Amar Somaroo | WatchedThis
Amar Somaroo
Directing
Biography
Amar Somaroo (born September 1, 1995) is a Dutch film director, writer, and editor of South Asian descent. His work explores themes of diaspora identity, migration, existentialism, and cultural fragmentation through visually immersive and psychologically driven storytelling. He is best known for the composite drama Cyanide (2021), the autobiographical documentary The Place I Call Home (2022), and the television pilot Exodus (2025). Born in The Hague to Indian-Surinamese parents, Somaroo developed a passion for storytelling during his early teens. In 2014, at the age of 18, he became one of the youngest published authors in Dutch history with the release of his debut fantasy novel The Redemption Tales: Tibet. After studying film directing and editing at Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam, he founded the production company Youth Novel Motions in 2017. Somaroo began his filmmaking career with the short film Feathers (2015) and later directed A Woman in Kurdistan (2017), exploring women’s freedoms in Kurdistan from a unique perspective. Alongside narrative filmmaking, he has directed commercial and corporate films for clients including the Dutch Ministry of Defense and worked on productions across South Asia and the Middle East. In 2022, The Place I Call Home was nominated for Best Documentary at the Septimius Awards, while both the documentary and Cyanide were acquired by Amazon Prime Video. In 2025, he developed and directed Exodus for Dutch public broadcasters NPO and VPRO, earning a nomination for Best Short Fiction at the Jaipur International Film Festival 2026.
Filmography Movies
Acting
Outsiders
When Hindustani Milan develops feelings for Syrian refugee Ahmed, it puts a strain on his family life. Their differences in opinions and perspectives come to light when Milan chooses for himself. This leads to an explosive situation.
Feathers
A house party spirals into chaos when a group of teenagers overdose, turning a night of freedom and escape into total collapse.
Production
Cyanide
Six intertwined stories delve into social and political dilemmas in Dutch society surrounding a cluster of millennials.
Cyanide
Six intertwined stories delve into social and political dilemmas in Dutch society surrounding a cluster of millennials.
Exodus
A forced diversity mandate disrupts an elite Dutch school, pushing two student worlds into collision. As status games turn hostile and buried tensions erupt, identity becomes a battlefield where belonging must be earned.
Exodus
A forced diversity mandate disrupts an elite Dutch school, pushing two student worlds into collision. As status games turn hostile and buried tensions erupt, identity becomes a battlefield where belonging must be earned.
The Place I Call Home
Follows the 5-year journey of filmmaker Amar Somaroo, in a ruminating quest to explore the correlation between his Indian-Surinamese roots, and global perceptions of what defines 'home'.
A Woman in Kurdistan
Follows a young Kurdish woman in Iraqi Kurdistan reflecting on freedom, identity, and womanhood, as she navigates the contrast between personal ambition and cultural expectations.
A Woman in Kurdistan
Follows a young Kurdish woman in Iraqi Kurdistan reflecting on freedom, identity, and womanhood, as she navigates the contrast between personal ambition and cultural expectations.
A Woman in Kurdistan
Follows a young Kurdish woman in Iraqi Kurdistan reflecting on freedom, identity, and womanhood, as she navigates the contrast between personal ambition and cultural expectations.
A Woman in Kurdistan
Follows a young Kurdish woman in Iraqi Kurdistan reflecting on freedom, identity, and womanhood, as she navigates the contrast between personal ambition and cultural expectations.
Feathers
A house party spirals into chaos when a group of teenagers overdose, turning a night of freedom and escape into total collapse.
Gallery
