Osamah Sami

Osamah Sami (born 10 March 1983 in Qom, Iran) is an Australian stage and screen actor, writer and stand-up comedian of Iraqi origin. His book Good Muslim Boy, was the winner of the 2016 NSW Premier's Literary Award.[1] It was also Commended at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards that same year.[2]

Osamah Sami
أسامة سامي
Born (1983-03-10) 10 March 1983
Qom, Iran
Occupation(s)Actor, Writer, Comedian
Notable workGood Muslim Boy (book)
Ali's Wedding (film)
AwardsAustralian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award
Australian Muslim Achievement Award
Sydney Indie Film Festival Award
NSW Premier's Literary Prize Award
Australian Writers Guild Award
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Award

Sami also co wrote and starred in Ali's Wedding, which was acquired by Netflix Worldwide (Ex AU/NZ). His work earned him an Australian Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as a nomination for Best Lead Actor.[3] This was mirrored at the 2018 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards in 2018, where he won for Best Script, and was nominated for Best Male Lead.[4] His script also received an Australian Writers Guild Award in the Best Original Film category.[5] The film won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 2017 Sydney Film Festival,[6] and was the winner of The Age Critics Prize at Melbourne International Film Festival.[7] Ali's Wedding was also awarded the $100,000 CinefestOz film prize in 2017.[8]

Osamah has also been nominated for a Green Room Award for Best Male Performer in a Lead Role for Melbourne Theatre Company's I Call My Brothers.[9]

Biography

Sami was born in Iran to Iraqi parents and was cast in several roles on stage in his childhood hometown of Qom.[10][11]

After immigrating to Australia, he began working with a local theatre group and starred in many productions from then on. The play Trial of Saddam, where he played Saddam Hussein, was written by his father. In 2005 he was part of a theatre group that was prevented from entering the United States of America to perform the play.[10][11]

He has since gone on to work regularly in film, theatre and television. He has been cast in several leading roles; one opposite Claudia Karvan in the telemovie Saved, directed by Tony Ayres.[12] He also played the lead role in the award-winning Dee McLachlan comedy feature, 10 Terrorists! His guest roles include TV shows including East West 101, Rush, Sea Patrol, City Homicide, Jack Irish and a regular role in the TV series Kick.

His theatre appearances include Belvoir St. Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre Company, and La Mama.

Osamah recently starred opposite Zar Amir Ebrahimi in Shayda. Shayda was the winner of the Audience Award for Best Film after premiering as the 2023 Opening Night film at Sundance. Shayda was also selected as the Opening Night film at Melbourne International Film Festival, and went on to win the 2023 CinefestOz $100,000 film prize.[13]  

Osamah writes a poetry blog, with four main categories of: Love, Social Justice, For Dad and War.[14]

In November 2022, it was revealed Sami had co-created and co-written a new drama called House of Gods which will air on ABC TV in 2023.[15] The drama centres around an imam and his family as well as the Australian Arab / Iraqi community he leads, with Sami using his own real life experiences to tell the story of the community of which is a part.[15]

Awards

Filmography

Feature films

TV work

Stage
  • 2021 – Them (Arts Centre Melbourne)
  • 2020 – The Seagull (La Mama Theatre)
  • 2019/20 – Anthem (Melbourne Arts Festival/ Perth International Arts Festival/ Sydney Arts Festival)
  • 2019 – Gilgamesh (Arts House)
  • 2018 – Good Muslim Boy (Malthouse Theatre/ Queensland Theatre)
  • 2017 – The Sound of Waiting (Brown's Mart Theatre, Darwin)
  • 2016 – Tales of a City by the Sea (La Mama Theatre) – remount/ tour
  • 2015 – I Call My Brothers (Melbourne Theatre Company)
  • 2014 – Tales of a City by the Sea (La Mama Theatre)
  • 2014 – The Container (Big West Festival)
  • 2013 – The Two Executioners (La Mama Theatre)
  • 2012 – Transit.Origin.Destination (A.P.E Sydney)
  • 2011 – Black Box 149 (La Mama Theatre)
  • 2010 – Long Day's Dying (La Mama Theatre)
  • 2009 – Baghdad Wedding (Belvoir St. Theatre Company)
  • 2007 – Hombody/ Kabul (Theatre @ Risk)
  • 2007 – Sinners (La Mamma Theatre)
  • 2006 – Trial of Saddam (A.A.G)

Writer

Books
  • Good Muslim Boy A memoir, published by Hardie Grant

References
  1. "2016 - Multicultural NSW Award". State Library of NSW. 23 March 2016.
  2. "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2016". The Wheeler Centre.
  3. "Winners & Nominees". www.aacta.org. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  4. "Film Critics Association of Australia | 2017 Awards". fcca.com.au. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  5. "AWGIE Awards Winners List" (PDF).
  6. "Sydney Film Festival - Foxtel Movies Audience Award". www.sff.org.au. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  7. Quinn, Karl (14 August 2017). "MIFF 2017: Ali's Wedding wins The Age Critics Award". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  8. "Ali's Wedding wins CinefestOz". Community News. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  9. "Page not found – The Green Room Awards". {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  10. Molitorisz, Sacha (8 February 2009). "You're called what?". Sun Herald. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  11. Webb, Carolyn (4 April 2009). "Actor Sami aims to turn heads for all the right reasons from now on". The Age.
  12. Neill, Rosemary (28 March 2009). "First Impressions: Claudia Karvan". The Australian.
  13. "Blanchett-backed film wins $100k prize at CinefestOZ". The West Australian. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  14. "Osamah Sami". Osamah Sami.
  15. Knox, David (29 November 2022). "House of Gods, a tale of faith, family, secrets & lies". TV Tonight. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  16. "AFCA 2018 Film & Writing Awards". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  17. "Winners & Nominees | AACTA". www.aacta.org. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  18. "Australian Muslim Achievement Awards 2017 Finalists! - Mission of Hope". www.missionofhope.org.au. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
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