Elias Suhail

Elias Suhail is a British-Moroccan writer and filmmaker interested in stories shaped by silence, memory and cultural inheritance. He works across fiction, creative non-fiction and film, often focusing on overlooked narratives and characters navigating the edges of society.

His work has appeared in the New Statesman, on BBC Sounds, and in live performances to sold-out audiences. His short story ‘The Horrors I Have Seen’ was selected for A Writing Chance, marking his entry into commissioned writing. His creative non-fiction reflects on place, identity, and personal history, while his fiction explores the emotional and political weight of everyday lives.

Elias’s debut short film Beneath a Mother’s Feet blends naturalism and surrealism to tell the story of a single mother navigating life in Morocco. Inspired by his own familial narrative, the film has received international recognition, winning the Golden Cave Award at the Tangier International Film Festival, the Juthour Award for Most Promising Filmmaker at the Toronto Arab Film Festival, and both Best First-Time Filmmaker and Audience Choice at the Lift-Off Season Awards. Described by author Michel Faber as “a luminously flawless, gracefully assured piece of work,” it is distributed by MAD Distribution.

He is currently developing several projects, including a feature film (The Ogress of Fez) exploring colonial history and resistance, two new short films, and a story collection titled Between the Lines. He lives in Folkestone.

Elias was part of the 2021-22 cohort of A Writing Chance.