Bassam Tariq

Biography

Bassam Tariq (born October 22, 1986, in Karachi, Pakistan) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His work is often noted for exploring the diversity of Muslim life and experience in the diaspora.

Biography and Early Career

Tariq moved to the U.S. with his family at a young age, growing up initially in New York's Astoria neighborhood before moving to Houston at age 11. He earned a Bachelor of Science in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. After college, he worked as a copywriter in advertising agencies in New York City.

An early project that gained attention was the blogging effort, "30 Mosques in 30 Days," which he co-founded with Aman Ali. During Ramadan, they visited and wrote about different mosques across New York and later across the United States, highlighting the diverse Muslim population in America. Tariq is a TED Fellow and has given a TED Talk exploring his eclectic career and perspective on Muslim life. In a departure from filmmaking, he also co-founded Honest Chops, a halal butcher shop in New York.

Film Career Highlights

Tariq's filmography includes both documentaries and narrative features:

These Birds Walk (2012): Tariq co-directed and produced this documentary with Omar Mullick. Filmed in Karachi, it focuses on the life of a runaway boy and the humanitarian work of the Edhi Foundation. The film was Sundance-funded and later named one of the "50 best foreign films of the 21st century" by a prominent New Yorker publication.

Ghosts of Sugar Land (2019): This documentary short won the Short Film Jury Prize at Sundance and was distributed by Netflix.

Mogul Mowgli (2020): This was Tariq's debut narrative feature film, which he co-wrote and directed with actor Riz Ahmed. The film, which premiered at the Berlinale and won the International Critics Prize, tells the story of a British-Pakistani rapper whose life is interrupted by illness, forcing him to confront his heritage and family.

Tariq was also previously attached to direct the Marvel film Blade, but later exited the project. He was named one of Filmmaker's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2012.