Arab Americans

Sanaa Hamri

Sanaa Hamri (Arabic: سناء حمري‎‎; born November 19, 1977) is a Moroccan American film director, music video director, television director, and television producer. She came to prominence as a music video editor and director.

Hamri was born in Tangier, Morocco, to Moroccan Muslim father, painter and author Mohammed Hamri, who came from the town of Jajouka, and a Jewish American mother of Russian descent who was a teacher, Blanche “Blanca” Hamri. Hamri’s parents were part of the creative community in Morocco made up of ex-pats like Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Timothy Leary, Ted Morgan and Tennessee Williams. Her mother was the long-time secretary to Joseph A. McPhillips III, the headmaster of American School of Tangier, and later in charge of Bowles’ estate.

Hamri attended the American School of Tangier, where her mother worked. The school was not gender balanced, and at one point, Hamri was the sole female student at her high school and was the only girl on the soccer team. Hamri won a scholarship in 1992 to attend Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. In college she studied theatre arts. Hamri spent her junior year of college in Paris, and in 1996 graduated from Sarah Lawrence College.

After college, Hamri moved to New York City. With dreams of becoming an actress, Hamri struggled through auditions and unemployment before she decided to try working in the production side of the business. Hamri taught herself to use an Avid editing machine in 2000 by reading the user manual. She has never taken a filmmaking course, is self-taught. Realizing she had a talent for putting images together in order to tell a story, Hamri began making videos. She worked as an editor of music videos for a time with the mentorship and guidance of her boss at the post-production studio where she worked, Malik Hassan Sayeed.

Sayeed, a cinematographer and video producer, was impressed by her work, and showed it to Mariah Carey, who subsequently hired Hamri to direct her video. Sayeed also gave Hamri her first editing job for a reggae – hip hop fusion group called Born Jamericans.

Her videos include but are not limited to Jadakiss’s “U Make Me Wanna”, Prince’s “Musicology”, Kelly Rowland’s “Stole” and Mariah Carey’s “Crybaby”, Bringing On The Heartbreak, “Don’t Stop (Funkin’ 4 Jamaica)”, and Mariah Carey’s unreleased video for “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life”. She has also directed videos for Nicki Minaj, Lenny Kravitz, Joss Stone, Sting, Common, Raven-Symoné, Eric Benet, Amel Larrieux, Jay-Z, A*Teens, and Christina Aguilera. She also directed the music video for Greyson Chance’s “Waiting Outside The Lines”.

The directed-video “Super Bass” for Nicki Minaj has more than 600 million views on YouTube.com, making it the most popular video directed by Sanaa Hamri.

In March 2005, production began on Hamri’s first feature, the Focus Features film, Something New, a romantic comedy starring Sanaa Lathan (Brown Sugar, Alien vs. Predator) and Simon Baker (The Ring Two, L.A. Confidential). The film was released on January 29, 2006. Stephanie Allain produced the film through her company, Homegrown Pictures. The film grossed $11,483,669 million and received generally positive reviews.

Hamri’s second film as director was 2008’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, with America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively, which was released on August 6, 2008. The film grossed $44,352,417 and received generally favorable reviews.

In 2010, Hamri directed Just Wright with Queen Latifah and Common, which was released on May 14, 2010. The film grossed $21,570,263 million and received mixed reviews.

Along with directing feature film and music videos, Hamri also directs television. Hamri has directed multiple episodes of Nashville, Shameless, Elementary, Desperate Housewives, Greys Anatomy, and Men in Trees. Mariah Carey’s live concert documentary, The Adventures of Mimi, and Prince’s The Art of Musicology and Price Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas were directed by Hamri.

Sanaa is currently directing and producing episodes of Empire.

Hamri is multi-lingual as she spoke 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.

Filmography

Films

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

Television

As director unless noted

• 1998: Mariah Carey: Around the World (TV Movie) – Editor
• 2004: Prince: The Art of Musicology (TV Special)
• 2007: Desperate Housewives (1 episode: “No Fits, No Fights, No Feuds”)
• 2007: Men in Trees (1 episode: “The Indecent Proposal”
• 2009: Acceptance (TV Movie)
• 2010: Life Unexpected (1 episode: “Honeymoon Interrupted”)
• 2012: Bounce (1 episode: “Pilot”)
• 2012: 90210 (2 episodes: “Bride and Prejudice,” “Hate 2 Love”)
• 2013: Nashville (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: Glee (1 episode: “New New York”)
• 2013-2014: Elementary (4 episodes: “Details,” “Ancient History,” “The Marchioness,” “No Lack of Void”)
• 2014: Hemlock Grove (1 episode: “Hemlock Diego’s Policy Player’s Dream Book”)
• 2014: Rectify (1 episode: “Weird as You”)
• 2015–present: Empire – Executive producer & Co-executive producer: 11 episodes; (4 episodes as director: “The Devil Quotes Scripture,” “Our Dancing Days,” “My Bad Parts,” “Episode #2.10”)
• 2011-2015: Shameless (4 episodes: “Daddyz Girl,” “Order Room Service,” “Like Father, Like Daughter,” “I’m the Liver”)
• 2015: Studio City (TV Movie)

Music videos