The day before St. Patrick’s day, I was afforded the opportunity to meet with established British novelist and director, Shamim Sarif. When speaking to Ms. Sarif, I was not only lucky enough to meet a kind, down-to-earth renowned member of the film industry, I was able to obtain the answers to a few questions on Sarif’s latest works as well as insight into the cinematic world. 

 

Sarif was born to Indian parents in London, who fled South Africa in the early ‘60’s in an effort to avoid the struggles of apartheid. As a POC and queer female director, Sarif’s work tends to focus on fundamental aspects of human identity, such as race, gender, sexuality, and cross-cultural relationships. 

 

As both a writer and director Sarif has secured 47 awards. 2023 has been a big year so far for Sarif with her film Polarized debuting at BFI Flare on London’s South Bank on Saturday 18th March and directing the newest season of hit Netflix show, You. 

 

What attracted you to become a director of You? 

 

“When I’m doing a series like You, somebody else is writing it. So, I try to add my value through my creativity as a director. The story didn’t have any parallel to my life but for me, as a director, it’s important to work with the actors. If Joe, Penn Badgely, is uncertain or off-balance in a scene or maybe Charlotte Richie is having to be emotionally exposed or talk to Penn in a way she hasn’t before, there’s stuff I can draw from my own experience to help the actors. In that way, I always try to bring something of myself into the film, through communication.  If you have that open communication you can push an actor to raise their game. For me, the main role of a director is to set the tone, dictate the shots, and be ready to actively work with actors.” 

 

What was it like to work with You’s actors, particularly leading man, Penn Badgely? 

 

“It was great! Penn is such a hard worker. He’s in virtually every scene. It’s grueling hours to shoot a TV show and it’s a very physically demanding role. He never got tired of making sure we got the right take. He didn’t walk his way through it. He was really on top of everything. All the British actors were really great too. It was a tremendous joy working with them. They were an excellent team.”

 

What was it like to work on a popular Netflix TV show? 

 

“It was a lovely experience. The cast and crew were fantastic. You have to stay in the world of the show. The look of the show shouldn’t look so crazily different from each episode to the next. Thankfully, though, there’s no set rules, there’s a lot of creative freedom.”

 

Have you experienced any challenges as a POC queer woman in the film industry? 

 

“In some ways, it’s gotten more open for women of colour to get directing jobs like You. Traditionally the job would go to the same roster of male directors. I am getting more opportunities commensurate with my experience since I’ve done a lot of movies. They have discovered that I’m around and I can direct and stay on time and do a good job. I think the challenges are people are much more open to the kinds of stories I like to tell, about women, women of colour,  and women who like other women. There is more openness to this now with streamers, but people still want castable stories, stories led by white men. There are going to be challenges, of course, but the doors are wider open than they have ever been. It’s still a high bar. It’s never easy. You have to get really good at something and be persistent. You can’t be mediocre. If you do get involved in the industry, you not only have to work at your craft, but be excellent. You have to be very persistent and be able to take rejection and keep going if you know that you are good.”

 

How did you start out, and how far do you think you have come?

 

“I never thought that I’d come this far. I started out as a writer. I loved writing. I knew that. I studied English at university. I started writing short stories. I got a couple published while I was working, and then I wrote a novel. I was good enough to get published but it’s still hard to make a living. At a certain point, I said I am going to dedicate myself. My wife really helped because she came on board as a producer. Producing is a whole separate thing that I just can’t do. She made it possible for us to get films made. It’s only recently the doors have begun to open more to working on series. We had children, so, I didn’t want to go away to do a series like You for other people. We didn’t want to be away from the kids. Now they’re older. 20 and 24. I have a lot more time to go out and do this stuff now.”

 

What has been your favourite project? 

 

“All my films have a special place in my heart. I think The World Unseen and Polarized have a prominent place.”

 

While working on the film, Polarized, you had the chance to work alongside your wife, who stepped in as a producer. How was it having the opportunity to work with your spouse on such a meaningful project? 

“I love working with her, she’s a genius producer and she move[d] heaven and earth to make [our film] happen. Without her there would be no film. Working together is really fun because it can get quite intense when you make a movie so it’s nice to do that together as a couple and our boys even came out on set and they each have little roles in Polarized, as well. So it’s nice to kind of have that family dynamic because that way [it feels at home on set] and it’s not like you’re off doing some stuff you can never really explain to [your spouse].”

 

In regards to Polarized, to what extent do you feel that religious and familial obligation influences characters?  Why do you feel Dalia ultimately marries Omar? Is it out of love or familial obligation, perhaps? 

 

“I think Dalia does love Omar but I don’t think it’s a passionate love. It’s something that she is familiar with. He’s a friend. She’s never really questioned her life much but with Lisa, there’s a glimpse of something deeper. It’s a stronger connection beyond sexuality.

 

Actually, I believe the religious and familial constraints are more on Lisa in the film…[regarding her] Evangelical Christian side, because the expectations are putting more pressure on her…She undergoes a form of intervention when her family tries to [involve the] church…There [exists] pressure on both sides and Polarized is about trying to get past them, how to dodge the hurdles, and what does it take…A lot of people end up just backing off, thinking, do I really want to go through with this and upset my family? But, I think there are times you feel that if you don’t [follow your heart and listen to your gut], you’re losing your integrity, and a little piece inside of you dies. I think that’s something far too many people have to [endure] on a daily basis. So, making something like Polarized is very important in order to show that you can find a way to get past these boundaries that others put up.” 

 

What advice would you give a couple who may be facing obstacles like Lisa and Dalia?

 

“It’s so superficial when we think about race or these [type of] differences, but we are living in a world where the arrest rate against immigrants and laws against immigrants are getting more and more extreme. That has a lot to do with pandering to the fear of people who live in small towns like the one in the film or just feel disenfranchised by life and the government, and ultimately end up looking for someone to blame. [It is how] these barriers just keep getting put up….but in the end, it’s your life and you should do what makes you happy…My wife and I struggled for years but we eventually said we are happy and in love…people will either learn to accept you or they won’t, but you just gotta do what’s right for you. It’s your life.”

 

When Lisa utters racist remarks to Dalia that actually leads the pair to form a deeper bond. Do you feel it was necessary for Lisa to express blatant racism towards Dalia in order to break down barriers between the pair and put everything out in the open? 

 

“It was a good conflict in the film because if you go into watching a movie knowing it is a love story and within the first few minutes [one of the romantic leads] is being fired for racism, you are like, oh no, now what?. I think it was important because Lisa was having a bad day and under pressure, she spouts, “do you really belong here?,” and she gets fired, because it’s not an acceptable [thing to say]…We are living in a time where somebody says something wrong and they get canceled. They get pushed to the side and judged immediately, but…we sometimes say the wrong thing. We say stupid things, we act on our lowest instincts and behave badly. It doesn’t mean that we can’t redeem ourselves. It is because Lisa needs her job back that she has the courage to apologize and Dalia has the courage to accept that apology and be kind. Just that act of kindness comes from someone who doesn’t need to be kind to Lisa. It creates a big opening between the two. 

 

It’s not just about physical attraction. It’s actually quite the opposite. It’s about friendship and humanity in a moment when Lisa learns something from Dalia.”

 

Are there any projects you are working on or plan to be working on in the recent future?

 

“I am really looking forward to a slate of series we are working on, my wife and I. One of them is an adaption of one of my last novels, The Athena Protocol and The Shadow Mission. It’s about a group of female spies who deal with issues the government can’t be bothered with, issues that affect women and children, like human trafficking. I’m writing a pilot script for that right now for an American studio.”

 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter the industry, but is just starting out and doesn’t have any experience?

 

“Be tenacious. Get really good…If you’re a filmmaker, make a couple films on your phone. Do what you have to do. If you’re a writer, write a script or two that you can use as your calling card. The next step would be to find an agent and to do that, you need to have something to show. I always say that if people don’t have it in them to be able to write something every few months, nothing you write will ever get made. It doesn’t matter how well-known you are. It’s important to have that ethos and treat it respectfully as a career. Really go for it. I had no contacts when I started I sent a script to a friend of a friend of a friend and I only heard back because I guess it was good enough for them…It was a fluke. You just have to take notes from people, shrug it off, and carry on!”