Award-winning filmmaker Aisha Jamal earned her PhD with the Faculty of Arts & Science, sharpening her storytelling talents and learning how to be an effective leader during every production.
“Never underestimate the skills you gain as a student,” says Jamal, who graduated from U of T in 2009.
“Navigating the rigours of your degree will make you successful in self-made careers like filmmaking.”
During her PhD, Jamal researched German cinema under Associate Professor Stefan Soldovieri, but didn't seriously consider becoming a filmmaker until she joined the Hart House Film Board.
For a small membership fee, Jamal gained access to audio/visual equipment and consultations with film board staff who helped her with the technical aspects of making her first film.
With support from the Hart House community, Jamal made two films while earning her PhD, enabled by resources that were out of reach in her challenging childhood.
“We weren't wealthy or plugged into the film community at all,” says Jamal, whose family fled Afghanistan amid the Afghan Civil War of 1989-1992.
“As refugees who were new to Canada, an expensive camera wasn't something my parents could afford.”
Cinema reached the Jamal home through a Bollywood videotape — Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) — more than three hours long in a language Jamal and her two sisters didn't even speak. The kids were captivated by the film, watching it dozens of times, eagerly awaiting their favourite songs and fights.
“That film left a lasting mark on my childhood and sparked my future passion for storytelling,” says Jamal, whose lived experiences deeply influence the composition of her films.
Her feature-length project, A Kandahar Away, begins as a quirky family vacation documentary but evolves into an exploration of generational divides within Jamal’s own immigrant family.
The award-winning short The Long Way Home tells the story of a Sudanese-born Canadian who is denied re-entry to Canada after false allegations of terrorism.
And slated for release in 2026, The Theft will investigate how Afghanistan's historical artefacts have been systematically looted through decades of conflict.
“For too long, Afghanistan has been a battleground,” says Jamal. “This created other instabilities and a situation where we see a country being drained of its cultural heritage.”
Studying at U of T empowered Jamal to discover her true calling, gaining new views on humanity through cinema studies scholars who represent a diverse range of disciplines across Arts & Science.
“One of the joys of earning my PhD from U of T was taking classes in unrelated subject matter that broadened my perspective,” says Jamal. “As filmmakers we crave this because our craft draws from so many subject areas.”
When Jamal isn’t behind the camera, she teaches film theory alongside her role as a programmer with Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival.
As the festival’s keeper of Canadian content, Jamal watches more than 300 films a year to help determine the Hot Docs lineup. She works with several U of T cinema studies alumni including Diana Sanchez, recently named the organization's executive director.
In Jamal’s experience, it's rare to find someone in the Canadian film industry who doesn’t have a connection to U of T. These lasting relationships reaffirm her choice to pursue a degree at Canada’s top university.
“U of T opens doors to collaboration,” says Jamal. “The people you meet can become future creative partners, and your mentors remain valuable resources throughout your career.”