"Feel connected to humanity through humour."
★★★★' Fourth Wall
Aliya, an award-winning Toronto-based comedian and Canadian academy award-nominated actress, captivates audiences globally with her vibrant personality and sharp wit.
Her one-woman show, ‘Where You FROM, From?’ celebrated for its humor and deep engagement with themes of identity and belonging, has won accolades at Ottawa and Toronto Fringe Festivals. Aliya disarms audiences with her playful mischief, tackling complex topics like race, gender, and social labels with humor, sharing personal stories from her life as a nomad and debunking assumptions. Currently touring North America and developing her new show 'Drink, Pray, Love' in Australia, Aliya’s performances invite laughter while fostering a connection to humanity.
Notably nominated for her acting in 'Scarborough,' Aliya continues to expand her creative repertoire in film and television, maintaining a legacy of impactful entertainment.
ABOUT ALIYA
Aliya was elated to be nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Lead Role with the Canadian Screen Awards for her role as Ms. Hina in the Best Motion Picture film ‘Scarborough’. She has since had 2 other films premiere in TIFF, the film ‘Concrete Valley’ and ‘Seven Veils’, directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Amanda Seyfried, which brought her to the world-renowned film festival 3 years in a row! Catch her on the latest season of Law & Order: Toronto!
Aliya began her career in the arts at Second City, where she completed writing and Conservatory programs, and was then invited to join the competitive Bob Curry fellowship. During that time, she also wrote and performed with the sketch comedy troupe ‘Cookie Biscuits’, who were invited to be part of Toronto Sketchfest. In 2021, Aliya won a cash prize for the pitch competition with York Regional Arts Council competition. She has since written for the sketch comedy TV show ‘Abroad’ and was a finalist in the Just for Laughs script competition ‘Standup and Pitch’ for her comedy variety series, ‘HYPE’.
Aliya has performed at festivals around the world inluding the world renowned Just for Laughs Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Sydeny Comedy Festival, Chicago’s NBC/Second City Breakout Comedy Festival, SiriusXM’s Top Comic, Montreal’s LadyFest and the Seattle International Comedy Competition. She was a semi-finalist in the nation-wide NBC standup competition. She can be heard on the CBC LOL network, as well as SiriusXM.
This work and website are supported by funding from the Ontario Arts Council
