Director's Works
Layla Amrou Al-Kadhi
A true muti-hyphenate, Amrou Al-Kadhi has now added director to his extensive skillset of actor, author, screenwriter, journalist, and celebrated drag-artist.
Amrou’s debut feature 'Layla' was distributed in the UK by Curzon Films in 2024, and they were long-listed for best debut director at the BIFAs. 'Layla' (Film4, BFI, Fox Cub Films, Significant Pictures) opened Sundance Film Festival in early 2024, and played as part the London Film Festival. It was described by Attitude Magazine as “A love letter to drag queens…joyous to watch”****
Amrou has also written and directed four short films which have screened at BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying festivals globally: Anemone (BBC Films & Film London), Run(a)way Arab, (Peccadillo Pictures & Revry), Victoria Sin, (NOWNESS, Revry), and CLASH (BBC4 Broadcast, BFI, PBS, Revry).
As a writer and performer, Amrou has several TV shows in development, including the adaption of their book, 'Life as a Unicorn', in development with Universal Studios in the US. They are also the writer and creator of 'Terms & Conditions', a daring 30-minute drama about polyamorous relationships and murder with South of the River Pictures, Olivia Coleman and Ed Sinclair’s production company. Amrou has also written for established TV shows including 'Hollyoaks', the BAFTA-nominated 'Little America' for Apple TV (The Hollywood Reporter calling their episode "one of the best 10 episodes of television in 2020”), and 'The Watch' (BBC America), and has recently worked with established writers including Russell T Davies and Emerald Fennell.
Amrou is an established drag performer in the UK and US - their debut drag solo show, Glamrou: From Quran to Queen, has toured Vault Festival, the Soho Theatre, and has just finished a US tour. It has performed a number of sold out runs, and received a glowing 4* review from The Guardian. They will be performing a new show at Soho Theatre from 20th – 25th January 2024.
Their debut book, a memoir about queer intersectionality with 4th Estate (Harper Collins) - 'Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride, and Everything In Between' is the winner of a Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors and won the 2020 Polari First Book Prize. As a freelance writer for various publications, they write a quarterly column for Attitude Magazine, and contribute regularly to The Guardian, I-D, Dazed, Gay Times and Independent Voices.
Professional acting credits include American Horror Stories S3 (Ryan Murphy, FX), Alan Partridge (BBC), Back to Black (Focus Features), Until I Kill You (ITV), Mr Loverman (BBC Drama), Venom 2 (Marvel), Carnival Row (Amazon Studios), Christopher Robin (Disney), The Souvenir 2 (Joanna Hogg), Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (BBC Films).
