Sanaa Hamri is a celebrated film, television, music video, and commercial director hailing from Tangier, Morocco. Currently, she is in an overall deal with Amazon Television Studios, where she is directing the second season of their highly anticipated "Lord of the Rings" series, following her successful stint as Executive Producer/Director of the blockbuster series "Empire" on Fox Broadcasting from 2015 to 2020.
As Executive Producer/Director of "Empire", Hamri oversaw all aesthetic aspects of the show, including episodic directors, production design, music, art direction, and hair/wardrobe. During this time, she also had a first look deal with 20th Television.
Hamri's illustrious career began as an editor under the mentorship of Malik Sayeed, before transitioning to directing music videos. As an acclaimed music video director, Hamri has collaborated with high-profile hip hop/R&B musicians, including Prince, Common, Lenny Kravitz, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, and Mary J. Blige. Her work has been recognized with numerous award nominations and wins, including an NAACP Image Award for India Arie's 2003 "Little Things" and an MTV VMA for Nicki Minaj's 2010 hit "Super Bass", which garnered over one billion online views worldwide.
Hamri's extensive episodic work includes directorial credits on popular TV shows such as "Shameless", "Rectify", "Nashville", "Elementary", "Glee", and "Desperate Housewives". She also directed the pilot for VH1's successful series "Hit The Floor", which is currently in its third season.
Hamri made her feature directorial debut in 2006 with the Focus Features romantic comedy "Something New". She has since directed the sequel to the Warner Bros hit "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy "Just Wright", starring Queen Latifah, Common, and Paula Patton, released in Summer 2010.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Hamri currently resides in Los Angeles. She is represented by CAA, manager Larry Kennar, and attorney Patti Felker.
