Zam Salim

Writer / Director

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Film, TV & Theatre

Agent: Michelle Archer
Michelle Archer
Associate Agent: Grace Baxter
gbaxter@unitedagents.co.uk

Film, TV & Theatre

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Zam most recently directed ENDEAVOUR Series 7 for ITV/Mammoth Screen.

He is currently adapting the novel, STRAY, a psychological thriller by Vicky Allan, for Hopscotch Films and Creative Scotland, which he will direct as a feature. He is also writing a feature-length version of his short film DROPPING OFF MICHAEL for Sigma Films and Scottish Screen which he will direct. 

He has received a number of awards for his shorts, commercials, documentaries. His feature  UP THERE won Best Director and Best Feature at the British Academy Awards Scotland, 2012 and also won top prize at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

He's a former BAFTA BREAKTHROUGH BRIT, Screen STAR OF TOMORROW and ONE TO WATCH by Moviescope magazine

 

UP THERE

"It takes rare talent to take the mundane and make it both spellbinding and profound. Salim has accomplished this" Eye for an Eye

“Writer-director Zam Salim brilliantly expands his YouTube hit Laid Off into a feature that's quietly serious and laugh-out-loud funny.” Sunday Herald

“A drily witty dark comedy that marks a promising feature debut” Screen International

“Expect to see Salim's name above a gigantic Hollywood production in the very near future, as UP THERE is one hell of a calling card.” Little White Lies

Film

ProductionCompanyNotes

UP THERE

2012

Wilder Films / Creative Scotland / BFI

Writer and Director. Feature film.
Starring Burn Gorman, Joe Hartley, Warren Brown.
Producer: Annalise Davis.
*Winner Best Director at British Academy Awards Scotland 2012.
*Winner Best Feature Film at British Academy Awards Scotland 2012.
*Winner of the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2012.
*Winner Best Feature Film at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2012.
*Certificate of Excellence Award at Rincon Festival 2012.
*Nominated for Discovery Award at London Comedy Film Festival 2012.

Television

ProductionCompanyNotes

ENDEAVOUR

2020

ITV/Mammoth Screen

Director.
2 hour film "Raga"
Writer: Russell Lewis
Producer: Jim Levison
Executive Producer: Helen Ziegler
Starring: Shaun Evans and Roger Allam

THE BREAK

2016

BBC Writersroom/BBC Drama/BBC 3

5 x short films. Online drama, contemporary monologues.

SWIPE SLOW (Writer: Inua Ellams. Featuring: Harley Sylvester)
SYSTEM CYCLE (Writer: Charlene James)
TYING THE KNOT (Writer: Rena Annobil. Featuring: Mawaan Rizwan)
THE MATCH GIRL (Writer: Amber Hsu)
BREAKING THE CODE (Writer: Sabrina Mahfouz)
Producer: Rachelle Constant.
Exec Producers: Hilary Salmon, Anne Edyvean.

MI:HIGH 2

2008

Kudos Productions/ BBC 1

Director. 3 episodes.
*Winner Best Children’s Drama at the Royal Television Society Awards 2009.

IS IT JUST ME....

2007

Hopscotch Films/ C4

Writer, Director, and Producer. 4x3' films for “Three Minute Wonder ” series.
*Soho Rushes Film Festival 2007.
*Eskisehir Film Festival 2007.
*Brief Encounters Festival 2007.

MASHED

2007

Teebster Productions/ NSPCC/ C4

Writer and Director. “Three Minute Wonder” series.
*Screened at Brief Encounters Festival 2007.
*Eskisehir Film Festival 2007.

Short Films

ProductionCompanyNotes

ONE SHOT

2022

Incidental Pictures

Writer, Director and Producer.
Screening at Glasgow Film Festival, 2023.
Screening at London Comedy Film Festival 2023 - Special Mention: Best Ensemble

DROPPING OFF MICHAEL

2015

Sigma Films/ C4

Producers: Paddy Higson, Catrionna MacInnes.
*Winner Audience Award at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2015.
*Winner Best Actor (Brian McCardie) and Best Supporting Actor (Michael McCardie), Lilongwe Shorts Film Festival Malawi 2015.
*Nominated for Best Short Film at BAFTA Scotland Awards 2015.
*Nominated, Best Writer, BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards 2015 for James Price.

LAID OFF

2006

Writer, Director, and Producer. Short film.
*Winner: Best Film at Jim Poole Awards 2007.
*Winner: Audience Award at Jim Poole Awards 2007.
*Nominated for Best Short Film at Scottish BAFTAs 2006.
*Nominated for Best Short Film at The European Independent Film Festival 2007.
*Winner, Best Actor at European Independent Film Festival 2007.
*Winner: Best Narrative Short Film at the RiverRun Film festival, North Carolina, USA 2007.
*Winner of Silver Grand Jury Award at the San Francisco Short Film Festival 2007.

COLD LIGHT OF DAY

2003

Writer, Director and Producer. Short film.
*Jim Poole Award Film of the Year, Edinburgh.
*BAFTA Scottish Best Short nomination.
*Official Selection Edinburgh Film Festival.
*Blue Room Film of the Year, Edinburgh.
*Runner Up Kino Film Festival, Manchester.
*Finalist at Channel 4’s 4Talent Funny Bits 2007.

Documentaries

ProductionCompanyNotes

BLACK AND WHITE

2006

Hopscotch Films/ BBC 2

30′ documentary on photojournalist, David Gillanders.
*Winner European Independent Film Festival, Best Short Documentary 2008.
*Winner Best Short Documentary at The Doxa Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada 2007.
*Highly Commended in Human Rights category at Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Awards 2007.
*Insight Award for Excellence, National Association of Film and Digital Artists 2007.
*Nominated for Best Short Documentary, International Documentary Association LA 2007.
*Shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the Grierson Awards 2007.
*Nominated for Best Arts Documentary at the Celtic Film & TV Festival 2007.

In Development

ProductionCompanyNotes

DROPPING OFF MICHAEL

2020

Sigma Films

Feature film.
Director and Co-writter with James Price.
Producer: Brian Coffey

STRAY

2020

Hopscotch Films/Creative Scotland

Writer and Director.
Psychological horror/thriller feature film, adapted from novel by Vicky Allan.
Producers: Charlotte Wontner and John Archer

UP THERE

2018 - 2020

Hat Trick

TV adaptation of Zam's original feature film. Comedy series.
Exec Producer: Jimmy Mulville.

HAVEN

2017 - 2020

Acme Films

Writer and Director.
TV series, thriller about the refugee crisis.