Tanger-born Sanaa Hamri directs three episodes of ‘The Rings of Power’
Moroccan-American director Sanaa Hamri has directed three episodes of the new season of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Two have been available on Prime Video since Wednesday, November 11. The third will be released on November 18.
Of the eight episodes in this third season, three bear Sanaa Hamri’s signature. The filmmaker, who was born in Tangier, directed episodes 3 and 4, released on Wednesday, as well as the fifth, due next week. She shares directing duties with Swedish filmmaker Charlotte Brändström and British filmmaker Stefan Schwartz.
This new season takes viewers to five years after the fall of the Elven kingdom of Eregion. Middle-earth is ravaged by war, and Sauron seeks to forge the One Ring to impose his dominion. Elves, Dwarves and Men try to resist his armies.
Amazon has chosen to release the eight episodes in three waves. The first four have been available since November 11 in more than 240 countries and territories. Two more will arrive on November 18, followed by the final two on November 25, according to Prime Video’s official schedule.
From Tangier to major Hollywood productions
For Sanaa Hamri, this third season continues a collaboration that began in 2024, when she directed two episodes of the previous season. The filmmaker also has an overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios, which entrusted her with directing the first two episodes of “The Bondsman,” a fantasy series starring Kevin Bacon that was released in 2025.
Her career began far from television sets. After studying at Sarah Lawrence College in New York State, she trained in video editing before directing music videos for international artists. Prince, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige are among her collaborators. She worked with Prince for nearly fifteen years, serving as his artistic director, and directed the music documentary “The Adventures of Mimi,” about Mariah Carey.
The director then made her mark in Hollywood with “Something New” in 2006, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” in 2008 and “Just Wright” in 2010. On television, she has worked on “Desperate Housewives,” “Shameless” and “Empire,” a series on which she also served as executive producer.
Raised in Tangier by her Moroccan father, a painter, and her American mother, Sanaa Hamri maintains ties to her hometown. She divides her time between Morocco and Los Angeles and has expressed her wish to one day make a film about a Moroccan story.
