Kosar Ali
{{Short description|British actress}}
{{Infobox person
| image = kosar ali 2021 1.jpg
| caption = Ali at the British Independent Film Awards 2021
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|12|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = London, England
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Actress / Producer
| yearsactive = 2019–present
| awards =
}}
Kosar Ali (born 21 December 2003){{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/rocks-kosar-ali-interview-sumaya-sarah-gavron-theresa-ikoko-claire-wilson-b1226970.html|last=Harrison|first=Ellie|title=Rocks star Kosar Ali: 'People can't decide if they want black women to be their shield or their target' |work=The Independent|date=25 October 2020 |accessdate=25 November 2022}} is a British actress. Her debut role in the 2019 film Rocks leading her with a nomination at only 17 for Best Supporting Actress at the 74th British Academy Film Awards whilst also being the youngest recipient to win two British Independent Film Awards. She plays Victoire in Dangerous Liaisons on Starz.
Early and personal life
Ali lives in Newham, East London. She comes from a large British Somali Muslim family she had no acting experience before being street cast.{{Cite news |first=Holly |last=Williams |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/08/rocks-sarah-gavron-interview-film-bukky-bakray-kosar-ali|title=Rocks stars: meet the teenage cast of the hot new British film|date=8 March 2020|website=the Guardian |access-date=25 November 2022 }}
Career
Ali was discovered at her school when she was 13 years old by director Sarah Gavron and casting director Lucy Pardee as they were street casting for the film Rocks.{{Cite web |first=Louise |last=Tutt |url=https://www.screendaily.com/features/rocks-stars-bukky-bakray-and-kosar-ali-talk-acting-inspirations-future-plans/5158385.article|title='Rocks' stars Bukky Bakray and Kosar Ali talk acting inspirations, future plans |website=Screen Daily |date=30 March 2021 }}{{Cite news |first=Alex |last=Godfrey |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/described-bit-stalker-meet-woman-spots-future-film-stars-wild/ |title=How Lucy Pardee spots future film stars in the wild |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=10 March 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419032004/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/described-bit-stalker-meet-woman-spots-future-film-stars-wild/ |archive-date=19 April 2021 }} The actresses were given a story outline, but no dialogue, and worked chronologically with Gavron and the writers, Theresa Ikoko and Claire Wilson. Occasionally the actresses were not even told the cameras were rolling; they naturally fell into conversations that were filmed without the director calling "action" or "cut". Gavron said that she even reshot a classroom scene which Ali told her was not working authentically.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and opened in Britain on 18 September 2020.{{Cite web|last=McCann|first=Allison|date=September 18, 2020|title=The Nigerian-British Writer Putting Black Joy on Stage and Screen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/world/europe/theresa-ikoko-movie-rocks.html|website=New York Times}} For her work on this film Ali was nominated at the British Academy and Film awards in the Best Supporting Actress category being the first hijabi woman to be nominated for this. Ali also was one of the youngest actors to win two British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), for 'supporting actress' and 'most promising newcomer', in February 2021.{{cite news |first=Bethany |last=Minelle | url = https://www.news.sky.com/story/amp/rocks-cast-of-unknowns-wins-big-at-british-independent-film-awards-12222789| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210310092631/https://news.sky.com/story/amp/rocks-cast-of-unknowns-wins-big-at-british-independent-film-awards-12222789| archive-date = 2021-03-10| title = Rocks: Cast of unknowns wins big at British Independent Film Awards |website=Sky News |date=19 February 2021 }}
In 2021, Ali starred in a BBC comedy short, PRU, about unruly adolescents in the British system; the title stands for Pupil Referral Unit, an alternative schooling system for badly behaved students.{{Cite web |first=Ella |last=Kemp |url=https://www.nme.com/features/film-interviews/kosar-ali-bafta-rocks-2896869|title = Meet Kosar Ali – the BAFTA-nominated teen star of 'Rocks' |website=NME |date = 9 March 2021 |access-date=25 November 2022 }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ikrd/bbc-pru-star-kosar-ali-explained-somali|title='PRU' Star Kosar Ali Explained That Controversial Somali Lesbian Line|first=Ikran |last=Dahir |website=BuzzFeed News |date=23 March 2021 |access-date=25 November 2022 }}
In 2022, she plays the leading role of Victoire in the Starz television series Dangerous Liaisons.{{cite magazine |first=Jaclyn |last=Roth |url=https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/kosar-ali-dishes-role-dangerous-liaisons-starz/ |title=Kosar Ali Found Herself Through Acting: 'It's A Nice Feeling To Belong Somewhere' |magazine=Grazia US |date= |access-date=25 November 2022 }}
In 2023 she starred in two short films Muna which she also produced and Luna as well as her debut performance in WorldPlay at the royal court theatre which she has had critical acclaim for.
Accolades
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2019
| Rocks | Sumaya | Debut role; Ali was one of the youngest winners of 2 British Independent Film Awards |
| 2021
| PRU |Hanna |1 episode |
| 2022
|Victoire |8 episodes |
| 2023
| Muna | Muna | {{Small|International premiere at 74th Berlin International Film Festival, on 20 February 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/454955/ |title= Berlin unveils the entirety of its Generation line-up |first= Vassilis |last= Economou |date=18 January 2024|access-date=12 February 2024 |website= Cineuropa |language=en}}}} |
| 2023
| Luna | | |
| 2023
|''Royal court | | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|10196566|Kosar Ali}}
{{British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Kosar}}
Category:Actresses from London
Category:English people of Somali descent