A Blackburn-born filmmaker has been nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Short Film.
Sufiyaan Salam, alongside co-writer and director Luis Hindman, started developing their project MAGID / ZAFAR in early 2023, unsure if they would ever receive funding.
They were eventually selected for Film4 and BFI’s FutureTakes scheme and shot the film in December that year.
They spent most of 2024 editing the project, which was later premiered at the opening night of the London Film Festival in 2025.
It has since screened internationally from New York to Sydney, and has already picked up the Best British Short Film gong from the British Independent Film Awards.
They'll be hoping to repeat the feat at the 79th BAFTAs ceremony February 22 in London.
Sufiyaan said on the nomination: "I'm feeling very grateful!”
He and writing partner Luis have worked together for years, beginning with music videos before deciding to move into narrative work.
MAGID / ZAFAR follows two British Asian men, who were once childhood friends, confronting each other over their diverging futures inside the heat and pressure of a Pakistani restaurant.
The cast includes Eben Figueiredo as Magid, Gurjeet Singh as Zafar, Ravin J Ganatra as Mamoo Tauqeer, and Kulvinder Ghir as Bilal.
The idea for the character Magid came early from their interest in exploring a British Asian 'bad boy' performance of hyper-masculinity, and slowly stripping it back to reveal the truth behind the bravado.
They were also reacting to an under-representation of British Asian spaces in cinema.
Sufiyaan wanted to show a British Pakistani setting with the same beauty and intensity seen in films like Uncut Gems and Chungking Express.
READ MORE: 'It’s still sinking in': Sufiyaan wins Stormzy's #Merky Books prize
Speaking on his nomination, Sufiyaan shared the uncertainties of gaining recognition for developing short films.
He said: “A lot of work gets put into these things, over so many years, by a lot of people, and there’s no real guarantee that a short film will ever find its audience or get any recognition.
"So, to be nominated in a category that has included incredible filmmakers like David Yates, Lynne Ramsey, and Myriam Raja is insane!”
A win would follow the BIFA success, when Sufiyaan became just the second British Pakistani to receive the award, following Riz Ahmed’s win for The Long Goodbye in 2020.
Although the film was shot in London, the inspiration came from the takeaways and restaurants he grew up around in Lancashire.
He spoke warmly about spots across Blackburn and about family visits to Wilmslow Road, Manchester, also known as 'Curry Mile'.
One of his earliest memories is spending time in Kebabish, where he remembers the fire shooting up from the grills and the lively atmosphere inside.
Reflecting on his journey, Sufiyaan added: “It’s a bit of a cliche to say, but when you grow up in Blackburn, in a working-class family, during times of austerity and reduction in arts funding, it’s very difficult to see any way into the film industry.
"But what Blackburn did give me is real stories, and a proper sense of community.”
The film is up against Terence, Welcome Home Freckles, This Is Endometriosis, and Nostalgie for the Best British Short Film prize.
His creative work is continuing to grow, with his debut novel, WIMMY ROAD BOYZ, to be published by Penguin Random House in May 2026 after winning Stormzy’s Merky Books New Writers Prize.
He said the book is inspired by Wilmslow Road and follows three young British Muslim men on a chaotic night out on the Curry Mile.
He describes it as a fast-paced story about friendship, heartbreak, and the experience of growing up Muslim in Britain today, while still being funny and full of energy.
He added that with both MAGID / ZAFAR and WIMMY ROAD BOYZ he is not trying to make work that is defined only by being Asian or Muslim, but work that stands on its own while embracing those parts of himself.
He said, “Qawallis and rap battles and doing laps on Wilmslow Road are all British culture now.
"I am just trying to show it off.”
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