Deeyah Khan

Deeyah Khan (Urdu: دیا خان, pronounced [diːja xaːn], born 7 August 1977) is a Norwegian documentary film director and human rights activist[1] of Punjabi/Pashtun descent. Deeyah is a two-time Emmy Award winner, two time Peabody Award winner, a BAFTA winner and has received the Royal Television Society award for Best Factual Director. She has made seven documentaries to date, all have been shown on ITV in the UK as part of its Exposure series.

Deeyah Khan
دیا خان
Khan in 2017
Born (1977-08-07) 7 August 1977
Oslo, Norway
NationalityNorwegian
Occupation(s)Film director
Founder & CEO of Fuuse
Years active1992–present
Known forBanaz a Love Story
White Right: Meeting The Enemy
Awards
Websitewww.deeyah.com

Her debut film as director and producer, Banaz A Love Story (2012) about the honor killing of a British-Kurdish woman won an Emmy and a Peabody.

Her second documentary, Jihad: A Story of the Others, nominated for a BAFTA, Grierson and Monte-Carlo Television Festival involved two years interviewing Islamic extremists and convicted terrorists. Her 2017 documentary White Right: Meeting The Enemy was also Bafta-nominated and won an Emmy award for Best International Current Affairs Documentary and the Rory Peck Award for Best Current Affairs documentary in 2018— this film saw Deeyah travel to the United States where she shadowed neo-Nazis at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.

She is the founder and CEO of production company Fuuse, which specializes in documentary films, digital media platforms and content for television broadcasters and live events.

She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of sister-hood Magazine which spotlights the diverse voices of women of Muslim heritage.

In 2016 Khan became the inaugural UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Artistic Freedom and Creativity.

Biography

Birth and ancestry

Khan was born at Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo, Norway to Sunni Muslim parents, her mother being Afghan and her father being Pakistani.[2][3] Her brother is Adil Khan, a screen and theater actor.

Music training and early career

Khan started her career as a music artist, a singer and stage performer in the public eye in Norway from the age of 7. At first she was a singer and performer of traditional South Asian classical and folk music, then became a composer and producer of world music. Khan's father was a music enthusiast and in 1984 placed his seven-year-old daughter under the supervision of Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan. Deeyah studied Pakistani and North Indian classical forms of music under him.[4]

At the age of eight, Deeyah made her first performance on national television appearing on the primetime show Halv Sju, then performed at festivals. Deeyah was also the member of NRK girls choir as well receiving some music lessons with African American soprano Anne Brown. She also spent several years receiving further musical training from Ustad Sultan Khan.[5]

Because music is considered to be a dishonourable profession for women in many Muslim communities Khan faced severe abuse and death threats for several years in Norway. Initially the harassment and condemnation were directed towards her parents: "I remember my dad having to defend the fact that I was doing music, even as a child. I remember this at eight, nine years old where ... various people come to the house and say, 'We don't even let our sons do it, why would you let your daughter do this?'".[6]

Despite the increased pressure and threats of violence Khan's family continued to support her. After being attacked on stage at her own concert and enduring sustained intimidation, she moved to London at the age of 17 to live and work.

She continued to compose and produce music. She recorded her last CD Ataraxis as a vocalist in 2006 which featured jazz pianist Bob James, Police guitarist Andy Summers and Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær. Khan has continued to work in the music industry as a music producer including creating platforms for musicians and artists who are persecuted or discriminated against for their creative expression.

Discography

Albums
  • 1992: I alt slags lys[7]
  • 1996: Deepika[8]
  • 2007: Ataraxis[9]

Compilation albums
Year Title Notes
2010Listen to the BannedIt features banned, persecuted and imprisoned artists from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. As well as receiving critical acclaim, the album spent months on the World Music Charts Europe peaking at number six.[10] Amnesty International in the UK is supporting Listen to the Banned by making the album available through their website end of 2010.[11]
2012Nordic WomanIt features female artists of traditional Nordic music forms from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The first release from Deeyah's WOMAN music album series. Produced by Deeyah.
2013 Echoes of IndusCD features Pakistani sitarist Ashraf Sharif Khan Poonchwala
Iranian WomanIt features Iranian female artists[12]

Singles
  • 1995: "Get Off My Back"[13]
  • 1995: "History"[14]
  • 1995: "Color of My Dreams"[15]
  • 2005: "Plan of My Own" / "I Saw You"[16] - UK peak: #37

Filmmaking

Deeyah made her directorial debut with the documentary Banaz A Love Story. The film received its UK premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London September 2012.[17] This was Deeyah's first film as a director and producer. It has won critical acclaim and international awards, including the 2013 Emmy award for best international documentary film. The film is being used to train British police about honor killings.[18]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Functioned as Note Type
2012 Banaz a Love Story Director and Producer Won a Peabody Award (2013). Won Emmy Award for "Best International Documentary" Film (2013). Won Bergen International Film Festival award for "Best Norwegian Documentary" (2013). Royal Television Society nomination for Best "Current Affairs" Documentary. Documentary
2015 Jihad: A Story of the Others Director and Producer Won New York International Independent Film and Video Festival award as "Best Short Documentary". Received Arts Council Norway "Human Rights Award" for the documentary Jihad.[19] Nomination for Grierson Awards.[20] Nomination for British Academy Film Awards in Best "Current Affairs" Documentary.[21] Nomination for the 56th Golden Nymph Award in "Current Affair's Documentary" at Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Nomination for Creative Diversity Network Awards in "Best Current Affairs Program" category.[22] Documentary
2016 Islam's Non-Believers Director and Producer Nomination for Asian Media Awards in the "Best Investigation" category for 2017.[23] Documentary
2017 White Right: Meeting The Enemy Director and Producer Won Emmy Award in the "Current Affairs" category.[24] Won Royal Television Society in "Director: Documentary/Factual & Non Drama" category.[25] Won Rory Peck Award for "Current Affairs" category.[26] Won PeaceJam "Special Jury" award.[27] Won WFTV Awards in "The BBC News and Factual Award" category.[28] Won APA Film Festival Best Short Film Award category. Won Asian Media Awards for "Best investigation" category.[29] Won Jury award at the Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival.[30] Nomination for 2018 British Academy Film Awards in "Best Current Affairs" Documentary.[31] Nomination for Frontline Club Awards in "Broadcasting" category.[32] Documentary
2020 America’s War On Abortion Director and Producer Won British Academy Film Awards for best current affairs documentary.[33] Won Edinburgh International Television Festival award in best documentary category. Nomination for AIB Media Excellence Awards in Best International Affairs Documentary category. Nomination for Royal Television Society in director category.[34] Nominated for British Journalism Awards in Foreign Affairs Journalism category[35] Documentary
Muslim In Trump’s America Director and Producer Won a Peabody Award in News category.[36] Nominated for British Journalism Awards in Foreign Affairs Journalism category[37] Nominated for Broadcast Awards in Best News/Current Affairs category 2022. Documentary
2022 Behind the Rage: America’s Domestic Violence Director and Producer Premiere on 17th October 2022 [38] Documentary

Fuuse

Deeyah is founder and CEO of Fuuse which is a multi platform independent media company based in Oslo and London. Started in 2010 Fuuse is a production company that tells the stories of marginalized people particularly highlighting the voices of women, people from minorities and third culture kids. Fuuse creates documentary films and produces an online magazine which promotes the diverse voices of women of Muslim heritage called sister-hood and the company produces live events and conferences in the intersection of art and activism

Views and activism

Deeyah is an outspoken activist for human rights, freedom of expression, peace and equality. Deeyah actively addresses women’s rights. Deeyah has written opinion pieces for publications including The Guardian, Huffington Post, The Mirror, The Times, ITV and VG. Khan is a strong critic of far-right politics and campaigns extensively against racism and anti-immigration policies. She is also known for challenging the growing radicalization and extremism within Muslim communities. Deeyah conceived of and founded Sister-hood in 2007,[39] whose aim is to provide an outlet of artistic expression for young aspiring Muslim female artists in different disciplines. Sister-hood was relaunched in 2016 as a global online magazine and live events platform promoting the voices of women of Muslim heritage.

Khan founded Memini in early 2011, a global digital initiative to promote remembrance of victims of honour killings worldwide.[40] Memini was given a True Honour award by UK charity Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation along with several other UK campaigners.[41]

In February 2012, Khan founded Honour Based Violence Awareness network with Joanne Payton of Cardiff University[42] (HBVA), a digital resource centre working to advance understanding and awareness of Honour Killings and Honour Based Violence through research, training and information.[43]

In 2016, Deeyah delivered a TED talk titled: "What We Don’t Know About Europe’s Muslim Kids and Why We Should Care". She shares her experiences of being the child of an Afghan mother and Pakistani father raised in Norway, stuck between her family's community and her country. In her emotional talk she unearths the rejection and isolation felt by many Muslim kids growing up in the West – and the deadly consequences of not embracing youth before extremist groups do.[44]

Awards, nominations, honors

References
  1. "10 Music Artistes Who Support The Cause To End Violence Against Women activist". thepixelproject.net. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  2. Lorena G. Maldonado (18 December 2017). "Deeyah Khan, la cineasta musulmana que se cuela en las fiestas de los nazis" (in Spanish). elespanol.com. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. زاوية كبرى (December 2017). "دياه خان : "هم اختاروا السلاح، وأنا الكاميرا"" (in Arabic). ar.unesco.org. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  4. ""Artistic Freedom is complementary to press freedom with Deeyah Khan, Goodwill Ambassador": Interview". en.unesco.org. 27 March 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  5. Reginald Massey (6 January 2012). "Sultan Khan obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. "CNN LIVE TODAY". transcripts.cnn.com. 27 March 2006. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  7. "Deepika– I alt slags lys". kkv.no. 1992. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. "Deepika". Discogs. 1996. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  9. "NEW ALBUM 'ATARAXIS': DEEYAH FEATURING BOB JAMES, ANDY SUMMERS AND NILS PETTER MOLVŒR". worldmusiccentral.org. 12 November 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
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  15. "Deepika Thathaal". Discogs. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
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