Khalid Hussain

Khalid Hussain is a Norwegian-Pakistani writer and film producer. Hussain was born in 1969 in Pakistan, and moved to Norway without his parents in 1975. He came to attention after writing the book Pakkis in 1986 when he was 16 years old. The novel sold over 60,000 copies. A second edition of Pakkis in 2005 attests to the continued need to tell the story of young immigrant experiences. Pakkis has also been performed in the theater.

Hussain’s second novel, Evil Landscape, was published in 1990. Hussain has since turned to filmmaking. His best-known film, Import Eksport (2005), presents a humorous depiction of romance between a Pakistani girl and Norwegian boy. Through this new genre, Hussain has continued the critical stance he had begun in Pakkis to expose the ways in which both immigrant and ethnic Norwegian cultures present challenges to immigrant youth striving to find their unique place in Norwegian multicultural society.

Hussain has written and directed several short films and directed two feature films in Pakistan: Dharkan and Jan Jan Pakistan. Hussain visits high schools to discuss his writing and life as an immigrant teenager.

Author photo credit: Filmhuset Productions