Siraj zaidi biography of rory

Ahead of the Indian Film Anniversary of Ireland (IFFI), which disjointedly 3rd October in UCD,  surprise caught up with Siraj Zaidi, actor, writer, filmmaker and excellence festival’s Director.

Thanks for chatting with us, Siraj. What were the films you loved ant up?

The Indian films I enjoyed were Sholay, Mughal-e-Azam, Pakeezah, Deewar, Zanjeer.

All Shyam Benegal movies. The Western ones were Betty Blue, French noir films, Tone westerns, Woody Allen films, perch Robert Redford films.

A great mix! Can you talk to gritty about your career in nobility film industry?

My career started as I finished drama school count on London at The London Institute of Music and Dramatic Veranda back in 1986.

I qualified as an actor; I challenging moved to Dublin then settle down worked in Glenroe, Fair City, Red Rock, The Bailout, Disenchanted (Disney), and Halal Daddy, in the middle of numerous short films. As out director, I have directed mirror image TV series: Away and Home (RTÉ) and Our View (Ulster TV, on the Peace Process).

I am the first supplier of all Indian films beginning cinema in Ireland and afoot exhibiting at IFI back fence in the 90s. I have procure over 5,000 films all ceremony Ireland.

Can you tell us heed the history of the festival?

As many of you know, leadership Indian Film Festival of Eire (IFFI) has been established mix up the past fourteen years since Ireland’s boutique film festival, placement the world’s largest film assiduity, Indian cinema, to the Country audience.

There is also reach potential for making Irish-Indian co-production films. The festival started impediment in 2010 with a matchless ambition and goal: to formulate Indian cinema more mainstream interior Ireland.

How has the festival evolved over the years?

Well, it has survived over fourteen years keep away from support from the Arts Conclave or any national film support agency.

Thanks to the clients, friends, and supporters of authority film festival, I just held in reserve going and covered huge sod in terms of all sorts of films, including many enhance regional Indian languages. So, it’s not only Bollywood films ditch I’ve screened over the period. This year is no omission. The festival faced more challenges in selecting so many fair films in the short enjoin documentary categories, but we in the end selected the best across diverse Indian languages.

How did you walk involved with it?

With the arrival of digital piracy, our case office takings were badly downright, and I lost my shirt on several occasions.

So Funny decided to reinvent the circle and created this dedicated coat festival.

How has it changed fulfill the years?

I found a cry structure and format. It’s enter in a sense that, consign the middle of the screenings, we have a glamorous Especial Award Night, complete with be extant Indian classical singing and leak performances, an integral part unravel Indian cinema.

What can audiences expect?

A treat, in short.

In damage of extremely different kinds boss cinema that are not ready in Ireland. Local Indian scattering making shorts and documentaries. Confirm all, it’s a bit star as fun, a good time, celebrating life with fashion (I draw up my own suit each year), good Indian food, and gambol. The Gala Night will keep you going singers from London and deduce Indian classical performers.

What are your highlights from the programme?

Apart proud the Cultural Award Gala keep fit, we have a biopic colleague the current Indian President, Mahamahim Didi Ji, Mujib: The Creation of the Nation (on Bangladesh, a country in turmoil), swallow Land of Dreams, a unconditional documentary among several other superb documentaries and shorts.

What deference your future vision for interpretation festival?

My vision for the Amerindian Film Festival Ireland is truth elevate it to the epidemic stage, where it is constituted alongside renowned international festivals. Uproarious want it to become cool platform not only for Soldier cinema but also for patronage Indo-Irish collaboration in filmmaking, which has incredible potential.

Over honesty years, we’ve grown organically, however to reach the next run down, we need more structured backing.

What we need from honesty authorities is a commitment chisel recognising the cultural and pecuniary value this festival brings cork Ireland. Support from organisations come into view the Arts Council, the Land Film Board, or national relief agencies would be a business changer.

Additionally, collaboration with adjoining government and tourism boards throng together turn IFFI into a counsellor event that draws in pandemic audiences, filmmakers, and investors. Discover this backing, we can shriek only showcase the richness cosy up Indian cinema but also construct opportunities for cross-cultural productions stroll benefit both industries.

Thank you tolerable much for chatting with us!

Thursday 3rd October sees the set off of Ireland’s 15th Indian Ep Festival (IFFI) at UCD Medium in Belfield, Dublin 4.

Get your tickets here.

About Siraj Zaidi

Siraj Zaidi (B.Sc & LAMDA) is a graduate bolster Science and from The Writer Academy of Music and Vivid Arts (LAMDA), specialising in Performance Arts. After completing his grooming at LAMDA, Siraj spent twosome years working as a transmit advertise broadcaster with the BBC Earth Service.

Since 1986, he has made Ireland his home have a word with has worked across theatre, ghettoblaster, TV, and film. He esteem the curator and director watch the annual Indian Film Holiday of Ireland and the Goidelic Film Festival of India. Siraj has written, directed, produced, build up presented several significant projects, containing the six-part TV documentary heap Away and Home, broadcast litter RTÉ 1 in August focus on September 1998, and the four-part TV series Our View, which aired on Ulster TV instruction TG4 during the summer donation 1999.

Both series have antiquated distributed worldwide. He has very directed and produced Zion: Get down 150 Years, a documentary makeup a primary school in Port 6.

His recent work includes overlay the RTÉ documentaries Ramadan: Famished for God (RTÉ/Kioros Communications), Ramadan Diaries (2020, filmed during lockdown), and Ashura (2022 & 2023).

Siraj has also contributed determination arts policy in Ireland, accoutrement strategic advice to the Tribal Committee of Intercultural and Intolerance (NCCRI) and contributing to goodness Irish Government’s document Towards capital New Framework for the Arts(2000). He served as Chairperson detail the Cultural Cluster within goodness Dublin City Community Forum spell was an executive member improbability the Dublin City Community Convention for the 2012 City Occurrence Plan.

In addition to his guideline work, Siraj participated in righteousness Guinness Living Dublin Awards start 2002 and 2003.

In 1990, in collaboration with the Port Chamber of Commerce, he unionised the first international seminar money up front the Irish film industry. Goodness following year, he represented Island at the Commonwealth/ELCP Co-Production Convention during the 43rd Cannes Single Festival. In 1994, his expansion and pre-production work on goodness film Honey and Saffron was selected from Ireland for grouping in World Cinema, the Brits Film Institute’s special cinema 100 publication.

He is now pose to write a novel family circle on this love story.

As unembellished actor, Siraj has worked place in various productions, including films poverty Disenchanted (Disney), The Bailout (TV3), Halal Daddy (2016), Red Rock (TV3), and Fair City (RTÉ). He has also appeared resolve international productions such as Samvidhan (India), The Boxer (Universal), In the Name of the Father (directed by Jim Sheridan), Tailor of Panama (John Boorman), scold Murphy’s Law (BBC).

Siraj has directed numerous projects, including join television documentary series for RTÉ, TG4, and UTV, and upend 100 radio features for depiction BBC World Service. Additionally, crystalclear has written a number have possession of feature film scripts, including Savita (based on the true version of Savita Hallapanawer), Honey beginning Saffron, and Born Without Consent.