I am of Pakistani and
South African descent, born and raised in London (plus a few
years in Portugal). My first love is the written word, and
I studied English Literature on a scholarship at Oxford
University. Having made a few documentary shorts, and
always immersed in design, painting and visual art, I moved into film in 2012 as a Production Designer.
Since then I have designed several features; Adura Onashile’s Girl, which premiered at Sundance in 2023, Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean which was Audience Winner at Venice Film Festival 2022 and was nominated for a Bafta; Amrou al-Kadhi’s Layla which also premiered at Sundance and Lance Hammer’s sophomore film Queen at Sea, which is in official competition at the Berlinale this year. As a designer I focus on how the set details and design create a distinctive and expressive world for the narrative to play out in, while treasuring rhyming moments of emotional dawning and humour. I operate with imagination, initiative and fidelity, and aim to make the process with all collaborators a generous and enjoyable one.You can watch my showreel here 💎️. I also design titles.︎︎︎
One of my proudest achievments is helping to disrupt the ingrained conservatism of British publishing, as the Art Director of Tilted Axis Press from its inception in 2015 until 2021. Tilted Axis is an award winning not-for-profit press on a mission to shake up contemporary international literature. The press is based in the UK, a state whose former and current imperialism severely impacts writers in the majority world. The work of the press is an ongoing exploration into alternatives – to the hierarchisation of certain languages and forms; to the monoculture of globalisation; to cultural, narrative, and visual stereotypes. You can see a selection of covers here.︎︎︎
As a writer/director I am currently developing several features including Acha! - an epic drama comedy that tells the story of three sisters, who leave Karachi for a new life in London in 1970, taking the expectations of family, history, geography and fiction with them; and a pastoral thriller called Bruiser set in Sussex, which follows two characters who have been systemically failed and who attempt to re-integrate with the Land. I have a number of other projects in process as a writer.
please contact Lee at Wizzo and Co for all production design queries
iMBD︎︎︎
sorayagilanniviljoen@gmail.com ︎
︎︎︎![]()
© Tim Walker
with Adele Firth, Hair and Make Up Designer and Cobbie Yates, Costume Designer on Amrou al-Kadhi’s Layla
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Since then I have designed several features; Adura Onashile’s Girl, which premiered at Sundance in 2023, Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean which was Audience Winner at Venice Film Festival 2022 and was nominated for a Bafta; Amrou al-Kadhi’s Layla which also premiered at Sundance and Lance Hammer’s sophomore film Queen at Sea, which is in official competition at the Berlinale this year. As a designer I focus on how the set details and design create a distinctive and expressive world for the narrative to play out in, while treasuring rhyming moments of emotional dawning and humour. I operate with imagination, initiative and fidelity, and aim to make the process with all collaborators a generous and enjoyable one.You can watch my showreel here 💎️. I also design titles.︎︎︎
One of my proudest achievments is helping to disrupt the ingrained conservatism of British publishing, as the Art Director of Tilted Axis Press from its inception in 2015 until 2021. Tilted Axis is an award winning not-for-profit press on a mission to shake up contemporary international literature. The press is based in the UK, a state whose former and current imperialism severely impacts writers in the majority world. The work of the press is an ongoing exploration into alternatives – to the hierarchisation of certain languages and forms; to the monoculture of globalisation; to cultural, narrative, and visual stereotypes. You can see a selection of covers here.︎︎︎
As a writer/director I am currently developing several features including Acha! - an epic drama comedy that tells the story of three sisters, who leave Karachi for a new life in London in 1970, taking the expectations of family, history, geography and fiction with them; and a pastoral thriller called Bruiser set in Sussex, which follows two characters who have been systemically failed and who attempt to re-integrate with the Land. I have a number of other projects in process as a writer.
please contact Lee at Wizzo and Co for all production design queries
iMBD︎︎︎
sorayagilanniviljoen@gmail.com ︎
︎︎︎
© Tim Walkerwith Adele Firth, Hair and Make Up Designer and Cobbie Yates, Costume Designer on Amrou al-Kadhi’s Layla
