Sanaa Hamri ( ar, سناء حمري; born November 19, 1977) is a Moroccan-American film, television, and music video director. She has directed music videos for musicians including

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

, Christina Aguilera, and

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

. She is known for her 2010 film '' Just Wright'' and the 2008 movie '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'', as well as for her music video for the Nicki Minaj song "

Super Bass "Super Bass" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj from the deluxe version of her debut studio album, ''Pink Friday'' (2010). It was sent to American rhythmic radio stations as the album's fifth single on April 5, 2011. The song was co-written by Min ...

". Hamri made her directorial debut in 2006 with the romantic comedy '' Something New''. Scholar Shelley Cobb has credited Hamri's work as " fferingalternative representations of black women that productively engage with and even challenge usual stereotypes, even as they use and conform to mainstream cinematic conventions".

Early life

Hamri was born in Tangier, Morocco, to Moroccan Muslim

Mohamed Hamri Mohamed Hamri (August 27, 1932 – August 29, 2000), commonly known as Hamri, was a Moroccan painter and author. Self-described as "The painter of Morocco," Hamri was one of the few Moroccans to participate in the Tangier Beat scene. He was bo ...

and Jewish Moroccan Blanche "Blanca" Hamri. Her father came from the town of

Jajouka Jajouka, Jahejouka or Zahjoukah (In Tifinagh: ⵣⴰⵀⵊⵓⴽⴰ) (جوجوكة or جهجوكة) is a village in the Ahl-Srif mountains in the southern end of the Rif Mountains, Morocco. The mountains are named after the Ahl-Srif tribe who ...

and was a painter and author. Hamri's mother was a teacher. Both of Hamri's parents were part of the creative community in Morocco, which was made up of ex-pats such as Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Timothy Leary, Ted Morgan and Tennessee Williams. In fact, Hamri's mother was the long-time secretary to Joseph A. McPhillips III, the headmaster of the American School of Tangier, who was later in charge of Bowles' estate. Hamri attended the American School of Tangier, where her mother worked. The school was not gender balanced: at one point, Hamri was the only girl on the soccer team and eventually, the sole female student enrolled at her high school. In 1992, Hamri moved to the United States after receiving a scholarship to attend

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

in Bronxville,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In college, she studied theatre arts and pursued acting. Hamri spent her junior year of college in Paris, and in 1996 graduated from

Career

Early career

After college, Hamri moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in order to pursue an acting career. Hamri struggled through auditions and unemployment before she decided to try working in the production side of the business. She taught herself filmmaking skills firsthand, such as how to use an avid editing machine. Hamri then moved from seeking an acting career to making videos and was eventually noticed by cinematographer, Malik Hassan Sayeed. During this time she worked as an editor of music videos at a post-production studio. Sayeed, who also produced videos, was impressed by Hamri's work and showed it to

, who subsequently hired Hamri to direct a music video. Sayeed also gave Hamri her first editing job for a reggae/hip-hop fusion group called Born Jamericans. Hamri then began to take on more work as she became better known.

Music videos

Hamri's videos include but are not limited to Jadakiss's " U Make Me Wanna",

's "

Musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

", Kelly Rowland's " Stole" and

's " Crybaby", " Bringin' On the Heartbreak" and " Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" and Carey's unreleased video for " Last Night a DJ Saved My Life". She has directed videos for Nicki Minaj,

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of Rock music, rock, blues, Soul music, soul, Contemporary R&B, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic, Pop ...

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Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

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Eric Benet The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, Amel Larrieux, Jay-Z, A*Teens, and Christina Aguilera. She also directed the music video for Greyson Chance's "Waiting Outside The Lines". In 2011 Hamri shot a music video for Nicki Minaj's single "

." In the video Minaj is portrayed as a "Black Harajuku Barbie", an element which, according to Nina Cartier, states satirizes white beauty standards.

Film

According to Shelley Cobb, Hamri's films are often overlooked in "both contemporary black cinema and contemporary women's cinema" because they sometimes fall in the "broad chick-flick category". She further opines that Hamri's films challenge the "structural silence imposed on black women. In March 2005, production began on Hamri's first feature, the

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as part of Universal Pictures, a division of its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and foreign films in t ...

film, '' Something New,'' a romantic comedy starring

Sanaa Lathan Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born September 19, 1971) is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows ''In the House'', '' Family Matters'', '' NYPD Bl ...

(''

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

'', '' Alien vs. Predator'') and Simon Baker ('' The Ring Two'', '' L.A. Confidential''). The film was released on January 29, 2006, and produced by

Stephanie Allain Stephanie Allain (born October 30, 1959) is an American producer of independent movies in Hollywood, California. Early life Stephanie Allain was born in New Orleans to an African-American father Dr. Charles Allain, a biochemist, and a white m ...

through her company, Homegrown Pictures, along with the mini-major Gramercy. The film grossed $11,483,669 million and received generally positive reviews. Cobb described the movie as a "feature film about a black woman, written, directed, and produced by a black woman" which she considered "rare". Hamri's second film as director was 2008's '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'', with

America Ferrera America Georgina Ferrera (; born April 18, 1984) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles to Honduran parents, Ferrera developed an interest in acting at a young age, performing in several stage productions at her school. She made her featur ...

Amber Tamblyn Amber Rose Tamblyn (born May 14, 1983) is an American actress and writer. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' as Emily Quartermaine at the age of 11. She followed with a starring role on the ...

, Alexis Bledel and

Blake Lively Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...

, which was released on August 6, 2008. The film grossed $44,352,417 and received generally favorable reviews. She went on to direct '' Just Wright'' with

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

and

, which was released on May 14, 2010. The film grossed $21,570,263 million and received mixed reviews.

Television

Along with directing feature film and music videos, Hamri has directed and produced multiple episodes of television shows ''

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

'', '' Shameless'', ''

Elementary Elementary may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001 * ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007 * ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977 Other uses in arts, entertainment, a ...

'', ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a to ...

'', '' Greys Anatomy'', along with single episodes of '' Men in Trees'' and ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

''. She also directed

's live concert documentary, '' The Adventures of Mimi'', and

's ''The Art of Musicology'' and ''

Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas ''Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas'' is a 2003 direct to video film of Prince in concert at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts. The concert was recorded December 15, 2002, and features several notable cover versions, an unreleased song and ...

''.

Personal life

Hamri is multi-lingual as she speaks English, French, Spanish, and a Moroccan dialect growing up. In 2000, Hamri had a daughter, Laila Hamri Fletcher, whose father is Loyst P. Fletcher, a Los Angeles attorney. On being a non-white woman working in Hollywood, Hamri states: "I don't feel this huge weight on me by any means," continuing that she is "not an international person" and she wants to be a part of movies "that people from all walks of life can enjoy, or get something out of."

Filmography

Films

* 2006: '' Something New'' * 2008: '' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2'' * 2010: '' Just Wright''

Television

''As director unless noted'' * 1998: ''

: Around the World'' (TV Movie) – Editor * 2004: ''

: The Art of Musicology'' (TV Special) * 2007: ''

'' (1 episode: "No Fits, No Fights, No Feuds") * 2007: '' Men in Trees'' (1 episode: "The Indecent Proposal" * 2009: ''Acceptance'' (TV Movie) * 2010: ''

Life Unexpected ''Life Unexpected'' is an American teen drama television series that aired for two seasons from January 18, 2010 to January 18, 2011. It was produced by Best Day Ever Productions and Mojo Films in association with CBS Productions and Warner ...

'' (1 episode: "Honeymoon Interrupted") * 2012: ''Bounce'' (1 episode: "Pilot") * 2012: '' 90210'' (2 episodes: "Bride and Prejudice," "Hate 2 Love") * 2013: ''

'' (2 episodes: "I'm Sorry for You, My Friend," "My Heart Would Know") * 2013: '' Lovestruck: The Musical'' (TV Movie) * 2013: '' Hit the Floor'' (1 episode: "Pilot") * 2013: '' Full Circle'' (1 episode: "Robbie & Celeste") * 2014: ''

'' (1 episode: "New New York") * 2013–2014: ''

'' 4 episodes: ** episode #16: "Details" ** episode #29: "Ancient History" ** episode #31: "The Marchioness" ** episode #44: "No Lack of Void" * 2014: '' Hemlock Grove'' 1 episode: ** episode #18: "Hemlock Diego's Policy Player's Dream Book" * 2014: ''

Rectify ''Rectify'' is an American television drama series exploring the life of a man after he is released from prison after nearly 20 years on death row following a wrongful conviction. It was created by Ray McKinnon and is the first original series f ...

'' (1 episode: "Weird as You") * 2015–2019: ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' ** Executive producer & Co-executive producer: 11 episodes: ** episode #3: "The Devil Quotes Scripture" ** episode #7: "Our Dancing Days" ** episode #20: "My Bad Parts" ** episode #22: "Et Tu, Brute?" ** episode #27: "More Than Kin" ** episode #30: "Past Is Prologue" ** episode #31: "Light in Darkness" ** episode #36: "Chimes at Midnight" ** episode #39: "A Furnace for Your Foe" ** episode #49: "Noble Memory" ** episode #52: "Bleeding War" ** episode #54: "Fortune Be Not Crost" ** episode #57: "Slave to Memory" ** episode #67: "Steal from the Thief" ** episode #75: "Had It From My Father" ** episode #85: "What Is Love" ** episode #90: "Heart of Stone" ** episode #94: "Cold Cold Man" * 2011–2015: '' Shameless'' 4 episodes: ** episode 11: "Daddyz Girl" ** episode 35: "Order Room Service" ** episode 39: "Like Father, Like Daughter" ** episode 50: "I'm the Liver" * 2015: ''Studio City'' (TV Movie) * 2021: '' 9-1-1: Lone Star'' (2 episodes "Friends with Benefits", "Difficult Conversations") * 2021: ''

American Horror Stories ''American Horror Stories'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for FX on Hulu. Premiered on July 15, 2021, the series serves as the third installment in the '' American Story'' media franc ...

'' ("BA'AL")

Music videos

* 1999:

– " Thank God I Found You" * 2000:

feat.

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...

– " CryBaby" * 2000:

– " Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" * 2001:

feat. Mystikal – " Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" * 2001:

– "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" (Unreleased) * 2001:

Case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a firearm cartridge component * Bookcase, a piece of furniture used to store books * Briefcase or attaché case, a narrow box to c ...

– "

Missing You Missing You, Missin' You, or Missing U may refer to: Film and television * ''Missing You'' (2008 film), a Singaporean film * ''Missing You'' (2016 film), a South Korean film * ''Missing U'' (film), a 2013 short animated film by Brooke Wagstaff ...

" * 2001:

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limite ...

– " 8 Days of Christmas" * 2002: Kelly Rowland – " Stole" * 2002:

feat. Mary J. Blige – " Come Close" * 2002: Jay-Z – " Song Cry" * 2002: A*Teens – "

Floorfiller "Floorfiller" is a song by Swedish pop group A-Teens. It was released on 15 July 2002 in the United States as the second single from their third studio album, ''Pop 'til You Drop!'' It was later released on 14 October 2002 in Europe as the first ...

" * 2002:

– "

Nasty Girl Nasty Girl may refer to: *''The Nasty Girl'', a 1990 film directed by Michael Verhoeven * "Nasty Girl" (Vanity 6 song), 1982 written by Prince, later re-released by Inaya Day * "Nasty Girl" (Destiny's Child song), 2002 * "Nasty Girl" (Nitty song) ...

" * 2002: Solange Knowles feat. N.O.R.E. – " Feelin' You (Part II)" * 2002: India.Arie – " Little Things" * 2003:

– " Bringin' On the Heartbreak" * 2003:

– "Prince Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas" * 2003: Seal – " Love's Divine" * 2004: Jadakiss feat.

– " U Make Me Wanna" * 2004: Jadakiss feat. Anthony Hamilton – " Why" * 2004:

– "

" * 2004:

– " Call My Name" * 2004:

– " Backflip * 2004: Amel Larrieux – "For Real" * 2004: Mary J. Blige – "

It's a Wrap "It's a Wrap" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her twelfth studio album ''Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'' (2009). It is a doo wop-inflected R&B breakup song with minimal instrumentation and features lyric ...

" * 2005: The Notorious B.I.G. feat. P. Diddy,

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal R ...

, Jagged Edge & Avery Storm – "

" * 2006:

– "

Black Sweat "Black Sweat" is a song by Prince that was released as the second single from his 2006 album ''3121''. The music video to accompany the single was released on February 2, 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best R&B Song ...

" * 2006:

– " Fury" * 2006: Cham feat.

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Colu ...

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles ...

– "

Ghetto Story ''Ghetto Story'' is the first album released on a major label by the Jamaican dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the ro ...

" * 2007:

Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by the stage name Musiq Soulchild or simply Musiq (pronounced "music") is an American singer and songwriter whose style blends R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and gospel influences fused w ...

– " B.U.D.D.Y." * 2007:

feat.

– " Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now" * 2007:

– "The Adventures of Mimi" * 2008:

– "

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

" * 2010: Greyson Chance – "

Waiting Outside the Lines "Waiting Outside the Lines" is the debut single of American pop rock singer Greyson Chance. The song was written by Aaron Michael Cox and produced by Da Internz and Ron Fair. It was released exclusively to iTunes on October 26, 2010. The CD sin ...

" * 2011: Greyson Chance – " Unfriend You" * 2011: Nicki Minaj – "

" * 2011: Nicki Minaj feat.

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

– " Fly" * 2011:

feat.

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

– " All I Want For Christmas Is You" * 2011: Porcelain Black feat.

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

– "

This Is What Rock n' Roll Looks Like "This Is What Rock n' Roll Looks Like" is the debut single of American industrial singer-songwriter Porcelain Black, featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. This song serves as the lead single from the singer's debut studio album, ''Mannequin Factor ...

" * 2011:

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, '' Lupe Fiasco's ...

feat.

Skylar Grey Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Mus ...

– " Words I Never Said"

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamri, Sanaa 1977 births Living people People from Tangier American film directors American music video directors Moroccan emigrants to the United States American people of Russian-Jewish descent American television directors American women film directors Female music video directors American women television directors Sarah Lawrence College alumni American people of Moroccan descent 21st-century American women