Shamim Sarif is a novelist and filmmaker of South Asia

South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

n and South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n heritage. Her roots inspired her to write her award-winning debut novel

Debut novel

A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...

, The World Unseen

The World Unseen

The World Unseen is a 2008 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...

, which explores issues of race, gender and sexuality, which she later adapted into a film starring Lisa Ray

Lisa Ray

Lisa Ray , born 4 April 1972, is a Canadian actress and former model.-Early life:Lisa Ray was born in Toronto to a Bengali Indian father and a Polish mother and grew up in the suburb of Etobicoke...

, shown at the London Film Festival in 2007.

She is the recipient of three Best Director awards for The World Unseen film - from the South African Film and Television Awards , The Phoenix Film Festival and the Clip (Tampa) Festival. The novel won the Pendleton May First Novel Award and a Betty Trask Award

Betty Trask Award

The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35, who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. The awards were established in 1984 by the Society of Authors, at the bequest of the late Betty Trask, a reclusive author of over thirty romance novels...

.
She lives in London with her wife Hanan Kattan

Hanan Kattan

Hanan Kattan , is a Jordanian of Palestinian origin. She is a business woman and film producer. Hanan was born in Jordan, and lives with her partner Shamim Sarif in London; they have two sons. Kattan created Enlightenment Productions in partnership with Shamim Sarif.-Career:Hanan's first...

 and her two children.

Novels

External links

• Review of the film The World Unseen at the British Film Institute
  British Film Institute
  The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
  
  's website
• Shamim Sarif's Official website