Syed Sadiq is a Pakistani director who has directed many documentaries and short films. In 2022, his film Joy to the World became the first Pakistani film to enter the Cannes Film Festival and gained recognition by winning several accolades internationally.
Wiki/Biography
Saim Sadiq was born on Thursday, March 28, 1991, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan (age 31; as of 2022). In 2010, after completing his studies at St. Mary’s College, Pakistan, Saim Sadiq enrolled at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Anthropology/Sociology. Saim said that he did not concentrate on his studies when he graduated, but his GPA reached 3.1. Speaking about the incident in a Facebook post, he said,
At Ramsay, I really didn’t care about my studies at all. I somehow managed a 3.1 class, traveled to seven different countries, made an adventurous documentary about blasphemy laws for my SPROJ, won a Model United Nations award, organized an international student conference, and failed a quiz , laughed it off, and made tomes of friends that really mattered. Amidst all these imperfections, I had the most regretless experience of my life. “
After graduating from LUMS in 2014, Saim Sadiq studied at Columbia University School of the Arts. There he studied for a Master of Fine Arts in Film Directing/Screenwriting. Graduated from Columbia University School of Art in 2019.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Hair color: black
Eye color: light brown
family
Saeem Sadiq was born into a conservative middle-class family in Pakistan.
Parents and siblings
His father is a retired Pakistan Army officer.
His sister Abeer Sadiq works as an information technology analyst at Coles in Melbourne, Australia.
wife and children
As of November 2022, Saim Sadiq is not married.
Relationships/Affairs
Saim Sadiq is in a relationship with film producer Maggie Briggs.
Profession
writer
From February 2011 to July 2011, Syed Sadiq worked as a writer for “Pakistan Today”. From July 2011 to August 2012, Saim Sadiq worked as a writer for the Express Tribune.
documentary
While studying at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Saeem Sadiq produced several documentaries on religious minorities and children in Pakistan. His documentaries were not only aired on different channels in Pakistan but also on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). In 2014, Syed Sadiq produced a documentary called “Stepmotherland”, which was filmed under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. In the same year, he co-directed a Pakistani music video called Kithay Nain Na Jorin. During his graduation, Saim Sadiq and his friends started a media production company called Tamasha.
short film
In 2015, Syme Sadiq made his directorial debut with a short film called “Letters of Mikael Muhammad”. He also wrote scripts for short films.
In 2016, he directed the short film “Blackbird” and wrote the script. In 2017, he directed Pasban, which screened at numerous film festivals around the world.
In 2018, Saeem Sadiq directed and wrote the script for the short film Nowhere. In 2019, Sam Sadiq directed and wrote the screenplay for the short film Dear, which won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at the 2019 Venice Film Festival and the Special Jury Recognition Award at the 2020 SXSW Film Awards.
In the same year, Sam Sadiq directed another short film, Nice Talking To You, which premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival. The film screened at the 2019 Palm Springs International Film Festival. In 2019, the short film was shortlisted for the BAFTA Award for Best Student Film.
feature film
In 2022, Saeem Sadiq directed his first feature film, Joyland. The film stars Ali Junijo, Rusty Farooq, Alina Khan and Sarwat Gilani. Saeem also wrote the screenplay of the film.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2022, and was shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival’s official selection unit “Un Certain Regard” and competed for the Camera d’Or. “Happyland” became the first Pakistani film to enter the Cannes Film Festival. The film also received a standing ovation from festival audiences. The film was shortlisted for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and will debut in the special screening section on September 8, 2022.
On October 6, 2022, at the 27th Busan International Film Festival, “Joyland” was shortlisted for the “Asian Film Window” unit. In November 2022, the Pakistani government banned the film, which was originally scheduled to be released in the country on November 18, 2022. The film was allowed to be released in Pakistan after receiving ‘A’ certification from Pakistan’s federal and provincial censorship boards. On November 11, 2022, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned the film after a religious party leader complained about the film. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated in the notice,
Received a written complaint stating that the film contained extremely objectionable content, was inconsistent with Hong Kong’s social values and moral standards, and clearly violated the standards of “decency and morals” stipulated in Section 9 of the Film Ordinance, 1979. The order states. “Therefore, now, the Union Government, in exercise of its powers conferred by Section 9(2)(a) of the Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive investigation, declares the feature film titled ‘Joyland’ to be an uncertified film. Cinemas in Pakistan under CBFC jurisdiction with immediate effect. “
Syed Sadiq called the government’s decision unconstitutional. However, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reversed its earlier decision on December 16, 2022 and approved the film for release in Pakistan after reviewing some scenes. The film will be released in Pakistan on November 18, 2022. Joyland has won several accolades, including the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Best Film of the Subcontinent at the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne, the Sutherland Award Honorable Mention at the London Film Festival, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) Youth Film Award, Zagreb Film Festival Golden Plum Award for Best Feature Film. In September 2022, the Pakistan Academy Selection Committee (PASC) selected Joyland as Pakistan’s official entry for the 95th Academy Awards.
Awards
- Saim Sadiq won the Model United Nations (MUN) award during his graduation.
- Saim Sadiq won the Vimeo Best Director Award at the Columbia University Film Festival for his short film “Nice Talking To You.”
- Syme Sadiq won a Kodak Gold Award for directing “Nice Talking To You.”
Facts/Trivia
- Saim Sadiq served as Director General of LUMUN from April 2013 to May 2014.
- Syme Sadiq smokes.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education