Quick Facts
Biography
Jamil Dehlavi (Urdu: جمیل دہلوی) (b. 1944) is a London-based independent film director and producer of Pakistani-French origin.
Background
Son of a diplomat who travelled extensively between Asia and Europe, he is fluent in five languages. He studied at Karachi Grammar School, then at international schools in Paris and Rome before going to Rugby School and Oxford University. He graduated with a BA in Politics and French Literature and an MA (Hons) in Jurisprudence. He was subsequently called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn but never practised, preferring instead to go into the world of cinema. Dehlavi studied film directing at Columbia University in New York, where he was awarded an MFA degree.
Career
While studying there Dehlavi trained as an actor with Stella Adler and made his first feature film Towers of Silence which he wrote, produced and directed. It won the Grand Prize at the Festival of the Americas. His next film, The Blood of Hussain was selected by the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prize at the Taormina Film Festival. All his subsequent films have also won major awards at film festivals all over the world.
Dehlavi has worked on various projects for the BBC, Channel Four, and French television, including Qâf – The Sacred Mountain, which won awards at five environmental film festivals, and Passover, a passion play shot in Córdoba made in collaboration with the celebrated flamenco guitarist Paco Peña. He has also worked in the Radio & Visual Services Division at the United Nations and is currently an Associate Professor at Habib University in Karachi.
Selected credits
- 1973 THE GUITARIST (starring Jamil Dehlavi & Ellen Pauwels)
- Gold Medal - Atlanta Film Festival
- 1976 TOWERS OF SILENCE (starring Judy Van Hook & Jamil Dehlavi)
- Grand Prize - Festival of the Americas
- 1980 THE BLOOD OF HUSSAIN (starring Salman Peerzada, Kika Markham, Durriya Kazi & Jamil Dehlavi)
- Director's Fortnight - Cannes Film Festival
- Grand Prize - Taormina Film Festival
- Gold Award - Worldfest Houston
- Gold Hugo Nomination Best Feature Film - Chicago International Film Festival
- 1984 QÂF - THE SACRED MOUNTAIN
- Best Environmental Film - Jackson Hole Mountain Film Festival
- Special Jury Award - Telluride Mountain Film Festival
- Silver Gentian Best Mountain Film - Trento Mountain Film Festival
- Diable d'Or - Les Diablerets, Switzerland
- Best Environmental Documentary - Worldfest Houston
- 1986 BORN OF FIRE (starring Peter Firth & Suzan Crowley)
- Official Selection - Avoriaz Film Festival
- Catalan Award - Imagfic Madrid
- Gold Award Best Feature Film - Worldfest Houston
- Gold Hugo Nomination Best Feature Film - Chicago International Film Festival
- 1998 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (starring Melissa Leo, James Wilby, Shabana Azmi & Zia Mohyeddin)
- Panorama - Berlin International Film Festival
- Special Jury Prize - Dinard Film Festival
- Gold Hugo Nomination Best Feature Film - Chicago International Film Festival
- 1996 PASSOVER (starring Jorge de Juan & Belen Fernandez)
- 1997 PASSION IN THE DESERT [Producer] (starring Ben Daniels & Michel Piccoli)
- 1998 JINNAH (starring Christopher Lee, JarrahTree, Maria Aitken & Shashi Kapoor)
- Grand Prize - Zanzibar International Film Festival
- Best International Film - World Film Awards, Indonesia
- Gold Award Best Foreign Film - Worldfest Flagstaff
- Silver Award - Worldfest Houston
- Golden Pyramid Nomination - Cairo International Film Festival
- 2006 INFINITE JUSTICE (starring Kevin Collins & Raza Jaffrey)
- FIPRESCI International Critics Prize
- Best European Feature Film - European Independent Film Festival, Paris
- Robert Rodriguez Prize for Excellence - Hollywood DV Festival
- Critic's Prize - Amiens International Film Festival
- Audience Award Best Film - Florence River to River Festival
- Special Jury Award - Worldfest Houston
- Best Supporting Actor : Raza Jaffrey - Karafilm Festival, Karachi
- 2010 GODFORSAKEN (starring Annabel Wright, Trevor White & Nick Ashdon)
- Golden Palm Award - Mexico International Film Festival
- Special Jury Remi and Best International Film Award - Worldfest Houston
- Best Actress Nomination : Annabel Wright - Milan International Film Festival, Italy
- Best European Feature Nomination - European Independent Film Festival, France
- Best Film Nomination - Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival
- Best Digital Film Nomination - Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt
- Best Film Nomination - Portobello International Film Festival, London
- 2014 SEVEN LUCKY GODS
- Grand Prize, Tirana International Film Festival
- Best Feature Film - Canada International Film Festival
- Gold Lion Award - Barcelona International Film Festival
- Best Feature Film - Honolulu Film Awards, Hawaii
- Best Feature Film - Delhi International Film Festival
- Special Jury Prize - Worldfest Houston
- Best Actor (Nik Xhelilaj) - Worldfest Houston
- Best Actress Nomination (Alison Peebles) - Worldfest Houston
- Best Original Screenplay - St Tropez International Film Festival
- Best Lead Actress (Alison Peebles) - St Tropez International Film Festival
- Bronze Palm Award - Mexico International Film Festival
- Best Foreign Film Nomination - Phoenix Film Festival
- Best Production Design Nomination (Jamil Dehlavi) - Milan Film Festival
- Best Supporting Actress Nomination (Kate Maravan) - Milan Film Festival
- Best Supporting Actor Nomination (Christopher Villiers) - Madrid International Film Festival
- 2016 BLOOD MONEY
- Short Film Corner - Cannes Film Festival
- Finalist - Polish International Film Festival
- Honorable Mention Award - Berlin International Film Awards