Growing up in a working-class Northern town, Sima’s upbringing was split between two cultures; her traditional Indian background with her western surroundings.
Sima’s film background began in 1998 with a focus on exploring the visual language of dance.
Her working process varies with each project; from using narrative-led storytelling and the visceral language of dance and film to connect with her subjects or themes, to collaboration with differently-abled groups, visual artists, trained dancers or a combination of many of these processes at once.
Sima has shown work in Craft Council Gallery, Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery, MAC Birmingham, Flatpack Film Festival, New Art Gallery Walsall, Grand Union and The LUX, London, collaborating with organisations such as Sense Arts, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Fierce Festival and National Lottery. Award winning Moving Portraits was commissioned as part of the Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme 2022.
She has directed and produced films commissioned by 2012 Olympics, Arts Council England, Creative England, British Textile Biennial, The Space, SkyArts and BBC Arts. As a programmer, Sima currently works with Flatpack Film Festival, a Midlands-based BAFTA qualifying film festival.
Awards – Curation
2023 - Moving Portraits - Best Digital Inclusion project awarded by Digital Culture Network
2023 - Cultivate - Best Short Form Experimental Dance and Music Film Festival, LA and Toronto
2022 - And Breathe - Best Experimental short film - LA Independent Women Film Award
2021 - Royal Television Society award nomination – Best Digital Creativity and Best Craft and Post Production for Suspended Motion
2020 - Flatpack Screendance Festival Guardian Four-Star review
2021-22- One Dance UK – Nominated Dance Programming Award
2021 - One Dance UK – Nominated for Innovation in Dance – Suspended Motion
Visual Art and Installation work
2023 - Field to Fashion - Short Film commissioned by Super Slow Way as part of The British Textile Biennial - co-directed by Bhulla Beghal
2023 - Simon Says/Dadda - three-screen installation at Grand Union Gallery- Metal & Lux Cinema - Producer for artistic filmmaker Beverley Bennet
2022 - Congregation - Director of Photography supporting visual artist Alberta Whittle - Commonwealth Games - B2022
2022 – Moving Portraits – Film Director - Dancefilm Installation at Birmingham Repertory Theatre - Commonwealth Games - Birmingham 2022
2021 – Khadi – Video Installation – Commissioned by Bharti Parmar - British Textile Biennial
2021 – The Workhouse – Dance with me in Lockdown – Dancefilm Installation - Southwell National Trust - Funded by City Arts, Nottingham
2015 - The Offering narrative short film– Writer and Director – Co-funded by Creative England, BFI Network.
2009 - Cycle Dialogues Retrospective (including Birmingham) – 3-month artist residency Walsall New Gallery
2009 - Cycle Dialogues Migrating Ireland – Video Installation and six-month writing residency.
2008 - Cycle Dialogues Seven Nations – Video Installation Fierce Festival
2004 - 2005 Cycle Dialogues Europe – moving image video installation featuring France, Hungary to Czech Republic – Funded by Arts Council England
2002 - Cycle Dialogues – My Own Companion – Moving Image piece - Funded by Collide Artist Bursary – Screened at Midlands Arts Centre
1999 Kita – 16mm direct animation moving image screened at Lux Cinema
Screen Dance Work
2022 – Cultivate - The Toxic Inheritance of Soil - Director - Funded by The Space
2021 - And Breathe – Director – Co-Funded by Akademi Arts, Watermans – COP26
2021 - Suspended Motion – Director funded by Sense arts
2018 - We are Here – Director – co-funded by Birmingham Royal Ballet and Arts Council England.
2014 - One Fine Day – Director and Producer Co-funded by Birmingham Royal Ballet and Arts Council England
2012 - Freefall – Commissioned by Mencap screened nationally at UK 2012 Olympic Live Sites