Faisal Azam is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of identity, memory, the self, and the invisible realms beyond perception. His work has been supported by MacDowell, the Sundance Institute, the LEF/CIF Foundation and The Karen Schmeer Fellowship. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, and raised in the Middle East, Azam's artistic journey began in a region where censorship fueled his interest in storytelling and visual expression. At 15, he immigrated to the U.S. and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in rhetoric from UC Berkeley.
With over two decades in film, Azam is best known for editing the Academy Award-nominated documentary short St. Louis Superman. He also edited and produced Without Shepherds, which won both the Grand Chameleon and Best Documentary prizes at the Brooklyn Film Festival. His screenplay, H8, won WeScreenplay's TV Pilot Contest and was selected by the Black List for its 2024 Muslim List, which highlights the best unproduced scripts by Muslim writers. Azam's film work has been featured at prestigious festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Clermont-Ferrand, Big Sky, BFI London, and HotDocs.
In addition to film and writing, his artistic practice encompasses painting and photography, which he uses to explore realms beyond the visible. His canvases employ symbolic imagery to delve into themes of psychological alchemy and inner transformation, while his photography moves beyond traditional portraiture to uncover veiled dimensions of the psyche. Utilizing bold contrasts between color and texture, the work reveals hidden layers of consciousness and acts as a mirror, inviting viewers to reflect on their own inner landscapes.
While at MacDowell, Azam worked across multiple artistic disciplines. In the first half, he focused on the poetic, archival documentary Karachi Sky alongside Sofian Khan. In the latter half, he created paintings exploring psychological alchemy and his experience of metaphysical darkness. During residency, he also debuted work from his upcoming photography monograph, offering a rare glimpse into life around the shrine of 12th-century Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Pakistan.
Portrait by Erica Velis
