“Art is an essential way of breaking down barriers, changing the world, and saving lives. Making and sharing art saved my life.”

Fawzia Mirza (she/they) is a queer, South Asian Muslim writer and director.

Fawzia’s directorial feature debut THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS world premiered TIFF 2023, was nominated for the Jean Marc Valée DGC Discovery Award, named to ‘Canada’s Top Ten 2023’ and she won ‘Best Director Feature’ by the Director’s Guild of Canada. QUEEN had its international premiere at the BFI London Film Festival where it was nominated for the Sutherland First Feature Award and had its US premiere at SXSW in March 2024. THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS was in TIFF’s 2020 Writer Studio and Filmmaker Lab and stars Amrit Kaur (SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS), Nimra Bucha (MS. MARVEL & POLITE SOCIETY), Hamza Haq (TRANSPLANT), and Ayana Manji (MUSTACHE). The film was nominated for 5 Canadian Screen Awards winning Best Lead Performance in a Drama and Best Original Song. She directed on the upcoming Hulu comedy DELI BOYS from Jenni Konner and Onyx Collective – created by Abdullah Saeed – starring Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh and Poorna Jagannathan. 

Fawzia co-wrote and starred in (opposite Indian film legend Shabana Azmi) the feature SIGNATURE MOVE, which world premiered at SXSW, screened 150+ film festivals, won 15 awards and was listed in “25 of the Best Lesbian Films of All Time” by Harper’s Bazaar. She wrote on CBS series THE RED LINE, from Greg Berlanti & Ava DuVernay; her episode marked the first queer, Muslim romance on network TV.

She is a Sundance Creative Advisor, a White House Champion of Change in Asian American Art & Storytelling, an alum of the Tribeca Film Institute All-Access Program and the Canadian Academy Directors Program for Women, a Ryan Murphy Half-Initiative mentee, a ‘Yes, And Laughter Lab’ Winner, an Islamic Scholarship Fund Winner, a TIFF Canadian Women Filmmaker Honoree, has been nominated for The Iris Prize, and her feature script HEIRLOOM was named to the 2022 Muslim List, published by The Black List. She has made many short films that have played all over the world. She is a mentee in the DGA Women’s Committee ‘SQUAD’ program and has mentored for WA Filmworks, 1497, Queer Muslim Project and more.

She wrote and directed the award-winning NOOR & LAYLA (Outfest, BlackStar, Bentonville, Bend, Frameline, Short of the Week, 50+ festivals worldwide) and directed the rom-com short THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT (world-premiered TIFF 2021) named one of Canada’s Top 10 and one of Harper’s Bazaar’s “16 Best Christmas Movies of 2021.”  Her short AUNTIE executive produced by Paul Feig world premiered at Aspen Shortsfest (Special Mention Best Short Short), played at Hamptons Int’l and is available to stream on THE NEW YORKER.

Fawzia co-founded Baby Daal Productions with wife Andria Wilson Mirza. Feel free to ask them about their slate.