Hasnain Ali
Born and raised in Queens, New York, Hasnain is a Muslim-American actor, producer and writer from Pakistani origins. He recalls his first ever acting gig as the star of his elementary school play as Christopher Columbus. Unfortunately, his shyness led to a voiceover doing his lines over the scenes.
Many years later, Hasnain has found his voice and is sharing it loudly. He’s landed over 30 roles spanning from short independent films to feature films. Hasnain is also a collaborator and loves working with talented people in the film community. Hasnain’s acting coach Blair Baker has been a huge impact on his acting career and furthered his skills.
Through his love of acting, Hasnain has found a passion in the art of script writing which led him to write and act in his very own production Routine. This accomplishment helped build confidence in his writing and encouraged him to produce and star in his second film, Qalb. All of this eventually led to Hasnain’s most recent work, First Stop, written by his acting coach Blair, which premiered at the Soho International Film Festival, and was accepted to over 12 festivals worldwide and eventually winning best edit and best script.
Hasnain continues to push himself within filmmaking, reminding everyone that he is an actor above anything else. He currently is collaborating with other filmmakers where he is aiming to deliver a powerful performance and connecting with his audience on a personal and emotional level.
Lastly, he is currently writing a short film which is shedding light onto intimate, unique and taboo situations for the world to see.
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“There’s no ‘making it’ in the industry. That’s the first thing I learned when I first started. There’s no such thing as ‘you made it’
— there is simply just hard work, and you just keep doing it.” - Hasnain Ali
Ali’s mission statement emphasizes “authentic cultural representation”, which he says is important in Hollywood. In Hollywood, South Asians are often depicted on screen in stereotypical or even offensive manners — this can occur on any scale from Raj on The Big Bang Theory to Apu on The Simpsons.
Ali’s produced work makes a point in addressing taboo subjects, specifically in his short film Qalb where a white Christian woman and her Pakistani-American boyfriend struggle to bridge the gaps in their religious beliefs and social norms.
“It has to start now, because the thing is, right now is the time for our stories to be pushed forward" - Hasnain Ali
“While working on a very ambitious project, having Hasnain in one of the major roles was one of our best choices. He was professional and always very prepared. He crafted his character perfectly and he is very versatile. He would be an immediate asset as both an actor and person on set!”
- SEAN STOLZENTHALER (Co-Star)
“I worked with Hasnain on his short film and for his self tape, and he is a dream to work with. On the short film he was excited, passionate, professional and a person I could trust. He had a great attitude and was super nice to everyone. Also during his self tape he brings so much confidence, knows his stuff, always willing to play and ready to go! It was a pleasure to work with him and he is just a great guy to know and be around!”
- CHRISTINA JOLIE BREZA (Co-Star)
“Hasnain Ali was a pleasure to work with. His dedication to a role and enjoyment for acting shine brightly on set. Looking forward to seeing his body of work grow and to collaborate again in the future!”
- JOE SCHUFREIDER (Director)