Dr Kamran Qureshi (born: 3rd October 1975) is an award-winning British Film and TV Director, Media Academic and holds the esteemed title of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), underscoring his dedication to continuously improving teaching and learning practices within higher education. He is a founding member of KQ Movies Ltd and Evergreen Media Europe Ltd. Kamran has also directed many television drama series, TV shows, and documentaries, along with his award-winning feature film Only Love Matters (OLM), the first movie in cinema history on the subject of intersex set in Britain. He is the winner of Best Director, Producer, Cinematographer and screenwriter Awards for OLM and also won Best TV Film, TV Talk show, Film Series in various International Awards including 5-time-nomination at the Lux Style Best TV Director and Producer for Drama Series Award.
Lux Style Awards 2006
Since 2000, he mentored and supervised BA, MSc and PhD students for research dissertations and filmmaking practice. Kamran has been teaching Film, Television, Digital Media theory and practice at the University of East Anglia (UEA), United Kingdom, since 2019. As a Local Representative in UEA for UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN, a peer-led consortium for world-leading research), his responsibilities are to organise UKRN events across and within UEA faculties and disseminate UKRN information. Kamran also part of Green film Festival team supported by UEA.
He is a mentor and assessor for the Solent University (Southampton, UK) staff’s Advance HE Fellowship applications. His Postdoctoral research was on Film Pathway Programmes at the School of Art Media and American Studies. His research & teaching interests are in Hollywood, British, Australian films, Television, Media practice, Gender, Legislations and Representation of Intersex. His PhD was in Professional Practice in Film, Television and Media from UEA, the first-ever doctoral study that brings together theoretical readings of representation of intersex in English language feature films with professional (fiction filmmaking) practice. His education includes the study of economics, international relations, advertising, marketing followed by formal training in filmmaking from UK premier film schools including National Film & Television School; London Film School and London Film Academy. Kamran’s research within film and television includes English language feature films, US television drama series, Indian Cinema and Australian Film and TV presented at the Birkbeck College, Dublin City University, and at the University of Westminster. As Communication editor of the CHASE Brief Encounters (issue 4, 2019-2020), a peer-reviewed postgraduate journal, his responsibilities include ensuring clarity, accessibility, communication and marketing the journal and CfP.
Kamran’s recent book chapter A Critical Analysis of The Transgender (Intersex) Persons Act, 2018 has been published in the Palgrave Macmillan’s book, which he presented at the University of Lincoln; and another study Portrayal of Intersex in Indian Cinema that was presented at The Southwest Conference, Trinity University, US will be published this summer at the American journal, Jump Cut.
Kamran has served as a Public Governor Central (2018-2020) in the Council of Governor of the Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This has enabled him to contribute to the operational running of institutions and to work as part of a dynamic and high functioning team which he integrate in creative practice film research and teaching. An aspiring academic, keen to share the field experience through academic teaching and research.
TV Talk Show 1999
He began his career in the media industry as digital video effects designer for television channels and advertising agencies. He later joined a television production house, Telewise, as an editor and director. He has worked with several global brands, including Barclays, P&G’s Ariel, Nestle Nesvita, Nestle Nido, Lipton, John Player’s Gold Leaf, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Walls, Pepsi, and WildCat. Apart from direction, Kamran is proficient and quite respected for his skills in operating aerial, handheld camera, crane and jib, editing, and colour grading.
Kamran’s television film series Maa Aur Mamta (Motherhood) 2004 on the subject of mothers, won six awards including Best Film Series & Director in the first Indus Drama Award 2005. He also won the Best TV Talk Show Award (2002) for Ariel Mothers – a show about motherhood, that was sponsored by Procter & Gamble. Kamran’s directed Riyasat (Kingdom of Hearts) 2006 won Best TV Serial Award, in the 5th Lux Style Awards, along with the Best Director and other nominations. One of his nominations includes Best Producer Award in the 9th Lux Style Award with Raheel Rao on his directed TV series Ishq Ki Inteha (Unbounded Love) 2010. As for weekly Talk Shows, he has worked on Nestlé Nido Young Stars (2008), Nestlé Nesvita Women of Strength (2009), Also tv-series Makan (Home a Heaven) 2007, Sarkar Sahab (Evicted Lord) 2008, Choti Si Kahani (A Small Story) 2011 and Mushrik (Polytheist) 2017.
He has dealt with sensitive subjects such as the position of women, child labour, child marriage, child abuse and prostitution, honour killing, religious tolerance, sexual abuse and rape, losing family women in gambling addiction, drug smuggling, human trafficking, young girls issues, intersex and transgender. One of his critically and commercially successful films–Murad (Desire), on the motherhood of an intersex, won Best Director and Best Telefilm Awards at the Indus Telefilm Festival, 2003; also, a Special Award for Acting in the First Indus Drama Awards 2005. Similarly, his 32-part television drama series Moorat (Idol), on the lives of intersex and transgender characters, won several nominations in 4th Lux Style Award, 2005, including Best Director and Best TV Drama Serial. Other notable projects are TV documentary Beyond the Silence of the Sea (2010) on maritime, TV drama series Aurat Aur Char Dewari (Women and Hurdles) (2007), and TV drama series Manzil (Her Lost Destination) (2006).
Kamran’s wife, Dr Iram Qureshi, is also a media Academic and award-winning Film & TV Producer, Director, and Senior Lecturer at the Ravensborne University London. Her PhD was on British Cinema. They live in London with their three lovely daughters Michelle, Huda and Hareem.