Ashraf Ghori

Mohammed Ashraf Ghori (born 17 September 1973), is a Dubai-based Indian comic book artist, filmmaker and entrepreneur.[1][2] He is best known for creating UAE's first CGI science fiction film Xero Error [3][4][5][6] a futuristic cyborg thriller[7] which was shown at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.[8][9] and as the artist behind UAE's acclaimed Arabic Graphic Novel Antara.[10] He is the CEO and founder of digital design agency Xpanse CGI.

Ashraf Ghori
Ashraf Ghori in Dubai, 2010
BornMohammed Ashraf Ghori
(1973-09-17) 17 September 1973
Hyderabad, India
NationalityIndian
Area(s)Filmmaker, director, comic book artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist
Notable works
Xero Error, Antara
AwardsWorld Economic Forum – Excellence Award, 2015
Digital Studio Awards – Best Upcoming Filmmaker, 2011
Made in UAE Awards – Distinguished Achievement Award, 2011
https://www.ashrafghori.com

Early life and professional career

Ghori moved from Hyderabad, India to Dubai, UAE at the age of 2.[5][11] His first professional work appeared in the pages of magazines published by Khaleej Times. He was a regular illustrator for Young Times from 1989 until 2001.[12] Ghori graduated from the University of Houston, Texas in 1994.[13]

Ghori was on the judges panel for the Kuwait Arab Advertising Awards for the years 2006 and 2007.

In 2007, he founded digital creative agency Xpanse CGI in Dubai and started independent film-making with Xero Error in 2008.[14][15] Xero Error premiered at the 3rd Gulf Film Festival[16][17] and also played at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival and the 10th edition of Sci-Fi-London.[18] In 2010, Ghori was the Art Director for the first Indo-Emirati film 'Malal'.[19] He worked as Senior Digital Artist at Bayyinah TV from 2016 to 2017.[20][21] Ghori received the UAE Golden Visa in 2022 in recognition of his creative achievements in the country.

Artist

Ghori has produced work for comic book publishers including Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing.[22]

San Jacinto College in Pasadena Texas had organized a Comic Art Exhibit of Ghori's works in 1993. In 1994, Ghori was a founding member of Tempest Comics in Houston, Texas, and produced a 4-issue mini series 'Tempest Comics Presents'.[12][23] He was a featured comic artist at Dallas Fantasy Fair, 1994 (Dallas, Texas).[24]

In April 2012, Ghori was a featured guest, along with Alvin Lee, Lee Townsend and Yishan Li at the first MEFCC - Middle East Film and Comic Con in Dubai, UAE, and at the Middle East's inaugural IGN Convention in July 2013.[25] In 2013 Ghori was a contributing artist for Dark Horse Comics in collaboration with writer Alex De Campi.[26]

In 2015 Ghori collaborated with Arab rapper Narcy_(rapper) to create a mixed-media project called World War Free Now which combined music, video, and comics together.[27] A limited edition comic was released as a companion piece to Narcy's album. [28] In 2018 his work on Arabic graphic novel 'Antara' received critical acclaim as 'An Experiment Worthy of Praise' citing 'the versatility and sheer genius of the artist'.[29][30][31][32]

In 2023, Ghori was named as the Arts Ambassador for The Metaverse Arts Museum.[33]

Social media influencer

Ghori is ranked as a prominent social media influencer in the UAE.[34][35] From 2011 to 2014, Ghori was the featured art influencer for Samsung's Note series. [36] In April 2014 Ghori was the social media ambassador for Ford Middle East's 'Stand Out' campaign for the MENA region[37] and again in 2015 to promote The Ford Mustang 2016 in the #ExperienceFord Social Media Campaign.[38] In April 2016, he was the face of Microsoft's #DoGreatThingsDXB Campaign to promote Windows 10 and launch Microsoft Surface Pro 4 in the Gulf.[39][40][41][42]

He is a frequent speaker at events related to design, film and entrepreneurship in the UAE.[43][44]

Awards
  • World Economic Forum – Excellence Award, 2015
  • Digital Studio Awards – Best up and coming filmmaker, 2011[9][45]
  • Made in UAE Awards – Distinguished Achievement Award, 2011
Ashraf Ghori at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival red carpet

Filmography
  • 2023 Baab (Feature Film) - Concept Artist, Creature Designer
  • 2022 Desert Warrior (Feature Film) - Concept Artist
  • 2012 Djinn (Feature Film) - Concept Artist
  • 2010 Levity – Xero Error Minus1 (08:00, Digital Animated Film) - Writer, Director, Producer
  • 2010 Malal (Short Film) – Art Director, Associate Producer (Xpanse CGI)
  • 2009 City of Life (Feature Film) – Graphic Designer
  • 2006 Arabana (Short Film) – Associate Producer

References
  1. "Who Dares Wins". Gulf News. October 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  2. "SME Stars of Business 2010". Cpidubai.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  3. "'Error' in judgment: Dubai weighs CGI" Liza Foreman, AP. Published on AllBusiness.com
  4. LEVITY - XERO ERROR MINUS 1. CG Record. 6 April 2010
  5. "Ashraf Ghori interview on". Wearethemovies.com. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  6. "Future of Arab Cinema – Gulf Film Festival". Gulfnews.com. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  7. Adams, Gaar (May 2015). "Sci-Fi City". Slate.
  8. "Ashraf Ghori on Levity: Xero-Error Minus 1". Doha Film Institute. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  9. Digital Production Middle East Staff. "Digital Studio Awards 2011 – Winners revealed". Digitalproductionme.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  10. "UAE's Kalimat to launch first Arabic graphic novel". arabianbusiness.com.
  11. "Ashraf Ghori featured on". Storyofmylife.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  12. Muby Asger (16 December 2010). "No room for error for Ashraf Ghori". GulfNews. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  13. "The Arabic 'Antarah' Comic: 'An Experiment Worthy of Praise'". Arablit. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  14. "SyFy Channel UK". Syfy.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  15. "Michael Netzer's official site". Michaelnetzer.com. 17 February 2009. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  16. "UAE film industry is bursting with an array of talent". Gulf News. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  17. "Meet the filmmakers behind the Gulf Film Festival". Gulf News. 14 April 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  18. "10th SCI-FI LONDON Programme". Sci-fi-london.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  19. "First-of-its-kind film: Casting Call, Gulf News". Gulfnews.com. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  20. "World Art Dubai officially opens". www.tradearabia.com. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  21. "Arts, culture 'essential to intellectual development'". www.tradearabia.com. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  22. "The Arabic 'Antarah' Comic: 'An Experiment Worthy of Praise'". Arablit.org. 6 September 2018.
  23. "Tempest Comics on Mile High Comics". Milehighcomics.com. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  24. "Ashraf Ghori". IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  25. "Celebrities of IGN Convention". IGN Middle East. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  26. "Alex de Campi Brings "Grindhouse" To Dark Horse". CBR. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  27. Adams, Gaar (May 2015). "Sci-Fi City". Slate.
  28. "The Narcicyst Is a Citizen of the World". Vice. 20 May 2015.
  29. "The Arabic 'Antarah' Comic: 'An Experiment Worthy of Praise'". Arablit.org. 6 September 2018.
  30. "UAE's Kalimat to launch first Arabic graphic novel". arabianbusiness.com.
  31. "Antara, super-héros arabe, en bande dessinée". France 24 (in French). 9 October 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  32. "Antara, personnage légendaire arabe, devient un héros de bande dessinée". rts.ch (in French). 11 October 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  33. "UAE's Metaverse Arts Museum launched on the Sandbox". thebrewnews.com. March 2023.
  34. Alice Haine. "Meet the Twitterati (The National)". Thenational.ae. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  35. Tom Norton. "The Social Network (Esquire Middle East)". esquireme.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  36. "Ashraf Ghori: Ink: The Journey of a Lifetime". creativemornings.com. 22 March 2015.
  37. "An Interview with Ashraf Ghori". Ford Middle East. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  38. Ford Middle East. "#ExperienceFord Campaign". Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  39. Trade Arabia News Service. "Arts, culture 'essential to intellectual development'". TradeArabia.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  40. Chris Fernando (28 April 2016). "Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Now Available in UAE (Finally!)". pcmag.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  41. Arif Bacchus. "Microsoft Surface Pro 4 officially comes to the UAE". onmsft.com. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  42. The Gulf Today. "Microsoft Surface Pro 4 now available for consumers". gulftoday.ae. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  43. Hisham Wyne. "Be bold, and overcome the fear of creating (TwoFour54)". Twofour54.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  44. Dawson, Rachel. "Visitors travel to a world of fantasy at Sharjah book fair". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  45. "Digital Studio Awards 2011 – Best filmmaker of the year". Digitalproductionme.com. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
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