Ali Rusu-Tahir

Alia “Ali” Rusu-Tahir isn’t exactly your run-of-the-mill actress. Born in France, Moroccan and Romanian roots, then shuffled from city to city across Canada – talk about a blended backdrop. Her mom’s the kind of person who can design a building and write a killer short story in the same week, while her dad spends his time tinkering with computer science puzzles. Not your average family dinners, I’d guess. Ali’s probably best recognized for her role as Sasha in Kryptic, a psycho-thriller that had its big moment at SXSW 2024. That film? Yeah, it’s got some serious buzz. But she’s not just a one-trick pony. She’s popped up in a bunch of indie shorts, most notably Passiflora, which spins a queer love story and got a pretty warm reception at the Crazy8s Gala. Not everyone gets to see their work on that kind of stage, so, you know, props to her. She didn’t just stumble into acting, either. Ali earned her BFA in acting from UBC in Vancouver back in 2021, and she’s still grinding away at her craft at Terry Knickerbocker Studio in Brooklyn. So, no, she’s not phoning it in—she’s that person who’s genuinely obsessed with the work. Theatre? Oh, she’s got receipts. She’s been in productions like Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, Problem Child, and Seven Minutes in Heaven—plus a bunch more. And because apparently sleeping is overrated, Ali also makes music and writes. Does she ever chill? Doubt it.