Deeyah Khan دیا خان | |
|---|---|
.png) Khan in 2017 | |
| Born | (1977-08-07)7 August 1977 (age 48) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director Founder & CEO ofFuuse |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Known for | Banaz a Love Story White Right: Meeting The Enemy |
| Awards |
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| Website | www |
Deeyah Khan (Urdu:دیا خان,pronounced[diːjaxaːn], born 7 August 1977) is aNorwegian documentaryfilm director andhuman rights activist[1] ofPunjabi/Pashtun descent. Deeyah is a two-time Emmy Award winner, two time Peabody Award winner, a BAFTA winner and has received theRoyal Television Society award for Best Factual Director. She has made seven documentaries to date, all have been shown onITV in the UK as part of itsExposure series.
Her debut film as director and producer,Banaz: A Love Story (2012) about thehonor killing of a British-Kurdish woman won anEmmy and aPeabody.
Her second documentary,Jihad: A Story of the Others, nominated for aBAFTA,Grierson andMonte-Carlo Television Festival involved two years interviewing Islamic extremists and convicted terrorists. Her 2017 documentaryWhite Right: Meeting The Enemy was also Bafta-nominated and won an Emmy award for Best International Current Affairs Documentary and theRory 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 companyFuuse, which specializes indocumentary films,digital media platforms and content for television broadcasters and live events.
She is also the founder and editor-in-chief ofsister-hood Magazine which spotlights the diverse voices of women of Muslim heritage.
In 2016 Khan became the inauguralUNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Artistic Freedom and Creativity.
Khan was born atUllevål University Hospital in Oslo, Norway toPakistaniSunni Muslim parents, her mother beingPashtun and her father beingPunjabi .[2][3] Her brother isAdil Khan, a screen and theater actor.
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 ofUstad Bade Fateh Ali Khan. Deeyah studiedPakistani andNorth Indian classical forms of music under him.[4]
At the age of eight, Deeyah made her first performance on national television appearing on theprimetime showHalv Sju, then performed at festivals. Deeyah was also the member ofNRK girls choir as well receiving some music lessons with African American sopranoAnne Brown. She also spent several years receiving further musical training from UstadSultan 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 CDAtaraxis as a vocalist in 2006 which featured jazz pianistBob James,Police guitaristAndy Summers and Norwegian trumpeterNils 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.
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Listen to the Banned | It features banned, persecuted and imprisoned artists from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. As well as receiving critical acclaim, the album spent months on theWorld Music ChartsEurope peaking at number six.[14]Amnesty International in the UK is supportingListen to the Banned by making the album available through their website end of 2010.[15] |
| 2012 | Nordic Woman | It 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 Indus | CD features Pakistani sitarist Ashraf Sharif Khan Poonchwala |
| Iranian Woman | It features Iranian female artists[16] |
Deeyah made her directorial debut with the documentaryBanaz A Love Story. The film received its UK premiere at theRaindance 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]
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Functioned as | Note | Type |
| 2012 | Banaz: A Love Story | Director and Producer | Won aPeabody Award (2013). WonEmmy Award for "Best International Documentary" Film (2013). WonBergen 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". ReceivedArts Council Norway "Human Rights Award" for the documentary Jihad.[19] Nomination forGrierson Awards.[20] Nomination forBritish Academy Film Awards in Best "Current Affairs" Documentary.[21] Nomination for the 56thGolden Nymph Award in "Current Affair's Documentary" atMonte-Carlo Television Festival. Nomination forCreative Diversity Network Awards in "Best Current Affairs Program" category.[22] | Documentary |
| 2016 | Islam's Non-Believers | Director and Producer | Nomination forAsian Media Awards in the "Best Investigation" category for 2017.[23] | Documentary |
| 2017 | White Right: Meeting The Enemy | Director and Producer | WonEmmy Award in the "Current Affairs" category.[24] WonRoyal Television Society in "Director: Documentary/Factual & Non Drama" category.[25] WonRory Peck Award for "Current Affairs" category.[26] WonPeaceJam "Special Jury" award.[27] WonWFTV Awards in "The BBC News and Factual Award" category.[28] WonAPA Film Festival Best Short Film Award category. WonAsian Media Awards for "Best investigation" category.[29] Won Jury award at theBellingham Human Rights Film Festival.[30] Nomination for 2018British Academy Film Awards in "Best Current Affairs" Documentary.[31] Nomination forFrontline Club Awards in "Broadcasting" category.[32] | Documentary |
| 2020 | America’s War On Abortion | Director and Producer | WonBritish Academy Film Awards for best current affairs documentary.[33] WonEdinburgh International Television Festival award in best documentary category. Nomination forAIB Media Excellence Awards in Best International Affairs Documentary category. Nomination forRoyal Television Society in director category.[34] Nominated forBritish Journalism Awards in Foreign Affairs Journalism category[35] | Documentary |
| Muslim In Trump’s America | Director and Producer | Won aPeabody Award in News category.[36] Nominated forBritish Journalism Awards in Foreign Affairs Journalism category[37] Nominated forBroadcast Awards in Best News/Current Affairs category 2022. | Documentary | |
| 2022 | Behind the Rage: America’s Domestic Violence | Director and Producer | Premiere on 17 October 2022[38] | Documentary |
| 2025 | America's Veterans: The War Within | Director and Producer | Premiere on 15 June 2025 onITV | Documentary |
Deeyah is founder and CEO ofFuuse 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 andthird 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.
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 includingThe Guardian,Huffington Post,The Mirror,The Times,ITV andVG. Khan is a strong critic offar-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 foundedSister-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 foundedMemini 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 ofCardiff University[42] (HBVA), a digital resource centre working to advance understanding and awareness ofHonour Killings and Honour Based Violence through research, training and information.[43]
In 2016, Deeyah delivered aTED 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]
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