Sarah Agha
{{Short description|British actress, presenter, writer, and curator}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = January
| birth_place =
| alma_mater = Trinity College Dublin
| occupation =
| years_active = 2013–present
| website = {{URL|https://sarahagha.com/}}
}}
Sarah Agha (born January) is a British actress, presenter, writer, and curator. She founded the Arab Film Club and presented the BBC documentary The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories (2023). Her films include Layla (2024).
Early life
Agha is from London and of Irish and Palestinian descent. Her maternal grandmother is from Derry, while her Palestinian father was born in the village of Delhamiya. At 2 years old, his family were displaced to Jordan during the Nakba under the impression it would be temporary and left most of their belongings at their house, not knowing they would be forbidden from returning. After moving to the Golan Heights when he was 8, they were displaced again during the Naksa; her father came to London in his 20s.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.azeemamag.com/stories/sarah-agha-the-holy-land-and-us|title=Actress Sarah Agha retraces her connection to 'The Holy Land' and unpacks her love for Arab films|journal=Azeema|first=Fatima|last=Aamir|date=28 April 2023|accessdate=3 February 2024}}
Agha attended Catholic school.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.ft.com/content/53412d29-673e-402a-8640-f400f2c7504d|title=Sarah Agha and the Arab Film Club: stories that speak to a global audience|journal=Financial Times|first=Dalia|last=Dawood|date=14 May 2024|accessdate=20 May 2024}} She joined the National Youth Theatre{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedygigs.co.uk/london/sarah-agha-a1151/|title=Sarah Agha|website=Comedy Gigs|accessdate=3 February 2024}} and took a number of short summer courses with the likes of the New York Film Academy, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the Central School of Speech and Drama. She studied Theology and Middle Eastern Studies at Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 2014.{{Cite journal|url=https://trinitynews.ie/2014/11/graduates-ponder-future-on-front-square/|title=Graduates ponder future on Front Square|journal=Trinity News|first=Lia|last=Flattery|date=20 November 2014|accessdate=5 March 2024}}
Career
After graduating from university, Agha was cast in the Polka Theatre children's production of Operation Magic Carpet{{Cite web|url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/operation-magic-polka-theatre-11401|title=Operation Magic Carpet|website=British Theatre Guide|first=Howard|last=Loxton|date=2015|accessdate=15 February 2024}} and made her television debut with a guest appearance in a season 5 episode of the Showtime thriller series Homeland. She worked as a script supervisor on a number of projects, including the feature films A Christmas Star in 2015 and The Courier in 2019, and assistant produced the 2016 short film Portrait.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bafta.org/supporting-talent/crew-directory-2019-20|title=Crew Directory 2019-20|website=BAFTA|date=30 July 2019 |accessdate=5 March 2024}}
Agha also starred in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival productions Deadly Dialogues and The Sleeper in 2017 and 2018 respectively, hosted the comedy night Arabs Are Not Funny! at the Royal Albert Hall,{{Cite web|url=https://www.arabbritishcentre.org.uk/whatson/arabs-are-not-funny-2/|title=Arabs Are Not Funny!|website=Arab British Centre|date=February 2018|accessdate=3 April 2024}} and appeared in an episode of the AMC series Into the Badlands. Also in 2019, Agha worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on A Museum in Baghdad and King John. She began writing articles for 1883 Magazine and Backstage.{{Cite web|url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/author/sarah-agha/|title=Author: Sarah Agha|website=Backstage|accessdate=3 February 2024}}
Out of the Arab Play Reading Club she joined and curated during the COVID-19 lockdown, Agha co-founded the Arab Film Club.{{Cite web|url=https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/blog/articles/sarah-agha-arab-film-club-refugees-on-screen|title=Sarah Agha on the Arab Film Club and refugees on screen|website=SouthBank Centre|first=Glen|last=Wilson|date=13 June 2023|accessdate=3 February 2024}} She returned to the stage with Bitterenders at the Arcola Theatre in 2021, followed by Hakawatis at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse the following year.{{Cite web|url=https://pursuedbyabear.co.uk/?page_id=2921|title=Cast and Creative Team: Sarah Agha|website=Pursued by a Bear Productions|accessdate=3 April 2024}} Agha narrated her first documentaries Atahualpa: Death of the Last Inca Emperor and Inside Britain's Secret Nuclear Bunker.{{Cite web|url=https://access.historyhit.com/videos/britains-secret-nuclear-bunker|title=Inside Britain's Secret Nuclear Bunker|website=History Hit|accessdate=15 February 2024}}
In 2023, Agha gained recognition when she featured in the BBC Two documentary centred around the Nakba titled The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories opposite Robert Rinder, in which they explore their family histories as a British-Palestinian and a British Jew respectively, as well as the stories of four other families.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/new-documentary-series-the-holy-land-and-us-our-untold-stories/|title=BBC announces The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories, a brave and emotional new documentary series presented by Sarah Agha and Rob Rinder|website=BBC Media Centre|date=10 March 2023|accessdate=12 January 2025|language=en}}{{Cite journal|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/whats-on-tv-tonight-guide-listings-holy-land-us-our-untold-stories-bbc-two-2207063|title=What's on TV tonight: Robert Rinder and Sarah Agha delve into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict|journal=INews|first=Gerard|last=Gilbert|date=14 March 2023|accessdate=3 February 2024}} The documentary was nominated for Best Specialist Factual Programme at the Broadcast Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.walltowall.co.uk/news/1491/holy-land-and-waterloo-road-nominated-for-broadcast-awards|title=Holy Land and Waterloo Road nominated for Broadcast Awards|website=Wall to Wall|date=2024|accessdate=3 February 2024}} Agha has since contributed to publications such as The New Arab,{{Cite web|url=https://www.newarab.com/author/71947/sarah-agha|title=Sarah Agha|website=The New Arab|accessdate=3 February 2024}} Middle East Eye, and The Guardian, and appeared on networks such as BBC News.{{Cite web|url=https://muckrack.com/sarah-agha/articles|title=Articles by Sarah Agha|website=MuckRack|accessdate=3 February 2024}}
Agha made her feature film acting debut as Fatima, the titular character's sister, in Amrou Al-Kadhi's Layla, which opened at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.{{Cite journal|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/layla-review-1235877032/|title='Layla' Review: A London Drag Queen Vacillates Between Identities in Amrou Al-Kadhi's Uneven Debut|journal=Variety|first=Murtada|last=Elfadi|date=18 January 2024|accessdate=19 January 2024}} Later in 2024, she starred in the one woman play A Grain of Sand, written and directed by Elias Matar for the London Palestine Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2024/11/13/london-palestine-film-festival-elias-matar/|title=One-woman play about intrepid Gazan girl opens London Palestine Film Festival|work=The National|first=Lemma|last=Shehadi|date=12 November 2024|accessdate=13 February 2025}} She appeared in the Channel 5 period drama The Hardacres.{{Cite web|url=https://www.revamp-magazine.co.uk/sarah-agha|title=Sarah Agha|work=ReVamp|first=Pankhuri|last=Bhutani|date=19 July 2024|accessdate=13 February 2025}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2013
| Psychic Sue | Zoe | Short film |
| 2015
| Henry Maybury: You're Beautiful | Friend | Short film |
| 2015
| {{NA|Script supervisor}} | |
| 2016
| Goodnight Gigi | {{NA|Script supervisor}} | Short film |
| 2016
| Portrait | {{NA|Assistant producer}} | Short film |
| 2017
| Nobis | Anu | Short film |
| 2019
| Contenders | {{NA|Script supervisor}} | Short film |
| 2019
| The Amazing World of Emma | Harriet | Short film |
| 2019
| {{NA|Script supervisor / 2U}} | |
| 2022
| Rouhi (My Soul) | Aya | Short film |
| 2024
| Layla | Fatima | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2014
| Wannabes | {{NA|Script supervisor}} | Television film |
| 2015
| Homeland | Shatha Khalil | Episode: "Oriole" |
| 2018
| Ilya | Episode: "Leopard Snares Rabbit" |
| 2022
| Atahualpa: Death of the Last Inca Emperor | Herself – narrator | Documentary |
| 2022
| Inside Britain's Secret Nuclear Bunker | Herself – presenter | Documentary |
| 2023
| The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories | Herself – presenter | Documentary |
| 2024
| Betsy Temple | 5 episodes |
Stage
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2015
| Operation Magic Carpet | Nomi | Polka Theatre, London |
| 2017
| Deadly Dialogues | Sayidaa | Edinburgh Fringe Festival / Quilliam tour |
| 2018
| Arabs Are Not Funny! | {{NA|Presenter}} | Royal Albert Hall, London |
| 2018
| The Sleeper | Amena | The Space, London / Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
| 2018
| Lady Kay / Toto | King Arthur / Oz | The Scoop, London |
| 2019
| A Museum in Baghdad | Nasiya / Sam York understudy | rowspan="2" | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| 2019
| Ensemble / Blanche / Earl Essex understudy |
| 2021
| Bitterenders | Maha | Arcola Theatre, London |
| 2022
| Astra | Tiamet | Voice role, Brighton Year-Round Festival |
| 2022
| Hakawatis | Cover | Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London |
| 2023
| Nothing on Earth | Dolly Shepherd / Boushra |
| rowspan="2" | 2024
| Ensemble | Globe Theatre, London |
| A Grain of Sand
| Renad Atallah | Barbican Centre, London |
Audio
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2021
| The End of the Line | Lina | Podcast series, 1 episode |
| 2022
| Tyger | Narrator | Audiobook; novel by S. F. Said |
| 2023
| Cry Havoc! Ask Questions Later | Charmian | Podcast series |
| 2023–2024
| The Audio Long Read | Reader | The Guardian podcast, 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result ! {{Ref heading}} |
|---|
| 2021
| British Independent Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | The Amazing World of Emma | {{nom}} | |
| 2023
| Fiction Audiobook of the Year | Tyger | {{nom}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|6068212}}
- [https://www.spotlight.com/6377-7862-3737 Sarah Agha] at Spotlight
{{DEFAULTSORT:agha, sarah}}
Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin
Category:British women podcasters
Category:English people of Northern Ireland descent
Category:English people of Palestinian descent
Category:English Shakespearean actresses
Category:English stage actresses
Category:English voice actresses
Category:National Youth Theatre members