Photo credit : Catherine Lefebvre

Sarra El Abed

Director | Screenwriter

Sarra El Abed finished her degree in film direction at UQAM in 2018, where she was awarded the best fiction prize for her graduation project. AIN’T NO TIME FOR WOMEN (Y’a pas d’heure pour les femmes) is her fourth film and has won multiple awards in national and international festivals (Clermont Ferrand, RIDM, Slamdance…). In April, she won the award for Best Canadian Short  at the Hot Docs Festival, making her film eligible for the Oscars.

Flirting between fiction and documentary filmmaking, she likes to breathe whimsy into the ordinary and comedy into dramatic situations.

She’s currently working on her first feature film, ADIEU MINETTE

Filmography

Adieu Minette

In development

Feature film – Fiction
Screenwriter and director
Produced by Club Vidéo
*SODEC Emerging Creators Grant
*CALQ Vivacity Grant

La ruée vers l'or

In development

Medium-length TV film – Documentary
Screenwriter and director
Produced by Radio-Canada/Casadel Films

Ain't no time for women (Y’a pas d’heure pour les femmes)

2019

Short film - Documentary
Screenwriter and director
Produced by Club Vidéo and distributed by Travelling
*SODEC's Young Creators Grant

Awards

Best Canadian Short, Hot Docs Films Festival, 2021
IDA Awards - Nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Short
Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival - Official Competition , 2021
Emerging Talent Award Radio-Canada – RIDM, 2020
Honorable Mention of the Jury at the Slamdance Festival, 2021
Jury's Favourite Award – Longue Vue sur Le Court, 2020
Best documentary short – Filministes Festival, 2020
Gala Prends ça court ! - 5 awards, 2021
FESTIVALS
DOK Leipzig – Official Competition – Germany, 2020
RIDM –Emerging Talent Night – Montréal, 2020
Torino Short Film Market Vol.5 – Italy, 2020
DOXA Documentary Film Festival, Canada, 2021
OFF - Odense International Film Festival , Danemark, 2021
Festival Regards - Compétition Officielle, 2021
Canadian Film Fest - Official Competition, 2021
International Film Festival of Ottawa - Official Selection, 2021
Beirut International Women Film Festival - Official Competition, 2021

À Mort

2018

Short film | 14 minutes
Director and screenwriter

Awards

Best fiction award (by Post Moderne) - SLA Location - les Studios Piccolo, 2017

Célébration

2016

Court-métrage - Fiction
Screenwriter and director
Produced by Chantal Production

Awards

FESTIVALS
Rendez-Vous du Cinéma Québécois – Montréal, 2017
Presented at the Phi Center as part of Talent Tout Court – Montréal 2019

Kourtrajmé Marseille

2021

Masterclass on documentary filmmaking and
Workshop on directing

Elbarlament – Women Make Film

2020

Panelist at a conference on women in cinema

Festival de l’âme à l’écran

2020

Member of the pre-selection jury

2015-2018 - École des médias, UQAM | Communication Cinema - Profil Direction
*Best Fiction Film Award from the Media School
2013-2015 - Concordia University | Major in Art History and Film Studies