Naqqash Khalid (born June 1993) is an English film director, writer and academic. He was named a 2020 "Screen International" Star of Tomorrow. For his debut feature "In Camera" (2023), he won a BFI & Chanel Filmmaker Award and was nominated for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards.
Early life and education.
Khalid is from Prestwich, Greater Manchester. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature from the University of Salford in 2015. He started a PhD, but withdrew to film "In Camera". Khalid was appointed a 2019 Creative Fellow of Factory International.
Career.
During university, Khalid wrote his first play, which was staged at fringe theatres in Manchester and London. Amidst his PhD, Khalid lectured in Media and Performance at his alma mater the University of Salford.
Having taught himself filmmaking, Khalid directed, wrote and produced his first short film "Parts" in 2016. Principal photography took place over the course of twelve hours. This was followed by his second short film "Stock" in 2019, part of Sky Arts 50. He was subsequently attached to adapt Boris Vian's play "The Empire Builders" for television.
Khalid's made his feature directorial debut with "In Camera", which satirises the struggle to find work as an Asian actor (Nabhaan Rizwan) in Western media and the "empty discourse on representation". Khalid had come up with the idea for the film during university and workshopped it over the years, with support from the BBC, Film4 and Creative UK. The film opened at the 2023 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to critical acclaim, screened at a number of subsequent festivals, and had a wide release in 2024.
Artistry.
In 2019, Khalid named Claire Denis, Olivier Assayas, Asghar Farhadi, Lynne Ramsay, Donald Glover and Ramy Youssef as influences. For "In Camera", he drew upon the works of visual artists Rasheed Araeen and Anwar Jalal Shemza, and delved into the abolitionist works of Frantz Fanon, Malcolm X, bell hooks and Naomi Klein.