Sally El Hosaini facts for kids

Sally El-Hosaini is a talented film director and screenwriter with both Welsh and Egyptian roots. She is known for creating powerful and truthful stories on screen. She has even been nominated for a BAFTA Award, which is a very important award for films and TV shows in the UK.

About Sally El-Hosaini

Sally El-Hosaini was born in Swansea, Wales. Her parents are from Egypt and Wales. She spent her childhood growing up in Cairo, Egypt.

For her high school education, Sally attended Atlantic College in Wales. This is a special school that is part of the United World Colleges. Later, she studied Arabic and Middle Eastern history at Durham University.

Before she started making films, Sally taught English literature to girls in Sana'a, Yemen. She also worked for Amnesty International, an organization that helps protect human rights around the world. Today, she lives in Hackney, London.

Sally's Journey in Film

Sally El-Hosaini began her career by learning from theatre director John Sichel. She first worked on documentaries about the Middle East. After that, she moved into making independent feature films, where she helped coordinate productions for many years. She has shared that she felt she could tell more honest stories in fiction films than in some TV documentaries.

She was a script editor and researcher for the mini-series House of Saddam. This show won a BAFTA Award and an Emmy Award. Sally spent two and a half years researching for the series, which also won a Grierson Award for being a great factual drama.

Early Films and Recognition

In 2009, Sally's short film called Henna Night was chosen for the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. It also competed at other big events like the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Raindance Film Festival.

Because of her promising work, Screen International magazine named her one of the UK Stars of Tomorrow in 2009. She also took part in the Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs in 2009. There, she worked on her first feature film, My Brother the Devil.

My Brother the Devil Film

Her first full-length film, My Brother the Devil, won many awards around the world. It received honors at the 2013 Evening Standard Film Awards, the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival, and the 2012 BFI London Film Festival Awards. The film stars Fady Elsayed, James Krishna Floyd, and César Award nominated actor Saïd Taghmaoui.

My Brother the Devil was shown in cinemas in the UK in November 2012 and in the US in May 2013. It was also released in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. The film was shown at more than 40 International Film Festivals, where it won 12 awards and received 17 nominations.

For her work on My Brother the Devil, Sally won several awards. She received the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the 2013 Evening Standard Film Awards. She also won Best Screenplay at the 2013 Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards. The 2012 BFI London Film Festival gave her the Best Newcomer Award. She also won the UK New Talent Award at the British Women in Film and Television Awards in 2012.

Directing for Television

In 2014, famous director Danny Boyle chose Sally to direct episodes of the TV series Babylon. This show was created by Danny Boyle and Jesse Armstrong for Channel 4 and SundanceTV. Sally has been featured in major publications like The Guardian, BBC America, IndieWire, and Variety, which called her a "Brit to Watch" in 2014.

The Swimmers Film

Sally El-Hosaini's film, The Swimmers, tells the true and moving story of Syrian refugee sisters Yusra Mardini and Sara Mardini. The film was chosen to open the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and the Zurich Film Festival. It also had a special showing at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival.

The Swimmers was released in cinemas and on Netflix around the world in November 2022. It received great reviews from critics. The film was nominated for a 2022 BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. Sally also won the TIFF Emerging Talent Award at the 2022 TIFF Tribute Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2023, she won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Director at the BAFTA Cymru Awards.

Sally El-Hosaini's Filmography

Sally El-Hosaini has directed and written many films and TV shows.

Short Films

Feature Films

Television Work

Awards and Nominations

Sally El-Hosaini has received many awards and nominations for her amazing work in film and television.

• Won BAFTA Cymru for Best Director at BAFTA Cymru Awards - 2023 for The Swimmers
• Nominated for BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film – 2022 British Academy Film Awards for The Swimmers
• Won TIFF Emerging Talent Award for The Swimmers at the 2022 TIFF Tribute Awards - Toronto International Film Festival.
• Won Best European Film (Europa Cinemas Label Award) – 2012 Berlinale for My Brother the Devil
• Won Best Newcomer – 2012 BFI London Film Festival for My Brother the Devil
• Won Most Promising Newcomer – 2013 Evening Standard Film Awards for My Brother the Devil
• Won Best Screenplay – 2013 Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards for My Brother the Devil
• Won UK New Talent Award – 2012 British Women in Film and Television Awards
• Won Grand Jury Award – 2012 LA Outfest for My Brother the Devil
• Won BAFTA Cymru – 2008 Short Film, "The Fifth Bowl"
• Received an Honourable Mention for 'Outstanding First Feature Award' – 2012 Frameline Film Festival, San Francisco for My Brother the Devil
• Nominated Grand Jury Prize – 2012 Sundance Film Festival for My Brother the Devil
• Nominated BIFA Douglas Hickox award for Best Debut Film – 2012 British Independent Film Awards for My Brother the Devil
• Nominated Sutherland Trophy (Best First Film) – 2012 BFI London Film Festival for My Brother the Devil

See also

In Spanish: Sally El Hosaini para niños