Check out our trailer for our new series: Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Representation in the Media. Streaming on all our socials every Wednesday and Sunday at 7pm starting from the 9th June! A very special thanks to all of our wonderful guests for making this happen: - Sepy Baghaei (Wednesday 9th June) - Karim Motaz (Sunday 13th June) - Lena Elghamry (Wednesday 16th June) - Hannah Yahya Hassan (Sunday 20th June) - Ahmet Ahmet (Wednesday 23rd June) - Jalleh Alizadeh (Sunday 27th June) - Sahar Zand (Wednesday 30th June) - Atilla Akinci (Sunday 4th July) - Yasmeen Scott (Wednesday 7th July) - Natali Servat (Sunday 11th July ) - Isabella Nefar (Sunday 14th July)

Welcome to our first episode of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into conversation surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. We are joined by our very special guest, Ms Sepy Baghaei. Sepy is an Iranian-Australian theatre director based in London. She originally trained as an actor at the Australian Academy of Dramatic Art, before moving to London to undertake an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She has workshopped new plays with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre Studio. Selected credits as director include: Little Women, Wilde Tales, The Wolf Inside Me, and as assistant director include: Welcome To Iran; Reasons To Stay Alive and Othello. Sepy is a recipient of the Ian Potter Cultural Trust Award and the Guildford Academics Associates Scholarship. She is also Associate Director at the Space Theatre, and Co-Vice Chair of MENA Arts UK. Follow Sepy: Twitter: @SepyBaghaei Website: www.sepybaghaei.co.uk and check out MENA Arts UK Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org

Our second episode of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into conversation surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. Today we are joined by our very special guest, Karim Hadaya (stage name Karim Motaz). Karim is a professional actor, executive producer and company director at Munchie Lunchie Productions, and currently a Masters student in Media and Public Relations. Karim is originally from Syria but has been living in the UK for the past 9 years. Follow Karim and check our his work: Instagram: @karimmhadaya Twitter: @karimmhadaya Company Social on insta: @munchielunchieproductions Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org

Episode 3 of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into discussions surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. Today we are joined by our very special guest, Lena Elghamry. Lena is an Egyptian Director, writer, photographer and actress from South London. Lena has appeared in shows at the Southwark Playhouse, performed spoken word at festivals and directed a whole host of short films surrounding issues she's passionate about. The lack of representation in the industry drives Lena to creates films that tackle issues within the MENA and Muslim communities, as well as displaying themes of single parenthood, identity and boundaries. Follow Lena on: Instagram: @lenaelghamry Twitter: @LenaElghamry Production company: Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org

Welcome to episode 4 of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into discussions surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. Today we are joined by our very special guest, Hannah Yahya Hassan. Hannah is a Scottish/ Bahraini actor, theatre creative, arts consultant and writer. She holds a Bachelors with Honours in Theatre Studies and Literature from The University of Kent. Since graduating she has gone on to work with: Graeae, Ramps on The Moon, Scottish Youth Theatre and Birds of Paradise. She has toured both England and Scotland as a performer in shows that she has had a hand in devising. She is passionate about work that explores the multiple intersections of identity within minorities. Check out Hannah's work: website: https://hannahyhassan.com/ Agency: @inclusivetalentuk (instagram) @incTalentUK (twitter) Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org

Join us on episode 5 of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into discussions surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. Today we are joined by our very special guest, Ahmet Ahmet. Ahmet is Head of Get Into Theatre for The Stage in support with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and UK Theatre. He is also a Lead Theatre Lecturer at the Royal Conservatoire of Trinity Laban. Currently, Ahmet is a PhD research candidate at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, which involves research into theatre training equality, diversity and inclusion. Ahmet’s background began with training at Arts Ed and then a career as an actor. After a 12-year career on stage, he transitioned into teaching, working at School 21, London as Head of Drama and Head of Middle School and also tutoring and directing at drama schools.  Make sure to follow Ahmet: Twitter: @ahmettheatre website: www.getintotheatre.org Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org

Welcome to episode 6 of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into discussions surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. Jalleh Alizadeh is a British Iranian actor who has worked across the industry in theatre, tv and radio for almost ten years. She trained at Identity Drama School in London, and made her professional stage debut at The Birmingham Rep in 2014, leading to a love of theatre especially. Selected credits include "Get Gone", "Benidorm" and "Doctors". Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org

Join us on episode 7 of our Beyond Stigma series focusing on Middle Eastern and North African representation in the media, where we delve into discussions surrounding different identities and experiences of those who have worked in the media and arts and entertainment industries. Today we are joined by our very special guest, Sahar Zand. Sahar is a British-Iranian multimedia reporter and filmmaker with extensive experience in long-form current affairs and documentaries. Sahar has fronted a range of award-winning stories from across the world, for the BBC, Channel 4’s unreported World and a number of other international broadcasters. Most of Sahar's work has focused on under-reported human-interest stories. She strives for high-impact storytelling and has reported on a diverse range of topics from conflict and human rights abuses, to gender and mental health issues. She excels in exploring sensitive subjects with empathy, creativity and journalistic rigour. Make sure to follow Sahar and check out her amazing work: Twitter: @SaharZand Instagram: @SaharZand5 website: https://www.saharzand.com/ Follow us for more updates on upcoming episodes! Instagram: @identityinternational Twitter: @identityint website: www.identityinternational.org