Tarique Qayumi

AllegianceA star rookie police officer must grapple with the limits of the justice system as she fights to exonerate her politician father and serve her diverse hometown of Surrey.Watch NowCBC Season 02 Episode 09

Black KiteIn Taliban-controlled Kabul, a father risks everything to fly kites with his daughter — defying a regime that has banned joy from the skies.Watch TrailerTIFF Premiere · Amazon Studios · 3 Leo Awards

Conceiving ClaraClara (42), a midwife unable to conceive, undergoes IVF under family pressure. Complications threaten her life and the baby’s.Watch TrailerOfficial Selection – Canadian Film Festival 2025

Over The Next HillZaby (12), a refugee escaping the Taliban, struggles to gain his independence from his Mother on a dangerous journey across the Afghan mountains hidden in the back of a truck.Coming SoonCanada Arts Council • BC Arts Council • Shore Scripts Fund

About

Tarique Qayumi’s dramatic escape from Afghanistan, hidden in the back of a truck with his mother, inspired him to be a storyteller. A graduate of UCLA’s MFA program, Qayumi serves on the Directors Advisory Board of the DGC-BC. He was part of the Warner Access x Academy Directing Program, which enabled him to direct on CBC’s Allegiance.His second feature, Black Kite, a historical drama blending animation, documentary, and live-action, premiered at TIFF, screened at 20 festivals, and won three Leo Awards for Best Writer, Best Direction, and Best Picture. It was later acquired by Amazon Studios.Qayumi recently completed his third feature film, Conceiving Clara, produced with Telefilm Canada, which premiered at the Canadian Film Festival. His TV series pitch, Kabul Kitchen, won TIFF’s Creator of Colour Incubator and received pre-development funding from CBC. He has also served as a mentor at the Whistler Film Festival Screenwriting Lab and is currently on the jury for the Arbutus Award at VIFF.Qayumi loves working with actors and non-actors thanks to his mentor, Judith Weston. He also found shooting his short film, Mara’s World, on a virtual production stage especially rewarding, one of the first of its kind in Canada.Early in his career, Qayumi worked on popular TV shows in Afghanistan, including Truth Unveiled, The Defenders, and Sesame Street, significantly impacting local culture.