'Failed cricketer' and 'mother's disappointment' in conversation

THE occasionally hilarious side of intercultural complexity is about to be teased out when comedians Diana Nguyen and Osamah Sami join forces at the Eureka Centre as part of Ballarat Harmony Fest.

The two are appearing at the centre at 6pm on Wednesday 18 March for a special free conversation entitled The Whole Story: Representation in Intercultural Storytelling.

“Our contribution to Harmony Fest is a conversation between writer and comedian Diana Nguyen and two-time AACTA award-winning actor, author and comedian, Osamah Sami,” Eureka Centre manager Anthony Camm said.

“Diana will vivaciously guide this illuminating conversation between storytellers, as they reveal the whole story of their formative intercultural experiences, story writing processes, and how both have shaped their rich narrative worlds.”

Funny, clever and incredibly entertaining, Nguyen is a Melbourne-based creative whose work explores themes of identity, belonging and cultural complexities within Vietnamese-Australian families.

The good lie: Comedian Osamah Sami will appear in conversation at the Eureka Centre. Photos: SUPPLIED

Nguyen’s writing includes Five ways to disappoint your Vietnamese mother, Growing Up Asian, Melbourne Theatre Company’s co-adaption of Alice Pung’s award-winning book Laurinda, and her multi-award-winning web-series, Phi and Me, which The Age called a Top 5 show to watch in 2019.

She has appeared on ABC’s Q&A and was named in the 40 under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards in 2021.

Multi-award-winning actor, author, screenwriter and comedian, Sami describes himself as a failed cricketer and a struggling Muslim.

Born in war-torn Iran to Iraqi parents, Sami was raised largely in Australia and draws deeply from his lived experiences, writing authentic characters who often grapple with “the good lie” – living in conflict between family expectations and personal desires in a multicultural upbringing.

His memoir, Good Muslim Boy (2015) won the Multicultural category at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 2016 while his screen credits include House of Gods (2024), Tennessine (2023) and AACTA award-winning Ali’s Wedding (2017).