Ashraf Ghori
Indian filmmaker and artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mohammed Ashraf Ghori (born 17 September 1973), is an Indian comic book artist, filmmaker and entrepreneur based in Dubai.[1][2] He is best known for creating UAE's first CGI science fiction film Xero Error [3][4][5][6] a futuristic cyborg thriller[7] which was shown at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.[8][9] and as the artist behind UAE's acclaimed Arabic Graphic Novel Antara.[10] He is the CEO and founder of digital design agency Xpanse CGI.
17 September 1973
Herald Global & ERTC Media – The Industry's No. 1 Award in Art, 2024
Digital Studio Awards – Best Upcoming Filmmaker, 2011
Made in UAE Awards – Distinguished Achievement Award, 2011
| Ashraf Ghori | |
|---|---|
Ashraf Ghori in Dubai, 2010 | |
| Born | Mohammed Ashraf Ghori 17 September 1973 Hyderabad, India |
| Area(s) | Filmmaker, director, comic book artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist |
Notable works | Xero Error, Antara |
| Awards | World Economic Forum – Excellence Award, 2015 Herald Global & ERTC Media – The Industry's No. 1 Award in Art, 2024 Digital Studio Awards – Best Upcoming Filmmaker, 2011 Made in UAE Awards – Distinguished Achievement Award, 2011 |
| https://www.ashrafghori.com | |
Early life and professional career
Ghori moved from Hyderabad, India to Dubai, UAE at the age of 2.[5][11] His father, Mohammed Moinuddin Ghori, was a prominent businessman in the construction industry and a philanthropist.[12] His first professional work appeared in the pages of magazines published by Khaleej Times. He was a regular illustrator for Young Times from 1989 until 2001.[13] Ghori graduated from the University of Houston, Texas in 1994.[14]
Ghori was on the judges panel for the Kuwait Arab Advertising Awards for the years 2006 and 2007.[citation needed]
In 2007, he founded digital creative agency Xpanse CGI in Dubai and started independent film-making with Xero Error in 2008.[15][16] Xero Error premiered at the 3rd Gulf Film Festival[17][18] and also played at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival and the 10th edition of Sci-Fi-London.[19] In 2010, Ghori was the Art Director for the first Indo-Emirati film 'Malal'.[20] He worked as Senior Digital Artist at Bayyinah TV from 2016 to 2017.[21][22] Ghori received the Pioneer in Arts Golden Visa from the Government of the United Arab Emirates.[23]
In 2024 Ghori founded Remixx.AI, Dubai’s first AI-driven creative studio for fully synthetic video creation.[24][25]
Artist
Ghori has produced work for comic book publishers including Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing.[26]
San Jacinto College in Pasadena Texas had organized a Comic Art Exhibit of Ghori's works in 1993. In 1994, Ghori was a founding member of Tempest Comics in Houston, Texas, and produced a 4-issue mini series 'Tempest Comics Presents'.[13][27] He was a featured comic artist at Dallas Fantasy Fair, 1994 (Dallas, Texas).[28]
In April 2012, Ghori was a featured guest, along with Alvin Lee, Lee Townsend and Yishan Li at the first MEFCC - Middle East Film and Comic Con in Dubai, UAE, and at the Middle East's inaugural IGN Convention in July 2013.[29] In 2013 Ghori was a contributing artist for Dark Horse Comics in collaboration with writer Alex De Campi.[30]
In 2015 Ghori collaborated with Arab rapper Narcy to create a mixed-media project called World War Free Now which combined music, video, and comics together.[7] A limited edition comic was released as a companion piece to Narcy's album.[31] In 2018 his work on Arabic graphic novel 'Antara' received critical acclaim as 'An Experiment Worthy of Praise' citing 'the versatility and sheer genius of the artist'.[26][10][32][33]
Social media influencer
In 2015, Ghori was listed among social media influencers in the United Arab Emirates.[34][35] Between 2011 and 2014, he collaborated with Samsung as an art influencer for the Note series.[36] In 2014, he served as social media ambassador for Ford Middle East's "Stand Out" campaign in the MENA region,[37] and in 2015 participated in the "#ExperienceFord" campaign promoting the Ford Mustang 2016.[38] In 2016, Ghori appeared in Microsoft's "#DoGreatThingsDXB" campaign, which promoted Windows 10 and the launch of the Surface Pro 4 in the Gulf region.[39][40][41][42]
Ghori has also spoken at events in the UAE on topics related to design, film, AI, and entrepreneurship.[43][44]
Awards
- Herald Global & BARC Asia – Pride of UAE Influential Leaders Awards 2026[45]
- Herald Global & ERTC Media – The Industry's No. 1 Award in Art, 2024[46][47]
- World Economic Forum – Excellence Award, 2015
- Esquire - UAE's Most Influential Digital Pioneers Award 2014[48]
- Digital Studio Awards – Best up and coming filmmaker, 2011[9][49]
- Made in UAE Awards – Distinguished Achievement Award, 2011
Filmography
- 2023 Baab (Feature Film) - Concept Artist, Creature Designer
- 2022 Desert Warrior (Feature Film) - Concept Artist
- 2012 Djinn (Feature Film) - Concept Artist
- 2010 Levity – Xero Error Minus1 (08:00, Digital Animated Film) - Writer, Director, Producer
- 2010 Malal (Short Film) – Art Director, Associate Producer (Xpanse CGI)
- 2009 City of Life (Feature Film) – Graphic Designer
- 2006 Arabana (Short Film) – Associate Producer