Iman Zawahry is an American filmmaker and academic. She is a senior lecturer for the film production program at the University of Florida and is the director of the feature film Americanish (2021). Zawahry's work primarily focuses on narratives about Muslim-American experiences.
Early life and education Zawahry was raised in Panama City, Florida. She graduated from Rutherford High School in 1998. She received a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Florida. She later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from Florida State University.
Career Zawahry is an associate professor and the director of the film production program at the University of Florida College of the Journalism and Communications.
Zawahry has directed multiple short films, including Tough Crowd and UnderCover. Her work led to a collaboration with the Islamic Scholarship Fund to create the first American Muslim Film Grant.
Her debut feature film, Americanish, is one of the first American Muslim romantic comedy films directed by an American Muslim woman. The film follows the lives of three Muslim women in Jackson Heights, Queens. It screened at numerous film festivals and won the Audience Award at the CAAMFest in 2021.
In 2022, Zawahry directed episodes of the Canadian comedy series Zarqa, which was created by and stars Zarqa Nawaz. The series was broadcast on CBC Gem.
Filmography
Feature films Year Title Director WriterProducer Distributor 2015 Paperback 2021 Americanish Sony Pictures International Productions
Short films Year Title Director WriterProducer 2008 Tough Crowd 2009 The Cape 2010 UnderCover 2022 Portrait of a Young Man 2023 I Am from Palestine
Accolades + Awards and nominations for Americanish Year Award Category Result Ref. 2021 Bentonville Film Festival Audience Award 2021 CAAMFest Audience Award 2021 Heartland International Film Festival Narrative Feature Grand Prize 2021 New York Asian Film Festival Audience Award 2021 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Audience Choice, Narrative Feature
References