Hanan Kattan

Hanan Kattan
Born	Hanan Fuad Tewfic Kattan (1962-05-12) May 12, 1962 (age 62)
Occupation	Film producer
Spouse	Shamim Sarif
Children	2

Hanan Fuad Tewfic Kattan (born 22 May 1962) is a Jordanian-born, British-based film producer of Palestinian^[1] origin. She is also co-owner of multi-media entertainment company Enlightenment Productions.

Kattan created Enlightenment Productions^[2] in partnership with filmmaker/author Shamim Sarif.^[3]

Enlightenment Productions were Winner of the Kingston Business Excellence Awards 2014, Best Creative and Media Sector Business.^[4]

Early life

Kattan was born in Jordan to a Palestinian Christian family,^[5] her mother from Jerusalem and her father from Bethlehem.^[6]

Career

Hanan is a multi-award-winning producer. She recently completed her fifth feature, Polarized, shot in Manitoba. Her last feature release, Despite the Falling Snow, is the recipient of 13 awards and stars Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) and Charles Dance. She is currently developing a slate of movie and series projects focused on female protagonists and filmmakers, including The Athena Protocol series alongside Village Roadshow and Gran Via Productions.

Kattan has produced three feature films through Enlightenment Productions including 1950s South African drama/love story The World Unseen and Hanan's first feature film contemporary urban romantic comedy I Can't Think Straight^[7] debuted at Palm Springs Festival and won 11 awards. The World Unseen had its debut at Toronto Film Festival before going on to garner 23 awards internationally. Her 2011 feature documentary and directorial debut, The House of Tomorrow, was inspired by the TEDx HolyLand conference that Hanan co-curated in Jerusalem.

Hanan is a member of BAFTA and Women in Film. She was selected for the TIFF Producers Lab and has spoken on panels at conferences such as DLD Women as well as at BAFTA and the BFI. She has also raised money for causes including the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

Hanan is a voting member of BAFTA and a member of the CMPA (Canadian Media Producers Association).

Despite the Falling Snow:

At Cannes Festival^[8] 2013, Shamim Sarif and Hanan announced their new film Despite the Falling Snow.^[9] The film starring Mission Impossible 5 Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson,^{[10][11][12][13]} Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Antje Traue, Sam Reid, Anthony Head and Trudie Styler, which was released in 2015.

The film has won 13 awards to date, 3 at the Prague International Film Festival^[14] 3 more at the Milan International Film Festival^[15] and others at Los Angeles,^[16] Manchester,^[17] Sedona,^[18] Buffalo,^[19] Soho and Orlando^[20] Film Festivals.

Kattan published her first book Grow Your Profits^[21] about online marketing in 2012 through Enlightenment Productions.

In 2013, Kattan won Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Kingston Business Awards.^[22]

In 2016, Kattan opened her Palestinian restaurant Tabun Kitchen in Soho, London.^[23]

Filmography

• I Can't Think Straight (2008)
• The World Unseen (2008)
• The House of Tomorrow (2011)
• Despite the Falling Snow (2015)
• Polarized (2023)

Personal life

After nearly 20 years, Kattan married the writer and director Shamim Sarif in 2015.^[24] They live in Wimbledon with their two sons.^[25]

References

^{[26] [27] [28] [29]}

1. Nelham-Clark, Harriet (25 April 2016). "Shamim Sarif: not just another British, Indian, Muslim, lesbian film director". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
2. Fuchs, Ellise (12 August 2011). "It's the Film at Work: Interview with Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan". Popmatters. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
3. Rachel Beebe, "Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan. (Q+A)", Curve, 1 May 2009.
4. "2014 WINNERS". Kingston Business Excellence Awards 2014. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
5. Holmes, Ellie (5 May 2023). "Shamim Sarif: From Wimbledon to Hollywood". Time & Leisure. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
6. "Work It Out: Hanan Kattan". Harper's Bazaar. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
7. Scott, Rachel (2 April 2009). "Having a gay old time". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
8. "Kurylenko, Furtwangler fall for Snow". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
9. Despite the Falling Snow (2016) - News - IMDb, retrieved 22 November 2023
10. Hopewell, John (24 April 2015). "6 Sales Takes Rebecca Ferguson-Starrer 'Snow' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
11. "Rebecca Ferguson". Variety. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
12. "Rebecca Ferguson describes her big leap into 'Mission: Impossible'". The Mercury News. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
13. Eisenberg, Eric (9 July 2014). "Mission: Impossible 5 Has Found Its New Female Lead". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
14. PIFF. "PIFF 2016 Winners | PIFF 2017". www.prague-film-festival.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
15. "Cinema | Miff Awards". www.miffawards.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
16. "LAWOMENSFEST: Despite the Falling Snow Opening Night Gala". despitethefallingsnow.brownpapertickets.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
17. "MANIFF 2016". Manchester Film Festival. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
18. "Sedona Film Festival - 2016 Festival Award-Winners". www.sedonafilmfestival.org. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
19. "2016 BNFF Award Winners – Buffalo Niagara Film Festival". thebnff.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
20. "Orlando Film Festival – The Orlando Film Festival". orlandofilmfest.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
21. "Grow Your Profits". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
22. "EBS Digital founder Hanan Kattan wins Entrepreneur of the Year | Press Release Online UK". Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
23. "Tabun Kitchen". Time Out London. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
24. "Shamim Sarif - We just got married! Nearly 20 years later,... | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
25. "Hanan Kattan on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
26. "Producers Lab Toronto unveils 2015 line-up". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
27. 6TH PRODUCERS LAB TORONTO JUST KICKED OFF^{[permanent dead link‍]}
28. "Captain Marvel: Rebecca Ferguson Rumored To Be Top Contender". Screen Rant. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
29. Levine, Sydney. "Producers Lab Toronto a Success at TIFF 2015 - IndieWire". Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2016.

External links

• Hanan Kattan at IMDb