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British-Lebanese writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nasri Atallah (born 12 November 1982)[1] is a British-Lebanese author, award-winning producer, television host[2] and media entrepreneur. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of Esquire Middle East, one of the co-founders of Last Floor Productions and a former contributing writer at GQ Middle East.
Nasri Atallah | |
|---|---|
Atallah in 2013 | |
| Born | Nasri Atallah 12 November 1982 London, England |
| Nationality | British and Lebanese |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Editor-in-Chief, Esquire Middle East Writer Producer |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse | |
| Website | nasriatallah |
Nasri Atallah was born and grew up in London, United Kingdom, where he attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle. His parents, Samir Atallah and May Francis, are both British-Lebanese and were living in London at the time. His father, Samir Atallah, is a prominent Arab author, journalist and thinker, and the winner of many awards for his decades of contribution to Arab literature.[3][4]
Atallah moved to Beirut for the first time in 1997, finished school and read politics at the American University of Beirut.[5] He holds a Masters in International politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies,[6] where he completed a dissertation on the Deterritorialization of Identity Through Transnational Media.
Atallah started is career at the United Nations Development Programme, then moved into energy research, later joining a wealth management firm[7] before moving into advertising, content and production in 2009.
During a brief stint at J. Walter Thompson as a conceptual copywriter, Atallah wrote a blog entitled Our Man in Beirut which earned him notoriety amongst the Lebanese community both in Lebanon and abroad.[8][7] His essays unpacking the difficulties of navigating Lebanese culture while having grown up abroad drew him both fans and detractors. The blog's success led to a publishing deal with Turning Point books,[9] and the print version was released in December 2011 in Beirut, with book signings at Waterstones[10] in London and at Livre Paris[11]
From 2011 to 2017, Atallah worked at as Head of Media at a creative agency focused on culture from the Middle East, across music, publishing and film.[12][13] There, he launched the career[14] of the prominent Lebanese blues rock revival duo, The Wanton Bishops, through his role as their manager.[15] He has also worked with Egyptian electro-singer and producer Bosaina, Montreal indie band Wake Island,[16][17] and krautrock band Lumi.
Since 2018, he has been focused on creative projects in film and television as a producer and screenwriter, as well as continuing to write creative non-fiction and fiction.[18] He is represented by Aoife Rice at United Agents.[19]
In late 2019, he co-founded Last Floor Productions with two longtime friends, Mashrou' Leila band member and composer Firas Abou Fakher and writer and Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts screenwriting professor Daniel Habib.[20] Last Floor Productions is focused on the creation of genre film & television, centered on telling stories about Arabs around the world.[21] The company's first production, 10-episode psychological thriller Al Shak (Doubt),[22] was written, shot and released entirely during the early phase of the coronavirus lockdown of 2020.[23] It was produced as a Shahid Original for the leading streaming service launched by MBC Group. Later in 2020, Last Floor Productions released a second TV Series for Shahid, an 8-episode action comedy entitled Fixer.[24] The company has also created short documentaries for Apple[25] and the Victoria & Albert Museum.[26]
From 2018 to 2022, Atallah was a contributor for GQ Middle East.[27] He has profiled leading Arab creatives like filmmaker Nadine Labaki, Moroccan rapper Issam, Syrian poet Adunis, Lebanese indie band Mashrou' Leila, pop star Ragheb Alama, actors Dali Benssalah, Bassel Khaiat & Ahmed Malek, Italian pop star Mahmood, artists Saint Hoax, Eli Rezkallah & Malak Mattar, and many more. He has also written essays, such as his account of the August 4th 2020 explosion in Beirut entitled "Inside Beirut's Broken Heart".[28]
In August 2022, Atallah was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Esquire Middle East by ITP Media Group.[29]
Atallah has also written for various publications, including The Guardian,[30] GQ Magazine,[31] Time Out, Brownbook,[32] Little White Lies, Monocle and L'Orient-Le Jour.
He is also the co-host of the Bootleg Magic podcast with Alya Mooro and a regular guest on the BBC World Service's The Arts Hour with Nikki Bedi.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | RKOD | No | No | Executive | |
| 2020 | Aziza | No | Yes | Yes | short documentary |
| Charmland | No | Yes | Yes | documentary | |
| Doubt | No | Yes | Executive | also co-creator, 10 episodes | |
| Fixer | No | No | Executive | 8 episodes | |
| Apple: Illuminating Creativity Series | No | Yes | Executive | ||
| 2021 | V&A: Jameel Prize 6 From Poetry to Politics | No | Yes | Executive | short documentary |
| 2022 | It Gets Darker | No | No | Executive | short film |
Atallah is married to award-winning Lebanese fashion designer Nour Hage.[36] The couple have been together since 2013.
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