Aneel Ahmad

Infobox actor
name = Aneel Ahmad


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birthdate = birth date and age|1974|10|31
birthplace = Longsight, Manchester, England
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occupation = Film Producer Director, screenwriter, editor
yearsactive = 1996 - present
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Aneel Ahmad (born 31 October 1974) is a British British filmmaker, writer, director, and producer who specialises in documentaries and shorts.

The self-taught filmmaker, was brought up on the poor and often violent estate of Longsight in Manchester. [http://shootingpeople.org/shooterfilms/interview.php?int_id=47 ] Ahmad was born and raised in a working class family in Manchester and is now regarded by industry professionals as one of the best new British born minority film directors within British cinema

With no real formal training or any film education or qualifications, Ahmad started off making low budget HI8 films with his friends. [ [http://shootingpeople.org/shooterfilms/interview.php?int_id=47] ] In 2005 he gained recognition by directing his first short film on a tiny budget of ₤2,500, "Waiting For Sunrise". [http://shootingpeople.org/shooterfilms/interview.php?int_id=47 ]

In his early career to gain film knowledge, Ahmad went onto many prestigious film writing courses which include TAPS BAFTA, The First Film Foundation, Raindance Film Festival Script development, BBC's "Writers Room" new writers initiative, The Writers Gym M.A Writers course (London Film School & French Institute) and was also selected onto other film courses such as B3 Medias Compass Point, a very prestigious mentoring programme for minorities run by Paul Moody (NFTS) Marc Boothe Producer of (Bullet Boy)(B3Media). His role models are Stanley Kubrick, David Lean,Satyajit Ray and documentary filmmaker Peter Watkins. [http://shishalounge.blogspot.com/2007/09/aneel-ahmad-directing-raj.html] He won the UNICEF award in 2005 for his short documentary Waiting For Sunrise, and also was shortlisted for a Grierson |ward for Best Newcomer in 2006. [http://www.dfgdocs.com/News/Grierson_2006_shortlist_announced.aspx]

Path Into the Film Industry

1996

Aneel's first ever documentary was a 10-minute short, filmed in Manchester in 1996, titled "Movin as a Massive". The contributors H, Fitz, Fatty, Naveed were all school friends of Aneel Ahmad. This documentary was nominated by the Royal Television Society in 1996 for "Most Innovative Film/Video" and was one of the winners of the Lloyds Bank Film Challenge, organised with Channel 4.

2001

Asian Invasion is a 55-minute documentary that followed a group of Asian models and the organisers as they try to put on the GMEX Arena show with Bollywood stars and mainstream Bhangra groups which included DCS,B21, Bally Jagpal, and Jassi Sidhu

2003

2003 British film director Aneel Ahmad shot his boxing sequence at the Salford Lads Club

Ahmad's works in 2003 include an experimental film or avant garde. Titled "A Man's World", whose entire production budget was ₤300. Funded under the UKFC and Virgin Media shorts scheme.

Also in 2003 Ahmad made a short documentary titled "The Day of the Fight". [ [http://www.aneelahmad.co.uk/] ] [ [http://www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/catalogue/browse/?id=D9CC7059030101DCCARuV2944CFE] ] which was a behind the scenes documentary on Manchester's boxing gymnasiums. He followed many professional boxers which included world champion Ricky Hatton, Michael Gomez, and boxing trainers such as Billy Graham and Brian Hughes M.B.E.

hooting Abroad

2005

"Waiting for Sunrise" was Ahmad's first international short documentary, funded by North West Vision Media [ [http://www.northwestvision.co.uk/page/new-talent-aneel-ahmad] ] and the UK Film Council film won the United Nations (UNICEF) UK Award at Sheffield in 2005. [cite web |title=Winners of new UNICEF UK Film Awards announced |url=http://www.unicef.org/magic/media/documents/UKaward2005.pdf |publisher=UNICEF |format=PDF |date=22 July 2005 Retrieved on 26 August 2008.] It was short listed for one of the film world's most distinguished awards—the Grierson Awards for documentary. Ahmad has also won critical acclaim and praise for his work from some of the biggest industry professionals such as Hollywood Feature film directors Ridley Scott (American Gangster), Sir Alan Parker (Evita), Mike Leigh (Vera Drake), Stewart Till Chairman of UIP, Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) Universal Pictures,Merchant Ivory Productions, Working Title Films, BBC, FOX, Film4, and many more leading industry figures.

2007

Boot Polish UK Film Council North West Vision Media [http://www.myspace.com/bootpolish]

Ahmad made his third short film with North West Vision as part of the new Lottery-funded UK Film Council Digital Shorts Scheme"Boot Polish". With a production budget of 18,000 pounds.

The film was shot in Lahore, Pakistan in 2006 and was screened worldwide to a number of film festivals within 2007/09.

The film was co-produced with Ahmad by (BAFTA) British Academy of Film and Television Arts winning short Producer Kelly Broad.

In 2007 Aneel Ahmad & his film Boot Polish were shortlisted top 20 finalists, for one of the worlds most prestigious Incircle Grant Schemes at the Abu Dhabi Middle East Film Festival

The confirmed Panelists & Speakers Included - Harvey Weinstein (Producer) Thomas Augsberger - President, Eden Rock Media, Akifumi Sugihara -President and COO, AMG Entertainment, Anant Singh - CEO, VideoVision Entertainment, Ashok Amritraj - Chairman and CEO, Hyde Park Entertainment, Craig A. Emanuel - Partner and Chair, Los Angeles Entertainment Dept., Loeb & Loeb, David M. Thompson - Head BBC Films, Deborah Zipser - Head of Business Affairs, River Road Entertainment , Hal S. Sadoff - Head of International and Independent Film, ICM, Isabel Begg - Senior Legal and Business Affairs Manager, BBC Films, Mark Damon - CEO, Foresight Unlimited, Parminder Vir OBE- Executive Producer/Consultant, Ingenious World Cinema, Peter Watson - Managing Director, Recorded Picture Company, Robert Hayward - Chief Operating Officer, Summit Entertainment, Ted Sarandos -Chief Content Officer, Netflix,Deborah Zipser Head of Business Affairs, River Road Entertainment, Nansun Shi Producer, Film Workshop (Hong Kong), Branko Listi [Producer] , American Gangster, Gladiator, Kingdom Of Heaven (Croatia), [Andrew Marcus] [Executive Vice President] , [Relativity Media] (USA), [Ryan Kavanaugh] President and CEO, Relativity Media (USA),Paul Federbush Senior VP of Production and Acquisitions, Warner Independent Pictures ( [USA] ), Deepak Nayar - Executive Producer, Kintop Pictures (UK/India) Eric Pascal - Managing Director - Middle East and North, Ted Sarandos - Chief Content Officer, Netflix (USA), Akifumi Sugihara - President and COO, AMG Entertainment (Japan), Graham Taylor - Head of Independent Film, Endeavor Agency (USA),Esaad Younes - Chairperson and CEO, Arabia Cinema, Nansun Shi - Producer, Film Workshop (Hong Kong).

2008 Boot Polish and Waiting For Sunrise were preserved for the nation by the British Film Institute for national archive.

2008 Boot Polish wins best foreign film at the Route 66 film festival in the USA. [http://route66filmfestival.net/Route%2066%20Film%20Festival%20Schedule%202008.pdf] The festival has been credited as one of the 25 festivals worth the fee in Moviemaker Magazine.

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Filmography

References

* [http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/arts/s/1014/1014245_manchester_filmmaker_joins_prestigious_line_up.html The Manchester Asian News Article]
* [http://www.netribution.co.uk/content/view/850/267 Inside A Grierson Award Nominated Documentary]

External links

* [http://www.takehollywood.com/user/aneelahmad Official Takehollywood site]
* [http://www.aneelahmad.co.uk Official Aneel Ahmad]
* [http://www.myspace.com/aneelahmad Offical Aneel Ahmad Myspace]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1583605/ IMDB Aneel Ahmad]