Writer/Director
Cassiah's Story
Cassiah grew up travelling between the UK, USA and Canada with mixed Indian and European heritage. Obsessed with movies as early as she could remember, film was always at the core of Cassiah's childhood; be it re-enacting the incredible sword duel from The Parent Trap with her best friend in the school playground , or writing a Jackie Chan-inspired spy script at age 9.
While studying Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham, Cassiah decided that she wanted to make the films she had imagined for so long in her head a reality; so she taught herself how to write screenplays, and quickly became hooked. She also made her very first film with a band of University friends, and quickly realised that her years of watching and rewatching movies was all the studying she needed to pursue her true passion - being a filmmaker.
Cassiah soon got her lucky break, meeting 'Bend It Like Beckham' writer/director Gurinder Chadha OBE on a train from Edinburgh to London. Gurinder offered her a job on the spot, and Cassiah spent a year with Gurinder assisting on her theatre and film projects including 'Bend It Like Beckham The Musical' and 'Viceroy's House'.
Cassiah's debut award nominated play 'Under My Thumb' toured London, Brighton and Edinburgh, eventually completing a five-star run at the Edinburgh Film Festival 2017. She continued to work on a number of commissions whilst pursuing her own directing projects. Her award-winning short film 'Catch A Butcher' (2021) was supported by the BFI Network and has screened at a number of BAFTA-qualifying festivals across the UK. She most recently directed the BBC Studios Drama Productions short film 'The Pink Pill' (2022), and is now developing her debut feature projects, including one in development with the BFI. She has also been mentored by director Claire McCarthy, and was recently mentored by director Jim Field Smith as a Director Trainee on the AppleTV/60Forty series 'Hijack'. This year, Cassiah was selected for the BRIT List and BFI Network@LFF.
