Tarique Qayumi

Tarique Qayumi's dramatic escape from Afghanistan, hidden in the back of the truck with his mother, inspired him to be a storyteller. He was part of the 2023 Warner Access x Academy Directing Program, enabling him to direct on CBC's Allegiance.

His second feature, "Black Kite," a historical drama blending animation, documentary, and live-action, premiered at TIFF in 2017, screened at 20 festivals, and won three Leo Awards for Best Writer, Best Direction, and Best Picture. It was sold to Amazon Studios.
Qayumi recently completed his third feature film, Conceiving Clara, in partnership with Telefilm. His TV series pitch, "Kabul Kitchen," won the Creator of Colour Incubator at TIFF '21 and received pre-development funding from CBC. This year, he returned as a mentor at Whistler Film Festival Screenwriting Labs.

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Qayumi loves working with actors and is grateful to his mentor, Judith Weston. He also found shooting his short film, Mara’s World, on a virtual production stage rewarding.

Early in his career, Qayumi worked on popular TV shows in Afghanistan, including Truth Unveiled, The Defenders, and Sesame Street, significantly impacting local culture.