Menhaj Huda
(C. 1980-85)
OBA Alumni Hall of Fame

Menhaj Huda's film production career began with a vacation job as a runner with Fox Television in the US. On his return to the UK, and after a 3-month stint as a runner for Sky News, he successfully applied for a trainee video editor position. Over three years he made about thirty low budget promos and pop videos for a production company set up by himself and a fellow filmmaker.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Huda and his partner pitched an idea for a new music show to Channel 4. The idea became Hypnosis, first broadcast on 18 July 1993. They got the series and Huda officially became a director.

He went on to direct the cult UK/US music series Flava (Channel 4, 1996-7) and the second series of the critically acclaimed and controversial drama series Queer as Folk in 2000. His first feature film, Is Harry On The Boat?, was produced in 2001.

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A bawdy, ultimately moral tale of hedonism's complications, Is Harry on the Boat? is probably the most memorable film to come out of the culture of young singles' holidays on Ibiza. Tour rep Brad (Danny Dyer) is determined to win the informal competition among the male reps to sleep with as many female clients as possible, while his friend Mikey (Des Coleman) is looking for true love. Brad gradually learns responsibility and human concern from the awful examples set by corrupt manageress Alison and self-serving treacherous super-stud Mario. Along the way we get some memorably gross-jokes and one or two moments of rather touching tenderness, as well as a convincing portrait of what people go to Ibiza for--loud, large times of music and drunken excess. Dyer is convincing as a young man who learns better from experience and Des Coleman makes Mikey a three-dimensional, soulful romantic with a wicked sense of humour rather than merely Good personified.