Kuranda Seyit

Writer/Director Kuranda Seyit has lived a very diverse life, he began working as a policeman in NSW, after four years and completing his first degree, majoring in Theatre, he traveled the Silk Road for two years. He re-discovered two things on this journey; his passion for film and Islam. Upon returning to Australia he completed a course in Film and TV Production at Metro Screen and made his first short film for Tropfest. In 2000 he wrote and directed his first documentary Always A Visitor for SBS television.

After September 11, 2001, things changed for Australia's Muslims and he founded the Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations (FAIR), an Islamic think-tank and became editor of Australia Fair Newspaper until 2010. He also completed a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies at Sydney University.

He has made many short films and documentaries including a report in 2010 for SBS Dateline program titled Kyrgyzstan in Crisis. His desire to build a better understanding of Muslims in Australia led him to begin research on the first Muslims who came here as Cameleers, after 7 years he completed the documentary, By Compass and Quran: History of Australia's Muslim Cameleers, which was broadcast on ABC TV in 2015.

Kuranda has also been very active in the community, working on various fronts, including peace and conflict resolution, inter-faith dialogue, youth and leadership development and media training. He co-founded the award winning Together for Humanity Program which involved a Christian, Muslim and Jew visiting schools and won the National Multicultural Marketing Award in 2004 and he was selected among the Bulletin Magazine's SMART 100 people in Australia that same year. He received the Pride of Australia medal in 2005. He appears regularly in the media representing the Muslim community and is currently on the board of the Islamic Council of Victoria and served for 7 years on the board of the Sydney Peace Foundation.

Filmography

BY COMPASS AND QURAN » This documentary film explores life as an Afghan cameleer in a camel carrying industry that flourished in the Australian outback from the 1840s onwards, finally declining into insignificance as late as the 1930s...