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Nida Manzoor

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Nida Manzoor
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Screenwriter and director
Years active2013–present

Nida Manzoor is a British writer and director. She is best known for creating the Channel 4/Peacock comedy show We Are Lady Parts, for which she won the 2021 Rose d'Or Emerging Talent Award and the 2022 BAFTA for TV Comedy Screenwriting. She released her debut feature film Polite Society in 2023, which earned her the 2023 British Independent Film Award for Debut Screenwriting.

Early life and education

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Nida Manzoor grew up in a Pakistani Muslim family.[1][2] Her family lived in Singapore until she was 10, later moving to London.[3]

She was raised in a musical household, and was bought her first guitar by her father when she was eight.[4] Manzoor has described music as her "first passion", and is quoted as saying "I wanted to be a brown girl Bob Dylan before I wanted to do screenwriting."[5] She also started writing at a young age. Manzoor describes being encouraged by her grandfather, who kept anything she wrote in a file.[5] Manzoor's childhood influences included Jackie Chan films, the Coen Brothers, Edgar Wright, and old Hollywood cinema.[6]

She attended the fee-paying St James School in London.[7]

She graduated from University College London (UCL) with a degree in politics in 2011.[8] While at university, Manzoor was involved in UCL's Film Society.[6] Manzoor's family had expected her to do a law conversion course and become a human rights lawyer,[3] but she convinced them to allow her to pursue a career in filmmaking.

Career

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Manzoor started her film career working as a runner in Soho.[6] She went on to obtain jobs as a screenwriter, working for the CBBC.[9] After early shorts like Layla and Arcade, she wrote episodes for Dixi and Jamillah and Aladdin in 2016.[citation needed]

Manzoor's first directing role was on the first series of Enterprice, released in 2018.[10] In 2018, she was also commissioned to make a pilot episode (titled "Lady Parts") for what would become We Are Lady Parts. She wrote and directed the episode.[11] After the episode was screened, there was substantial backlash regarding her portrayal of Muslim women, leading her to close her social media accounts.[12] She also directed a comedy pilot, Hounslow Diaries, which was screened on BBC Three in 2018.[13]

She directed two episodes of Doctor Who, "Fugitive of the Judoon" and "Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror", shown in 2020.[14]

We Are Lady Parts proceeded to a full series in 2021, written, directed, and executive produced by Manzoor. She has said the series is somewhat autobiographical.[15] She has cited This is Spinal Tap and The Young Ones as influences for the series.[16] Manzoor co-wrote the music with her siblings Shez Manzoor and Sanya Manzoor, and with her brother-in-law Benjamin 'Benni' Fregin.[6] A soundtrack album from the series was released digitally.[17] The show was renewed for a second series in November 2021.[18]

As of 2021, Manzoor is part of the Pillars Artist Fellowship Advisory Board.[19]

Production on Manzoor's debut feature film, Polite Society, was completed in early 2022 and was released in the UK in April 2023. The film stars Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya, and distributed internationally by Universal Pictures.[20][21]

Awards and recognition

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In 2015, Manzoor was named among Broadcast Magazine's Hot Shots for her short film 7.2.[6]

She won best Director in Comedy Drama/Situation Comedy from the Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards 2019 for her work on Enterprice.[22]

In November 2021, Manzoor was awarded the 2021 Rose d'Or Emerging Talent Award for her work on Lady Parts.[18][23] In 2022, she won the BAFTA for TV Comedy Screenwriting for Lady Parts.[24]

She won the British Independent Film Award for Debut Screenwriting for Polite Society in 2023.[25]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Credited as Notes
Writer Director Producer
2013 Layla Yes Yes Yes Short film
2013 Arcade Yes Yes Short film
2014 7.2 Yes Yes Short film
2023 Polite Society Yes Yes No Feature film

Television

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Year Title Credited as Notes
Writer Director Producer
2016 Dixi Yes 6 episodes
2016 Jamillah and Aladdin Yes 3 episodes
2017 Halloween Comedy Shorts Yes Episode: "A Deal"
2017–2018 Enterprice Yes 5 episodes
2018 Hounslow Diaries Yes Television pilot
2018–present We Are Lady Parts Yes Yes Associate 7 episodes; also creator and co-composer
2020 Doctor Who Yes 2 episodes: "Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror" and "Fugitive of the Judoon"

References

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  1. ^ Sweeting, Adam (21 May 2021). "We Are Lady Parts, Channel 4 review - female Muslim punk band rocks the house". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Nida Manzoor on writing We Are Lady Parts: 'Why is being honest so scary?'". inews.co.uk. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Skin Deep meets Nida Manzoor". Skin Deep. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  4. ^ "'We Are Lady Parts' Creator Nida Manzoor on Shattering Muslim Stereotypes and Why Representation Isn't a 'Fad'". www.msn.com. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b Opie, David (20 May 2021). "We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor opens up about new Channel 4 sitcom". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e Bowler, Hannah (27 May 2021). "Nida Manzoor: The punk spirit behind We Are Lady Parts". Broadcast. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Director Nida Manzoor (2008) and Hounslow Diaries". St James Seventh Form. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  8. ^ "'Lady Parts' creator Nida Manzoor on overcoming the negativity to offer more Muslim representation on TV". saved by old times. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Curtis Brown". www.curtisbrown.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Enterprice, BBC 3". Broadcast. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. ^ Richardson, Jay (18 December 2018). "Channel 4 releases a new batch of Blaps". Chortle. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  12. ^ Hadadi, Roxana (3 June 2021). "There's Nothing on TV Doing What We Are Lady Parts Is Doing". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  13. ^ "CPL Productions - Hounslow Diaries". Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  14. ^ Kanter, Jake (14 November 2019). "'The A List' & 'A Discovery Of Witches' Writers Pen Episodes Of 'Doctor Who'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  15. ^ Opie, David (20 May 2021). "Nida Manzoor on We Are Lady Parts and exploring the complexity of Muslim women on screen". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  16. ^ Tate, Gabriel (26 May 2021). "'It's The Young Ones Meets Spinal Tap': All the reasons why you need to watch C4's We Are Lady Parts". Metro. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  17. ^ Ravindran, Manori (21 May 2021). "Channel 4-Peacock Series 'We Are Lady Parts,' About a Muslim Female Punk Band, Drops Soundtrack (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (22 November 2021). "'We Are Lady Parts' Renewed By Peacock & Channel 4 For Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  19. ^ Jackson, Angelique (10 June 2021). "Riz Ahmed, Pillars Fund, USC Annenberg & Ford Foundation Unveil the Blueprint for Muslim Inclusion (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  20. ^ Gularte, Alejandra (15 February 2022). "We Are Lady Parts Creator Nida Manzoor to Direct Feature Film Polite Society". Vulture. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  21. ^ Bergenson, Samantha (8 March 2023). "28 Rising Female Filmmakers to Watch in 2023". Indie Wire. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  22. ^ Royal Television Society [@RTS_media] (25 November 2019). "Nida Manzoor wins Director in Comedy Drama/Situation Comedy for her 'innovative and unapologetic approach' in #Enterprice. Well done Nida! #RTSAwards" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ "Horrible Histories Black History special wins Rose d'Or Award". British Comedy Guide. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  24. ^ "BAFTA Television 2022: The Winners". www.bafta.org. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  25. ^ Ntim, Zac (3 December 2023). "British Independent Film Awards: 'All Of Us Strangers' Sweeps With 7 Wins Including Best Film". Deadline. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
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