Amrou Al-Kadhi

Amrou Al-Kadhi (born 23 June 1990) is a British-Iraqi writer, drag performer, and filmmaker whose work focuses on queer identity, cultural representation and racial politics.[1]

Early life and education

Al-Kadhi was born in London to a tight-knit conservative Iraqi Muslim family. They were brought up in Dubai and Bahrain, before the family moved back to London.[2] They claim that discovering marine biology and quantum physics helped them to understand their queer identity.[3][4] Al-Kadhi has a twin brother.[5]

In 2006, Al-Kadhi was awarded a two-year scholarship to Eton College where they did their A-levels,[2][6] then graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA and M.Phil in the History of Art.[7]

Al-Kadhi's stage name is Glamrou. It was at Cambridge University that they discovered drag, organising events and becoming a "drag mother" to their fellow queens in the university's first professional drag band. While at Cambridge, they created and led the musical comedy drag troupe Denim,[8] for which they co-wrote and performed in the following shows.[9] More recently they have left the troupe in order to concentrate on solo performance in a show called Glamrou: From Quran to Queen.[10]

Career

Films

Their first acting role, at the age of fourteen, was in Steven Spielberg's film Munich, where they played the role of an Islamic terrorist's son. They have commented that, as an Arab actor, they have been approached to play the role of a terrorist almost thirty times.[11]

They have two feature films in development - as writer/director, Layla, with Film 4 and Fox Cub Films and Oh, Molly with BBC Films and Sarah Brocklehurst Productions.[12]

Television

Al-Kadhi has three TV-series in development: as writer and creator, Targets, with BBC Drama, as star, co-creator and co-writer, Nefertiti, a comedy series in development with Big Talk Productions, and as co-star, co-creator and co-writer, Beards, in development with Playground Entertainment.[12]

Writing

Their autobiography, Life as a Unicorn: A Journey From Shame to Pride and Everything In Between, was published in 2019 and tells the story of their estrangement from and final reconciliation with their mother and Islam.[13][14] In 2020, it won the Society of Authors' Somerset Maugham Award.[15]

They write a fortnightly opinion column for The Independent, and a monthly column in Gay Times.[16] They have also contributed to GQ,[17] The Guardian, Attitude, CNN and Little White Lies.[18] They write on topics ranging from queer identity and Islamophobia to the philosophy of marine biology and film criticism.

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleProduction
2018Christopher RobinActor, Nemir Azizi (London Ticket Attendant)[19]
2018AnenomeDirector and writerBBC films and Film London[20]
2017Victoria SinDirector and writerNowness, Revry[20]
2017Run(a)way ArabDirector and writerPeccadillo Pictures & Revry[20]
2017ClashDirector and writerBBC4 Broadcast, BFI, Revry[20]
2016NightstandWriter and performer[21]

Television
YearTitleRoleProduction
2020The WatchCo-writer, episode 106BBC America / BBC Studios[22]
2019Little AmericaCo-writer of "The Son" episodeApple Original Series/Universal Television[23]
2018HollyoaksWriter of episodes 5032, 5092, 5180 and 5275Channel 4[24]

Stage
YearTitleRoleVenueProducer
2018Denim: The Reunion TourCo-writer, performerSoho TheatreUnited Agents[25]
2018The Denim JuniorsCo-writer, performerSoho Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe[26]United Agents
2017Denim: World TourCo-writer, performerUnderbelly, Edinburgh Fringe[18]
2016DenimCo-writer, performerThe Vault Festival[27]
2016Denim TitaniqueCo-writer, performerRC Granville & United Music

Awards and honours

In June 2020, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named them among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".[28][29]

YearRecognition
2020 Winner, Polari First Book Prize for their memoir Life as a Unicorn[30]
2020Special guest at Britain's first Muslim Pride[31]
2019TEDxLondon talk[32]
2018Screen International Star of Tomorrow[33]
2017BFI Flare/BAFTA LGBTQ+ emerging filmmakers[33]
2016Network@LFF emerging filmmakers

References
  1. "Amrou Al-Kadhi | The Guardian". the Guardian. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  2. "Muslim drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi: 'Whenever the drag came off, I'd have a nervous breakdown'". the Guardian. October 9, 2019.
  3. "Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com.
  4. Al-Kadhi, Amrou. "What quantum physics taught me about my queer Islamic identity" – via www.ted.com.
  5. "Amrou Al-Kadhi's Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen is the searing autobiography the community needs - Living News , Firstpost". Firstpost. December 14, 2019.
  6. "Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between". The Bookshop Darlinghurst.
  7. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". British Film Institute.
  8. "Drag queen Glamrou's memoir goes for six figures | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com.
  9. "Amrou Al-Kadhi | United Agents". www.unitedagents.co.uk.
  10. "Muslim drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi: 'Whenever the drag came off, I'd have a nervous breakdown'". Muslim drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi: ‘Whenever the drag came off, I’d have a nervous breakdown’.
  11. "I'm an Arab actor who's been asked to play a terrorist 30 times. If La La Lands cleans up at the Oscars, I'm done". The Independent. February 23, 2017.
  12. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". IMDb.
  13. "Amrou Al-Kadhi interview: 'My mum is a drag queen, but not knowingly'". Evening Standard. February 18, 2020.
  14. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". The Independent.
  15. "Muslim drag performer wins Society Of Authors award for debut memoir - AOL". www.aol.co.uk.
  16. "Human beings aren't products, why try and package us to all be the same?". GAY TIMES. January 31, 2018.
  17. "How drag helped me come to terms with my gender". British GQ.
  18. "#EdFringe17 Comedy Q&A: Amrou Al-Kadhi from Denim: The World Tour by Martin Walker". broadwaybaby.com.
  19. "Christopher Robin (2018) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  20. "Unicorn - Amrou Al-Kadhi" – via soundcloud.com.
  21. "Nightstand (2015) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  22. Desk, TV News. "BBC America Announces Cast for New Series THE WATCH". BroadwayWorld.com.
  23. "Little America (TV Series 2020– ) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  24. "Hollyoaks (TV Series 1995– ) - IMDb" – via www.imdb.com.
  25. Bennett, Steve. "Denim: The Reunion Tour : Reviews 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk.
  26. Guide, British Comedy. "Denim: Juniors - Edinburgh Fringe 2018". British Comedy Guide.
  27. "Culture Archives". GAY TIMES.
  28. "Queerty Pride50 2020 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  29. Gremore, Graham (2020-07-21). "These queer writers are giving voice to our diversity one word at a time". Queerty. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  30. "Davies, Al-Kadhi win 2020 Polari Prizes". Books+Publishing. 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  31. "World's first Muslim Pride in London announces special guests". GAY TIMES. February 26, 2020.
  32. "Amrou Al-Kadhi".
  33. "Amrou Al-Kadhi – FutureFest".
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