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).
Sarah Agha | |
|---|---|
| Born | January |
| Alma mater | Trinity College Dublin |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Website | sarahagha |
Early life edit
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.[1]
Agha joined the National Youth Theatre[2] 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.[3]
Career edit
After graduating from university, Agha was cast in the Polka Theatre children's production of Operation Magic Carpet[4] 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.[5]
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,[6] 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.[7]
Out of the Arab Play Reading Club she joined and curated during the COVID-19 lockdown, Agha co-founded the Arab Film Club.[8] She returned to the stage with Bitterenders at the Arcola Theatre in 2021, followed by Hakawatis at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse the following year.[9] Agha narrated her first documentaries Atahualpa: Death of the Last Inca Emperor and Inside Britain's Secret Nuclear Bunker.[10]
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.[11][12] The documentary was nominated for Best Specialist Factual Programme at the Broadcast Awards.[13] Agha has since contributed to publications such as The New Arab,[14] Middle East Eye, and The Guardian, and appeared on networks such as BBC News.[15]
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.[16] She has an upcoming role in the Channel 5 series The Hardacres.
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Psychic Sue | Zoe | Short film |
| 2015 | Henry Maybury: You're Beautiful | Friend | Short film |
| 2015 | A Christmas Star | Script supervisor | |
| 2016 | Goodnight Gigi | Script supervisor | Short film |
| 2016 | Portrait | Assistant producer | Short film |
| 2017 | Nobis | Anu | Short film |
| 2019 | Contenders | Script supervisor | Short film |
| 2019 | The Amazing World of Emma | Harriet | Short film |
| 2019 | The Courier | Script supervisor / 2U | |
| 2022 | Rouhi (My Soul) | Aya | Short film |
| 2024 | Layla | Fatima |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Wannabes | Script supervisor | Television film |
| 2015 | Homeland | Shatha Khalil | Episode: "Oriole" |
| 2018 | Into the Badlands | 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 |
| TBA | The Hardacres | Betsy |
Stage edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Operation Magic Carpet | Nomi | Polka Theatre, London |
| 2017 | Deadly Dialogues | Sayidaa | Edinburgh Fringe Festival / Quilliam tour |
| 2018 | Arabs Are Not Funny! | 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 | Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| 2019 | King John | 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 | Pursued by a Bear tour[17] |
| 2024 | Romeo and Juliet | Ensemble | Globe Theatre, London |
Audio edit
| Year | Title | Role | 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 edit
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | British Independent Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | The Amazing World of Emma | Nominated | |
| 2023 | British Book Awards | Fiction Audiobook of the Year | Tyger | Nominated | [18] |
References edit
- ^ Aamir, Fatima (28 April 2023). "Actress Sarah Agha retraces her connection to 'The Holy Land' and unpacks her love for Arab films". Azeema. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Sarah Agha". Comedy Gigs. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Flattery, Lia (20 November 2014). "Graduates ponder future on Front Square". Trinity News. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Loxton, Howard (2015). "Operation Magic Carpet". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Crew Directory 2019-20". BAFTA. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Arabs Are Not Funny!". Arab British Centre. February 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Author: Sarah Agha". Backstage. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Wilson, Glen (13 June 2023). "Sarah Agha on the Arab Film Club and refugees on screen". SouthBank Centre. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Cast and Creative Team: Sarah Agha". Pursued by a Bear Productions. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ "Inside Britain's Secret Nuclear Bunker". History Hit. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "BBC announces The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories, a brave and emotional new documentary series presented by Sarah Agha and Rob Rinder". BBC Media Centre. 10 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Gilbert, Gerard (14 March 2023). "What's on TV tonight: Robert Rinder and Sarah Agha delve into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict". iNews. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Holy Land and Waterloo Road nominated for Broadcast Awards". Wall to Wall. 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Sarah Agha". The New Arab. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Articles by Sarah Agha". MuckRack. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ Elfadi, Murtada (18 January 2024). "'Layla' Review: A London Drag Queen Vacillates Between Identities in Amrou Al-Kadhi's Uneven Debut". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Moses, Caro (24 March 2023). "Rosamunde Hutt: Nothing On Earth". This Week Culture. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Anderson, Porter (2023-03-21). "British Book Awards: Trade and 'Book of the Year' Shortlists". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
External links edit
- Sarah Agha at IMDb
- Sarah Agha at Spotlight