Shariffa Ali

Shariffa Chelimo Ali is an award winning director of Film, VR & Theatre committed to working with an open-heart at the intersection of the performing arts and humanitarianism. Originally from Kenya and raised in South Africa, Shariffa has been a New York resident since 2013. Shariffa's works have been featured at acclaimed film/VR festivals & institutions worldwide including Sundance Film Festival (USA); Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art (South Africa); Brooklyn Film Festival (USA); Pan African Film Festival (USA); Electric Africa VR festival (South Africa) and DOK Neuland (Germany). As a theatre artist and academic Shariffa has directed taught at NYU, Brooklyn College, Yale University and Princeton University where she is a faculty member in the Theatre Program. Past theatre productions include Eclipsed, Detroit '67, Intimate Apparel, We Are Proud to Present...and an original new musical We Were Everywhere. Shariffa's Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre credits include Mies Julie (Classic Stage Company) School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (Pittsburgh Public Theatre), The Copper Children, (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and Mlima's Tale (St Louis Rep). Shariffa served as Assistant Director to her mentor Cynthia Nixon for plays Rasheeda Speaking, Steve (The New Group) and Motherstruck! (Culture Project). Shariffa was the executive consultant to Ms. Nixon's during her TV directorial debut in episode 106 of HBO Max's And Just Like That, the sequel to the hit series Sex and the City.