Sameer Puri

Sameer Puri, born in Mumbai (India) on 8 April 1977, is a writer, director and photographer based in London, UK. He belongs to a business family and was raised in Mumbai until the age of seven, when the family immigrated to The Hague, Netherlands due to his father's profession. In 1997, at the age of just twenty, Sameer set up a fashion brand called Irene Mascar, named partially after his mother's maiden name. Though successfully introduced into German and Austrian retail outlets, the parent company, Aarisspi, lost much of its profits to bad debts and the failings of the European fashion industry led to the end of a potentially high worth label. In 1998, Sameer established DigitalCo Creative Republic, an art and design lab in The Hague and acquired clients such as Dutch television giant Veronica and in 2001, he moved to London to pursue his writing and photography ambitions. In late 2003, Sameer opted in favour of realising his childhood aspirations, and decided to move into film making. Teaching himself cinematography, scripting, and film production - on 15 September 2004 he announced the start date of principle photography for his debut film, Delhi Boom! What followed was an extensive year of pre-production and on 14 October 2005, Delhi Boom!'s first shot was accomplished. The shoot would last 24 days, including a small reshoot in March 2006, and the master edit was completed on 16 November 2006. Presently undergoing a 35mm blow up, Delhi Boom! was picked up by an Italian distributor and had its first market screening at the Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2007. Involved extensively on his next (untitled) feature film, the writer/director has stated that he endeavors to avoid dark and depressing films and will strive to motivate people towards happiness. His next film will be one such project emphasising that no one is beyond redemption, and when facing the odds, success is found in strength and determination. A traveler and lover of archeology, history, and ruins - these aspects have always dominated the subject matter of his photography portfolio.