Mo Azmi – Cinematographer

Mo is currently engaged on films and series projects in the United Kingdom, USA, Dubai, and Pakistan.

He began his career in Los Angeles in 2010 as an AC/grip, transitioning to Director of Photography in 2012. He has since shot feature films, series, music videos, short films, and TV commercials – across diverse places such as Pakistan, United Kingdom, USA, Turkey, UAE, Thailand, Nigeria, South Korea, etc.

His films “Cake” and “Laal Kabootar” were Pakistan’s official entries for the Oscars in their respective years. His short film “Darling” won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, while the web series “Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam” was named National Winner at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2022. His web series “Barzakh” had its world premiere at Series Mania in Lille, France, in 2023.

His most recent project is Season 2 of “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”, a co-production between Netflix and the BBC, released in May 2026.

REPRESENTATION

BLACKLIST MGMT

Ulia Petrova-Labin

Head of Talent

petrova@blacklistmgmt.com

Press

“Mo Azmi’s attentive cinematography helps outline not just a series of relationships to be tried, but a vivid, rarely communicated sense of Karachi as a place where people live their lives, make choices, muddle through – and still the lights go out sometimes.”

THE GUARDIAN — Review, Cake · Read

“Mo Azmi’s cinematography paints a beautiful and intelligent canvas. He not only shoots pretty pictures but adds a meaning to them. His eyes make the story more effective.”

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE — Review, Cake · Read

“Stunningly shot by acclaimed cinematographer Mo Azmi, the film shows how camera can play an active ‘character’ in the film.”

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE — Review, Laal Kabootar · Read

“Director of photography, Mo Azmi — who is also a co-producer — deserves much of the credit for giving us the beautiful frames. The colour palettes he uses and his frame compositions are worlds apart to what we have come to expect in a web series produced in the subcontinent.”

THE HINDU — Review, Churails · Read

“The female justice league saga features a huge bunch of outspoken, jittery, witty and perfectly turned out Almodovaresque women, and is gorgeously lensed by Mo Azmi in Almodovaresque colours.”

SCROLL.IN — Review, Churails · Read

“Mo Azmi is probably the best cinematographer in Pakistan. […] Just like his previous work, every single shot of “Churails” is dripping with gorgeous colors and impeccable lighting.”

PAKISTANI CINEMA — Review, Churails · Read

“Churails is a singular and urgent achievement, filled to the brim with observations and artistry that forward profoundly urgent questions about justice.”

FILM QUARTERLY — Article, Churails · Read

“India and Pakistan have historically been dichotomous in their approach to each other’s art and artists… the show, however, managed to navigate both strict Pakistani censor board rules and the virtual cultural apartheid being played out across the two countries’ industries.”

AL JAZEERA — Feature, Churails · Read

“Hailed particularly for its expressionistic visual imagery, created by cinematographer Mo Azmi.”

GULF NEWS — Article, Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam · Read

“The cinematography by Mo Azmi also wins big and captures the tense yet transcendent aura of the show.”

FILMIBEAT — Review, Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam · Read

“I must mention our DP Mo Azmi whose talent is not only precious but his being an ally through and through was just what this project needed.”

ADGULLY — Shailja Kejriwal, Chief Creative Officer, ZEE, on Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam · Read

“Mo Azmi’s photography is as stunning as it comes; his use of the right grade for each scene, where set pieces speak to you quietly but they subtly create a rich fabric for Abbasi to weave his tale. Most frames are like Renaissance paintings coming alive.”

KHALEEJ TIMES — Review, Barzakh · Read

“Mo Azmi deserves immense credit for the beautiful cinematography that blends the right levels of lighting, colours and hues to such perfection, making the sets and characters look stunning in every frame.”

DAWN IMAGES — Review, Barzakh · Read

“The mountains, the vales and the stunning vistas around them loom over – and in the backdrop of – many of the frames diligently composed by cinematographer Mo Azmi.”

GULF TODAY — Article, Barzakh · Read

“Mo Azmi’s cinematography is pitch perfect.”

OTTPLAY — Review, Barzakh · Read

“The ambitious decision to visualise a seven-minute song in a single take, void of any sneaky cuts, adds a theatrical aesthetic. With on-set ambient lighting and winding camerawork the viewer is left to witness the grit and detail of the world.”

DAWN IMAGES — Review, music video The Desert Journey · Read

“Mo Azmi is quite possibly the country’s best cinematographer. […] He’s on a roll and it looks like he’s just getting started.”

THE NEWS ON SUNDAY — Visual Storytellers · Read

Selected Awards

Barzakh (2024) · Cinematographer · Dir. Asim Abbasi

  • Best Drama (Nominated) — Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024 · The Express Tribune
  • Official Selection – International Panorama — Series Mania 2023, Lille · Variety

Murder Tongue (2022, short) · Cinematographer · Dir. Ali Sohail Jaura

  • Best Narrative Short (Won) — 45th Asian American International Film Festival · IMDb
  • Best International Short Film (Won) — Miami Film Festival 2022 · Deadline
  • Best Short Film – Jury Award (Won) — Bali International Film Festival · Asian Film Festivals
  • Best Cinematography (Won) — Magnolia Independent Film Festival
  • Best Cinematography (Won) — Muslim International Film Festival
  • Grand Prix Best Short Film (Nominated) — HollyShorts Film Festival · HollyShorts

Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam (2021) · Cinematographer · Dir. Meenu Gaur

  • National Winner, Best Single Drama / Telemovie / Anthology Episode — Asian Academy Creative Awards 2022 · Dawn Images
  • Best Directed Series (Won) — Asia Web Awards 2022 · IMDb

Churails (2020) · Cinematographer + Producer · Dir. Asim Abbasi

  • Show of the Year (Won) — British Asian Media Awards 2020 · The News

Darling (2019, short) · Cinematographer · Dir. Saim Sadiq

  • Special Jury Award (Won) — SXSW Film Festival 2020 · Columbia University School of the Arts
  • Grand Jury Award (Nominated) — SXSW Film Festival 2020 · /Film
  • Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film (Won) — 76th Venice International Film Festival · Arab News
  • Best International Short Film (Nominated) — Toronto International Film Festival 2019 · The Express Tribune

Laal Kabootar (2019) · Cinematographer · Dir. Kamal Khan

  • Best Film (Won) — 19th Lux Style Awards · Geo News
  • Best Film (Won) — Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival · The Express Tribune
  • Best Film (Won) — Tasveer South Asian Film Festival · Dawn Images
  • Pakistan’s Official Submission — 92nd Academy Awards, Best International Feature Film · Variety

Cake (2018) · Cinematographer + Co-producer · Dir. Asim Abbasi

  • Best Film (Won) — 18th Lux Style Awards · Wikipedia
  • Best Feature – Fiction (Won) — 8th South Asian Film Festival of Montreal · Dawn Images
  • Pakistan’s Official Submission — 91st Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film · Variety

In Conversation

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

Mo Azmi on A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Season 2

“In many ways, the cinematography became a perspective willing to trust Pip’s instincts when nobody else would.”

Read the article →

THE NEWS ON SUNDAY

Interview with Mo Azmi

“Filmmaking is a profession well-suited to my personality. I enjoy studying and researching things that I can methodically put into practice immediately.”

Read the interview →

+971 50 981 0049 |  mo.azmi@gmail.com | IMDb | Instagram

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