Sarah Agha is a trailblazing force. From pursuing her professional journey within the film and television industry to branching out to crafting and penning down some immensely impactful articles and interviews as a journalist for esteemed publications like The New Arab, Middle East Eye, Backstage Magazine and GQ Middle East, Agha has shown her versatile potential as an actress, writer, presenter, voice-over artist, and film curator.

Being someone who hails from a Palestinian and Irish heritage, Agha also recently established "The Arab Film Club"; a community-led platform curated by Agha to showcase exceptional cinema from the Arab world.

The platform was founded during lockdown and has grown from lively online discussion groups to packed in-person screenings and industry Q&As.

While successfully hosting 'The Arab Film Club', Agha also sold out events at the Southbank Centre, Glasgow Film Theatre, The Garden Cinema and The Prince Charles in Leicester Square and more. 

Some of the highlighted and featured screenings included features and shorts from Algeria, Egypt, the Golan Heights, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Tunisia.

She could also be witnessed presenting the critically acclaimed BBC documentary ‘The Holy Land And Us: Our Untold Stories’ with Rob Rinder; while recently establishing her own podcast revolving around the untold stories from the Arab community. 
Alongside her prestigious accolades, Agha was also awarded a BAFTA Connect membership for her massive contribution to the industry so far.

We recently had an insightful chat with the wonderful Sarah Agha about her professional journey as we discuss some significant insights and delve more into her recently launched 'The Arab Film Club Podcast'. 

Hi there Sarah. Thank you for joining us on ReVamp. We're so excited to have you! How has this year been like for you so far?

Thanks so much for having me! Up and down to be honest. Work wise - everything has been really busy, promising and positive - I’m lucky to have had so many exciting projects and roles to dive into. But the last 9 months, as a Palestinian, have been extremely difficult to witness. I have found many days challenging in different ways so I’m grateful to have so much work to focus on. It has kept me sane and gives me the energy to keep on moving!

Beginning our conversation, I would love for you to take me back to those initial days when you decided this creative endeavour was something that you wanted to pursue professionally.

I was 11 when I realised I wanted to pursue acting professionally. I played The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz and it was such a fun, exhilarating experience, I thought - this is what I want to do with my life. The hardest bit was convincing my parents! When I was 18, I wanted to go to drama school but my parents were adamant I should get a degree first to “fall back on”. I was always interested in religion and philosophy so I decided to study Theology but I was very active in the theatre, TV and comedy societies on campus. My conviction to pursue a career in the arts only intensified at university - I knew as soon as I graduated I had to give it my best shot. I’ve never once looked back or regretted the risky choice to become an actor - and thankfully now my parents are really supportive and proud.

Talk to me more about the 'Arab Film Club'. How did this idea initially emerge and are you currently enjoying the reception that you have been garnering on your cinematic events and podcast so far?

The Arab Film Club grew out of an online Arab play reading club I started in 2020 during lockdown. Every month we would read a new play online written by an Arab writer, starting with a theatre adaptation of an exceptional Palestinian novel called Returning to Haifa. The idea came to me to organise these sessions because I was exasperated by the stereotypical portrayals of Arabs on screen. I was almost only being seen for Syrian refugee roles, often in scripts not written by Arabs and full of cultural inaccuracies. I wanted to see what writers from the region were saying about our people and our history. It was inspiring and educational. Now that lockdown is a distant memory, we no longer run the readings, but The Arab Film Club lived on and has been thriving ever since with regular sold-out screenings in London. The podcast is my latest venture and it has been bolstering to see it has reached all pockets of the world.

A lot of people find societal pressure as a significant obstacle while trying to discuss things. Especially when it's something as significant as raising awareness about the repressed voices of underrepresented groups.

So, pertaining to that, did you personally face any challenges while trying to pursue such an intricate production, especially during extremely challenging times like these?

As a Palestinian, there will always be obstacles. In many ways, we are up against it. But in order to complete projects, I strive to search for positives. I have been inspired to see so many talented Palestinian filmmakers putting Palestine on the map through exceptional cinema, and it is important to showcase this especially at such a critical time in Palestine’s history. If people are keen to learn more through art, heritage and culture, I am proud to provide a platform to explore and champion that. I am passionate about cinema because films can not only entertain an audience but also educate, inspire and raise awareness.

Whilst the first series of the Arab Film Club Podcast was dedicated to Palestinian cinema, we have also explored many films from other Arabic speaking countries. Some naturally have been political but others have been hilarious comedies or touching stories of love - universal, human themes that the whole world can relate to.

You have had such sensational guests, filmmakers and speakers from around the world; showcasing some impeccable screenings, hosting sold-out events at the Southbank Centre, Glasgow Film Theatre, The Garden Cinema and the Prince Charles in Leicester Square alongside also being honoured with a BAFTA Connect Membership for your impactful contribution in the industry.

First of all, huge congratulations on such phenomenal achievements! In terms of these massive accolades, I'm very curious to know what according to you has been the most memorable moment of your professional journey? Anything in particular that stands out for you?

Thank you. That’s a good question! In terms of achievements in my own career, performing at the Royal Shakespeare Company was such a joy and thrill for me! I loved every second of stepping on that stage each night for 6 months and learnt so much about how to be a better actor. Another memorable moment was presenting the documentary The Holy Land And Us on the BBC. This was a challenging and testing
experience in many ways, evoking a lot of emotions and pain because it was about the 1948 Nakba - a period of history which has purposefully been buried from much of the public. But I felt this documentary was the start of a braver, wider conversation in the UK about Palestine, and we have a duty now to try to continue it.

Being a journalist who has not only curated outstanding work of art from the Arab community to be showcased at global events but also written and crafted many pieces shining a light on the Palestinians as well as other marginalised communities of the world, how do you think everyone who isn't hailing from a journalistic profession should go upon trying to actively contribute for such communities?

We all have different skills we can use to raise awareness about causes close to our heart. For example, a dear friend of mine from Gaza is an exceptionally talented painter. She is a great advocate and voice for her people without needing to say a word - her beautiful and powerful paintings speak for themselves. So whatever your talent is - use it as your tool of advocacy and change. I always think back to Darin J. Sallam’s advice in Episode 1 of our podcast. She said whether it’s in law, medicine or art, “if we succeed as Palestinians around the world, we can raise awareness around the world”. And I think that goes for all people from marginalised communities - whoever you are - raise your voice through what you love to do and what you excel at. That’s how you change perceptions and potentially change the future.

If given an opportunity, is there anyone else on your radar that you would absolutely love to collaborate and have a conversation with?

Nadine Labaki. She’s an extraordinary auteur filmmaker from Lebanon. The first ever session of The Arab Film Club was about her production Hala La Wein? (Where Do We Go Now?) and her previous title Caramel is one of my all time favourite films - it’s stunning, nostalgic and deeply moving. She is an inspiration to me, not only because she is a clever writer and brilliant actress, but because she also directs and produces her own work - superwoman! I don’t know how she does it... but I’d love to know!

You recently premiered the final episode of the first installment of your podcast; marking the end of a beautiful chapter. Talk to me more about this last chapter as well as what was your overall reception like from the supporters on this final episode alongside all of the episodes of this phenomenal endeavour?

The final episode was an interview with BAFTA Award winning and Oscar nominated director Farah Nabulsi. I was really eager to interview her because I remember when she won the BAFTA for her short film The Present. It caused such a stir of pride and excitement in our Arab Film Club community. In the podcast we discussed her debut narrative feature ‘The Teacher’, which stars the actor Saleh Bakri (another film club favourite) and is currently touring cinemas around the world. The other films highlighted were ‘Farha’ by Darin J. Sallam (available to watch on Netflix), ‘Bye Bye Tiberias’ by Lina Soualem (also touring cinemas), '200 Metres’ by Ameen Nayfeh (available on Netflix) and ‘Wajib’ by Annemarie Jacir (on Amazon, Apple TV and the BFI Player). The positive feedback and download statistics have been really encouraging - it’s given me a drive to present and curate more series in the future!

What's next for you, Sarah? I know Series One of this wonderful podcast revolves around Palestinian Cinema, but what can your supporters expect from you and your professional projects in the forthcoming years?

You can catch me in an exciting new period drama later this year on Paramount / Channel 5 called ‘The Hardacres’. I play series regular Betsy Temple in this rags to riches story set in Yorkshire in the 1880s. I can also be seen as Fatima in the BFI / Film 4 feature ‘Layla’ which hits UK cinemas this September.

Over the next few years I hope to do more writing, more acting, more presenting and more Arab Film Clubs!