Alia Ghafar is a Writer/Director from Glasgow, whose stories centre on the lives of young people in

contemporary Scotland. She graduated from the Film & TV programme at Edinburgh College of Art.

Her graduation film, SALT & SAUCE, premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2017. The film went on to screen at over 20 festivals in the UK and internationally, including Edinburgh International Film Festival, London Short Film Festival and Underwire Festival. SALT & SAUCE won the Scottish Short Film Award at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2018 and was nominated for Best British Short at the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards 2019.

In 2019, SALT & SAUCE was broadcast on BBC Scotland, as part of their series

NEXT BIG THING, which profiles emerging Scottish filmmakers and was streamed on BBC iPlayer.

In 2019 Alia also co-wrote and produced GLOOP GIRL with director Martin Allison, which premiered at LSFF 2020.

Alia recently completed SCUZZ, her next short as a Writer/Director, which was developed and commissioned by

BFI and Screen Scotland via Scottish Film Talent Network. The film is currently being submitted to festivals.

Alia is a selected Writer/Director for the BFI NETWORK x BAFTA CREW professional development scheme.

SALT & SAUCE

2017

Writer/Director

Working long days in the family chip-shop, Tammy tries to figure out what to do with her life.

BROADCAST:

BBC Scotland/BBC iPlayer
Next Big Thing: Series 1, Episode 2

AWARDS:

Nominated - Best British Short Film, London Critics' Circle Film Awards 2019

Winner - Scottish Short Film Award, Glasgow Short Film Festival 2018
Winner - RTS Scotland Student Awards: Best Sound 2018
Winner - RTS Scotland Student Awards: Best Editing 2018

Winner - Rising Star Award, Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2017

Winner - Best Student Film, Readingfest Studentfest 2017
Nominated - Production Design Award, Underwire Film Festival 2017

OFFICIAL SELECTION:

BFI London Film Festival 2017 / Underwire Film Festival 2017 / Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2017

Kinofilm: Manchester Int' Short Film Festival 2017 / Two Short Nights Film Festival 2017

Dublin Feminist Film Festival 2017 / Readingfest Studentfest 2017 / Graphic Design Festival Scotland: Shorts 2017 London Short Film Festival 2018 / Berlin British Shorts Film Festival 2018 / Glasgow Short Film Festival 2018
Hidden Door Festival 2018 / Firenze FilmCorti Festival 2018 / Edinburgh International Film Festival 2018

Norwich Film Festival 2018 / Leigh Short Film Festival 2018 / Inverness Film Festival 2018

Dunoon Film Festival 2018 / CineSkinny On Tour 2019

Budapest Short Film Festival 2020

Glasgow Short Film Festival: Best of The Decade Showcase 2020

SCUZZ

2020
Writer/Director

On a Saturday night in Glasgow, a bassist pursues a teenage boy through the streets for a stolen guitar, but ends up finding what she really needs - a sincere human connection.

Commissioned by BFI & Screen Scotland via Scottish Film Talent Network.