Jamil Dehlavi

Jamil Dehlavi (born 1944) is a London-based independent film director and producer of Pakistani-French origin.

Since he became a filmmaker in the 1970s, his work has been widely screened internationally, notable films including Jinnah (1998),

Early life and education Born in Calcutta, West Bengal, to a French mother and an Pathan-Indian father who was a diplomat and subsequently travelled extensively between Asia and Europe, Dehlavi is fluent in five languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish and Urdu). Dehlavi studied film directing at Columbia University in New York, where he was awarded an MFA degree. was selected by the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prize at the Taormina Film Festival. All of his subsequent films have also won major awards at film festivals all over the world.

Dehlavi has worked on various projects for the BBC, Channel Four, and French television, including Qâf – The Sacred Mountain, which won awards at five environmental film festivals. He worked on Passover, a passion play shot in Córdoba and made in collaboration with the celebrated flamenco guitarist Paco Peña. Dehlavi has also worked in the Radio & Visual Services Division at the United Nations and as an associate professor in the School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at Habib University in Karachi.

Awards and filmography 1973: The Guitarist (starring Jamil Dehlavi & Ellen Pauwels) Gold Medal – Atlanta Film Festival 1976: Towers of Silence Grand Prize – Zanzibar International Film Festival Best International Film – World Film Awards, Indonesia Gold Award Best Foreign Film – Worldfest Flagstaff Silver Award – Worldfest Houston Golden Pyramid Nomination – Cairo International Film Festival 2006: Infinite Justice (starring Kevin Collins & Raza Jaffrey) FIPRESCI International Critics Prize Best European Feature Film – European Independent Film Festival, Paris Robert Rodriguez Prize for Excellence – Hollywood DV Festival Critic's Prize – Amiens International Film Festival Audience Award Best Film – Florence River to River Festival Special Jury Award – Worldfest Houston Best Supporting Actor: Raza Jaffrey - Karafilm Festival, Karachi 2010: Godforsaken (starring Annabel Wright, Trevor White & Nick Ashdon) Golden Palm Award – Mexico International Film Festival Special Jury Remi and Best International Film Award – Worldfest Houston Best Actress Nomination: Annabel Wright – Milan International Film Festival, Italy Best European Feature Nomination - European Independent Film Festival, France Best Film Nomination – Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival Best Digital Film Nomination – Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt Best Film Nomination – Portobello International Film Festival, London 2014: Seven Lucky Gods Grand Prize, Tirana International Film Festival Best Feature Film – Canada International Film Festival Gold Lion Award – Barcelona International Film Festival Best Feature Film – Honolulu Film Awards, Hawaii Best Feature Film – Delhi International Film Festival Special Jury Prize – Worldfest Houston Best Actor (Nik Xhelilaj) – Worldfest Houston Best Actress Nomination (Alison Peebles) – Worldfest Houston Best Original Screenplay – St. Tropez International Film Festival Best Lead Actress (Alison Peebles) – St. Tropez International Film Festival Bronze Palm Award – Mexico International Film Festival Best Foreign Film Nomination – Phoenix Film Festival Best Production Design Nomination (Jamil Dehlavi) – Milan Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Nomination (Kate Maravan) – Milan Film Festival Best Supporting Actor Nomination (Christopher Villiers) – Madrid International Film Festival 2016: Blood Money (short film) Short Film Corner – Cannes Film Festival Best Picture – West Coast International Film Festival, USA Honorable Mention Award – Berlin International Film Awards Finalist – Polish International Film Festival