Sanaa Hamri is a renowned film, television, music video and commercial director from Tangier, Morocco. She is currently Executive Producer/Director of the blockbuster series “Empire” on Fox Broadcasting, overseeing all aesthetic aspects of the show including episodic directors, production design, music, art direction and hair/wardrobe. She has also inked an overall deal with 20th Television for her production company Medina Film to develop and produce television series for broadcast, streaming and cable networks.
Hamri began her career as an editor under the mentorship of Malik Sayeed and within a few years, she began directing music videos. As an acclaimed music video director, Hamri’s prolific career boasts collaborations with high profile hip hop/R&B musicians including Prince, Common, Lenny Kravitz, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, and Mary J. Blige. Her work has been celebrated by award nominations and wins for some of the industry’s highest honors, including an NAACP Image Award for India. Arie’s 2003 “Little Things,” as well as an MTV VMA for Nicki Minaj’s 2010 blockbuster hit “Super Bass,” which generated an online viewership of over 400,000 million worldwide hits. Hamri also directed Mariah Carey’s sold-out live arena concert documentary, “The Adventures of Mimi,” which she shot in high definition using 14 cameras.
Now, Executive Producer on the hit Fox drama “Empire,” Hamri’s past episodic work includes: directorial credits on some of TV’s most-watched programming: “Shameless” (on Showtime), “Rectify,” “Nashville,” “Elementary,” “Glee,” and “Desperate Housewives.” She also shot the pilot for VH1’s successful series “Hit the Floor,” which is currently in its fourth season.
Hamri made her feature directorial debut in 2006 with the Focus Features romantic comedy “Something New.” She has since directed the sequel to the Warner Bros’ hit “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” as well as the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy “Just Wright,” starring Queen Latifa, Common and Paula Patton, released in Summer 2010.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Hamri resides in Los Angeles.
https://www.instagram.com/sanaahamri/
