion project she is incredibly excited about but isn’t allowed to talk about.

Nida Manzoor

Nida Manzoor is a prolific and award-winning genre-comedy writer and director. Her work has been commissioned by U.K. broadcasters, including the BBC, Sky, and Channel 4. With a background in short film, in 2018 Nida directed the first series of hit BBC comedy series “Enterprice,” written by and starring Kayode Ewumi. In 2019, she directed two critically acclaimed episodes of the cult BBC sci-fi show “Doctor Who,” starring Jodie Whittaker.

Most recently, Nida wrote, created, and directed the acclaimed television series “We Are Lady Parts,” a music comedy for Channel 4 and Peacock

Hasan Minhaj

Hasan Minhaj was the host and creator of the weekly comedy show “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” that premiered on Netflix in October 2018. The series explored the modern cultural and political landscape with depth and sincerity through his unique comedic voice. The show received a 2019 Peabody Award, a 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Motion Design, and was recognized for a 2020 Television Academy Honor.

In 2017, Hasan earned rave reviews for his performance hosting the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and for his one-hour Netflix comedy special “Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King,” which earned him a 2018 Peabody Award. A first-generation American, Hasan joined “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” as a correspondent in November 2014, where he was Jon’s last hire. He continued on in that role after Trevor Noah took over as host the following year and remained on the show through August 2018.

Fawzia Mirza

Fawzia Mirza is a queer, Muslim, South Asian-Canadian-American writer and director with multiple film and television credits. THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS – their feature debut – world premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, internationally premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and had its US premiere at SXSW 2024. QUEEN was nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards and won Best Lead Performance, Drama (Amrit Kaur) and Best Original Song (Qurram Hussain). Fawzia co-wrote, produced, and starred in the feature SIGNATURE MOVE (SXSW 2017), opposite legendary actor Shabana Azmi who played her mother. Fawzia’s award-winning short films have screened all over the world: THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS (2012), THE FIRST SESSION (2014), I KNOW HER (2019), SAYA (2019), NOOR & LAYLA (2021), THE SYED FAMILY X-MAS EVE GAME NIGHT (2021, world premiered Toronto International), DARE TO DREAM (2021, featuring Palestinian-Egyptian author/activist/actor Randa Jarrar) BROWN ELEPHANT (2022, 20th Digital Studio), and AUNTIE (2022, world premiered Aspen Shortsfest and streams on The New Yorker). Fawzia directed on upcoming Hulu comedy DELI BOYS from Jenni Konner and Onyx Collective – created by Abdullah Saeed – starring Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh, and Poorna Jagannathan. Her feature HEIRLOOM – named to the 2022 Muslim List published by The Black List –is in development with producer/wife Andria Wilson Mirza and their Baby Daal Productions.

Nijla Mu’min

Nijla Mu’min is a writer and filmmaker from the East Bay Area. Her work is informed by poetry, photography, music, fiction, and dance. In 2014, she was selected for the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive, and she was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at the 2014 Urbanworld Film Festival, for her script Noor, which has continued to garner recognition from The Black List Muslim List, The Islamic Scholarship Fund, and the Sundance Institute.

Her debut feature film, Jinn, premiered at the 2018 South By Southwest Film Festival, where she won the Special Jury Recognition Award for Screenwriting. Jinn, a New York Times Critic’s pick, was released in November 2018 by Orion Classics, and is currently streaming on Amazon. She also directed an episode of “Queen Sugar” in 2018. In 2019, she received the Shadow & Act Rising Award, the MPAC Media Award for Courage and Conscience, and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That same year, she directed an episode of HBO’s “Insecure” season four, and she wrote for the Starz show “Blindspotting.” In 2020, she wrote and directed an episode of the Apple series, “Swagger.”She also wrote and directed a short film for Netflix, entitled Black Prom. In 2021, she directed an episode of “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” for Hulu. In 2022, she directed episodes of All Rise for OWN, Swagger season 2 for Apple, and East New York for CBS. She is currently developing her second feature film, Mosswood Park. She is a dual-degree graduate of CalArts MFA Film Directing and Creative Writing Programs, and a graduate of UC Berkeley, where studied in June Jordan’s Poetry for the People Program.

Amina Munir

Amina Munir is a writer and producer from New Jersey. She most recently inked an overall deal with Universal Television to develop and produce projects for a variety of platforms. She has worked alongside comedy legends, including Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, and Ted Danson, and currently serves as a supervising producer on season 4 of “Never Have I Ever” (Netflix). Her experience in television ranges over nine seasons, including single camera, multi-camera, network, and cable.

Jehane Noujaim

Jehane Noujaim

is an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated Egyptian American filmmaker, whose verité-style filmmaking brings intimacy and empathy to whatever topic she pursues. Beginning with her early films “Rafea: Solar Mama” (2013), “Control Room” (2004), and “Startup.com” (2001), Jehane’s work is social and political, tackling large issues through the individuals experiencing them. Her film “The Square” (2013) provided a ground-level view of the Egyptian Revolution and garnered an Oscar nomination, three Emmy wins, and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Her exploration of the Cambridge Analytica hack, “The Great Hack” (2019), was hailed by The Guardian as “the most important doc [of the] year” and made the Academy Award and Grierson shortlists, received Emmy and BAFTA nominations, and won a Cinema Eye Award. 

As a producer, Jehane co-produced “The Breadwinner” with Angelina Jolie and the Peabody Award-winning television series “Ramy,” for which she directed the first season finale. She has been nominated three times for the Directors Guild of America Award. In 2006, she was awarded the TED Prize with which she created Pangea Day, a global film festival in 1800 locations across 100 countries aimed at creating a global campfire for filmmakers and using the power of film to create a better understanding of one another.

 Jehane is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and co-founder of THE OTHRS, a Brooklyn-based, full-service production company, with award-winning producer-director Karim Amer. She is currently directing and producing part 2 of acclaimed HBO series “The Vow.”

Aida Osman

Aida Osman is an award-winning actress, stand-up comedian, and writer best known for her leading role in Issa Rae’s Rap Sh!t on which she also served as a co-executive producer. At just 25 she’s been featured in Forbes 30 under 30 and has written on shows such as “Big Mouth” and “Betty.” She is also known for being one of the co-hosts of “Keep It” on Crooked Media. She can be seen in TV shows Ramy and Random Acts of Flyness. Her upcoming film, The Young Wife is coming this May 2024.

Saagar Shaikh

Saagar Shaikh is a Pakistani American actor and producer. Born and raised in Texas to immigrant parents, he didn’t have much exposure outside of the world of convenience stores. He graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BA in Business Management before exploring a world of storytelling and improvising and grew a passion for positive Muslim representation.

In 2019, Saagar was selected in the Disney Television Discovers Talent Showcase which set the stage for his breakout role in the critically acclaimed Marvel Studios series on Disney+, “Ms. Marvel.” He reprised his role in the film “The Marvels” alongside Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson. Saagar will next star as a lead in the upcoming series for Hulu, “Deli Boys.”

Bassam Tariq

Bassam Tariq

is a writer and director working in both fiction and nonfiction. His BAFTA-nominated debut fiction film, “Mogul Mowgli,” starring Riz Ahmed, premiered at Berlinale 2020 and won the International Critics Prize. The film recently won the Best Debut Screenwriter and Best Music award at the British Independent Film Awards. He is a TED Fellow and was named in Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” His previous film, “Ghost of Sugarland” (2019), won the Short Film Jury Prize at Sundance and was released as a Netflix Original. His first feature documentary, “These Birds Walk,” premiered at SXSW and is distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories. It was also named one of the 50 best foreign films of the 21st century by the New Yorker. He lives in Brooklyn with his family.

Ramy Youssef

Ramy Youssef is a Golden Globe-winning Egyptian American creator, actor, producer, director, and comedian who brings his unique voice and perspective to his storytelling. He won the 2020 Golden Globe Award® on behalf of “Ramy” in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. Youssef created, produced, and stars in the hit show, which is inspired by his own experiences centering around a first-generation Egyptian American Muslim on a spiritual journey in his politically divided New Jersey neighborhood. Most recently, the Television Academy nominated Youssef for two 2020 Emmy Awards® in the categories of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series on behalf of the second season of “Ramy.” Youssef was also nominated for a Critics Choice Award and a Writers Guild Award for his one-hour HBO comedy special “Ramy Youssef: Feelings,” produced by A24. Youssef, through his partnership with A24, is working on creating and developing subsequent projects. The first show will star “Ramy” series regular Stephen Way in a story illustrating the perspective and experience of a disabled person and their family in a real way. Youssef will executive produce both this series and an untitled show currently in production with Netflix.

Fateme Ahmadi

Director

Fateme Ahmadi is an Iranian writer-director based in London. She is an alumna of the London Film School, Berlinale Talents and Edinburgh Talent Lab. Her shorts received recognition at festivals worldwide, including BIFA-nominated “Bitter Sea” and “Leila’s Blues,” which was made through Tunisia Factory and screened in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Fateme is a Film London Lodestar and a John Brabourne Award recipient. She is mentored by Marjane Satrapi (BAFTA-nominated writer-director, “Persepolis,” “Radioactive”). In addition to her narrative work, Fateme also worked as the associate producer of the BIFA-nominated feature documentary “Coup 53,” produced by Taghi Amirani and Paul Zaentz and co-produced by Amir Amirani and Ahmad Kiarostami. Fateme’s first feature, “Daughter of Eden,” is currently in development with the BFI Film Fund.

Zeshawn Ali

Director

Zeshawn Ali is a writer and director originally from Ohio and currently based in New York. His feature documentary film,“Two Gods,” was supported by ITVS, Ford Foundation and Sundance Institute and was selected in festivals across North America. It was released in theaters nationwide as well as on broadcast as a part of “Independent Lens” on PBS. The film was named a New York Times Critics Pick and nominated for a Cinema Eye Spotlight Award. He was recently selected as a fellow for the Gotham/HBO Documentary Development Initiative and is currently in development on a new feature documentary as well as a narrative adaptation of “Two Gods.”

Aqsa Altaf

Director

Aqsa Altaf is a Los Angeles-based writer and director. She was raised in Kuwait by Muslim, Pakistani and Sri Lankan parents who were migrant workers, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2013. Aqsa wrote and directed “American Eid” for the NAACP Image Awards-nominated series Disney Launchpad, now streaming on Disney+. Her proof-of-concept short film “Heat” was developed at Amazon Studios as a series. Her short films have premiered at festivals like SXSW and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. She was also nominated for the Young Director Award at Cannes and selected as a Directing Mentorship Fellow for Ryan Murphy’s HALF Initiative. In addition to her narrative work, Aqsa also directs commercials and branded films.

Nausheen Dadabhoy

Director

Nausheen Dadabhoy is a director and cinematographer whose work spans fiction and documentary. She has lensed an Oscar-nominated short film and an Emmy-winning documentary. Her films have been shown at Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and SXSW, and hosted on Netflix, Amazon, HBO and Hulu. Her directorial debut, “The Ground Beneath Their Feet,” premiered at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in the first appearance competition. Her second feature documentary, “An Act of Worship,” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and had a national broadcast on PBS’s POV. The film received support from the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Tribeca Film Institute, International Documentary Association and Sundance Institute. Nausheen received her MFA in Cinematography from the American Film Institute.

Imran J. Khan

Director

Imran J. Khan has written and directed a number of award-winning short films including “Timmy II,” “The Drone and the Kid” and “Prom.” His short films have screened at major film festivals, broadcasted nationally on PBS’s Film School Shorts, and been awarded Vimeo Staff Pick. Imran is a former assistant editor at Walt Disney Animation Studios and has previously assistant edited a number of films including “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” He is a graduate of NYU’s MFA Film production program and a San Francisco Bay Area native. His semi-autobiographical coming-of-age debut feature, “Mustache,” will premiere at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival.

Karim Khan

Writer

Karim Khan is a playwright and screenwriter from Oxford. His award-winning play “Brown Boys Swim” completed a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, before transferring to Soho Theatre. The play ignited a bidding war, and he’s now adapting it for television with a major international studio and network. Karim’s first TV credit was on Channel 5/PBS show “All Creatures Great and Small.” He’s currently staffed on several writers’ rooms and is writing episodes on two new shows for the BBC. He has a number of original TV projects in development. Karim graduated from the NFTS Screenwriting program in 2019 and is an alumnus of both the Soho Writers’ Lab and Royal Court Writers’ Group.

Myriam Raja

Director

Myriam Raja graduated from the National Film & Television School (NFTS) in 2018 with her graduation short “Azaar,” which was nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Short Film. After graduating from NFTS, Myriam directed an episode of the Netflix series “Top Boy.” The show was a great success, and Myriam was brought back to direct four episodes in the final season. Myriam is currently finishing postproduction on “Top Boy” while also developing her debut feature with Film4 and a second feature project with BBC and David Yates’ production company, Wychwood Films.

Nadra Widatalla

Writer

Nadra Widatalla is a Sudanese-American storyteller and community-based organizer. As a Sudanese woman, her goal is to continue to bridge the gap between global revolutions and grassroots movements happening in the United States, whether it be through on-the-ground organizing or sharing her voice in the Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue and more. Most recently, Nadra was selected to participate in the Television Screenwriting Lab for Black Muslim Writers, held in partnership with the Muslim Public Affairs Council and The Blackhouse Foundation. Additionally, her pilot, “Naila,” was selected for The Black List’s inaugural Muslim List. Nadra was most recently a staff writer on the upcoming Peacock series “Mrs. Davis,” created by Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez. She is currently writing and developing projects for television.

Farida Zahran

Director

Farida Zahran is an Egyptian writer-director based in Brooklyn, working across film and television. Most recently, she wrote on the acclaimed series “Ramy” (A24 and Hulu). Her short film, “Youth,” premiered at SXSW in 2019, received an Oscar-qualifying award at Palm Springs International ShortFest, and is a Vimeo Staff Pick. She has been supported by programs such as the New York Film Festival Artist Academy, HamptonsFilm Screenwriters Lab, Cairo Film Connection and the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. She is a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program. Farida is currently in development on her debut feature, “The Leftover Ladies,” as well as a half-hour series.

Ali Imran Zaidi

Writer

Ali Imran Zaidi is a Los Angeles-based television, feature and audio series writer of thrillers, sci-fi and crime. He’s currently writing an original narrative audio series alongside Hillman Grad Productions, with Hasan Minhaj and Janina Gavankar co-producing and starring. He’s also adapting a sci-fi property for Skybound Entertainment. Recently, he went through The Black List’s 2022 Feature Lab and was on The Black List’s 2022 Muslim List. A Florida escapee, he has lived on three continents and worked odd jobs, ranging from processing mountains of gulf shrimp at a fish house to building PCs and software in a hangar near Travolta’s secret lair. His stories are spiked with that diverse and often darkly comedic experience.