fiction.wikisort.org - Director

Search / Calendar

Nāyla al-Khāja (Arabic: نايلة الخاجة‎, born 7 March 1978) is the first female film writer, director and producer in the United Arab Emirates. al-Khaja films have participated in more than 42 festivals worldwide.

Nayla Al Khaja
Nayla Al Khaja in 2015
Born (1978-03-07) 7 March 1978 (age 44)
Dubai
NationalityEmirati
OccupationDirector, producer
Spouse
Christian Peter
​
(m. 2016)​
Relatives
  • Dana Peter (Daughter)
  • Noah Peter (Son)

In 2006, al-Khaja wrote and directed her first short film, Arabana, which premiered at DIFF 2007, and she was awarded Best Emirate Filmmaker at the event. Since her debut, she has written and directed five more short films: Once (2009), Malal (2010) and The Neighbor (2013), Animal (2016), The Shadow (2019). In October 2016, al-Khaja shot a pilot for her first feature film, Animal, and it was presented at DIFF 2016. The film also received the Jury’s Special Prize for Best Short Fiction at the Italian Movie Award in Pompeii, Italy, in September 2017. Nayla also won a seat at the prestigious Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival 2018.

In March 2021, the BBC purchased the rights to broadcast Animal and The Shadow. In April 2021, it was announced in global media outlets, that a series from a concept al-Khaja devised will become an anthology. The first season, The Alexandria Killings, will have Oscar-winning Director Terry George at the helm. al-Khaja will be credited as Executive Producer for the series. She is also currently working on a family adventure film, Magic Carpet, as well as her own debut feature film, Three, both of which are slated for release in 2022.

al-Khaja is the CEO of Nayla Al Khaja Films, a Dubai-based company previously named D-Seven Motion Pictures, and is also founder of The Scene Club, Dubai’s first film club, launched in 2007.


Beginnings


Holder of a degree in Mass Communication from Dubai Women's College, she graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor in Image Studies and Filmmaking from Ryerson University (Canada). When she returned to Dubai, she directed and produced the documentary Unveiling Dubai. Supported by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirates’s Minister of Higher Education, the film premiered at the 2006 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Al Nahyan then officially announced al-Khaja as the first woman filmmaker in the United Arab Emirates.


Filmmaker


al-Khaja first 8mm work was a film called Sweet Sixteen (1996). It was entirely shot in the deserts of Mirdif and was immediately followed by The Will (released in 2003), in collaboration with Tim Smythe, from the Dubai production company Film works. She experimented with the documentary style with 3adi.com (1998), followed by two narratives, Cockroach (2004) and The Loss (2005). In 2006, Al Khaja wrote and directed her first commissioned short film, Arabana about child abuse (with the support of UNICEF), which premiered at DIFF 2007. That year, she was also awarded the title of Best Emirati Filmmaker. Since then, she has written and directed three more short films: Once (2009), Malal (2010) and The Neighbor (2013). Malal received the Muhr Emirati Award at DIFF 2010, and The Neighbor was awarded Best Emirate Film at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Film Festival. In October 2016, she shot the pilot of her first feature film, Animal, nominated for the Muhr Emirati Awards at DIFF 2016. This short film received the Jury’s Special Prize for Best Short Fiction at the Italian Movie Award in Pompeii, Italy, in September 2017. Animal also received the Jury Award in the "Narrative Film" category at the Ras Al Khaimah Fine Arts Festival (United Arab Emirates) in February 2018. Since 2017, Al Khaja has been developing her first feature film, Animal, and was awarded an accreditation to present the project at the Producers Network during the Cannes Film Festival (France) in May 2018.


Entrepreneur


Nayla al-Khaja Films (previously D-Seven Motion Pictures)

Since its inception in 2005, Nayla al-Khaja's production house, D-Seven Motion Pictures, has focused on the local production of various films, fully developed and produced ‘in-house’, bringing a wealth of experience and cultural knowledge to national and international projects. Over the years, she has produced in numerous promotional films and TV commercials in the United Arab Emirates local and international brands.

In 2015, her company was hired by Discovery Studios to produce and prepare a reality show highlighting the best of Dubai, while empowering women. E!, the largest American reality-show network, bought the rights for the show and D-Seven Motion Pictures line-produced its pilot, the first of its kind to be entirely shot in Dubai. The same year, the Dubai Film and TV Commission asked al-Khaja’s company to shoot a behind-the-scenes film for Star Trek Beyond to highlight Dubai as a regional filming hub.

In 2017 D-Seven Motion Pictures re-branded to Nayla Al Khaja Films.

As well as filmmaking, the studio has produced commercial films for local and international brands including Mercedes, BMW, Vogue, Nike, Nivea, Gucci, Samsung, Canon, LG, Maggi, and Neutrogena.

The Scene Club

al-Khaja established The Scene Club, the United Arab Emirates' first film club, in 2007. The Scene Club (22,000 registered members) has been continuously presenting a wide selection of independent movies and award-winning films in their original format to United Arab Emirates audiences.

Cultural Consultant

Al-Khaja is considered a reference in the Middle East being from the United Arab Emirates. al-Khaja has worked as a cultural consultant on both film and television projects across the Gulf. She was hired by Maserati for a campaign that highlighted Ramadan in KSA and has also worked on series that celebrated Saudi achievers for Quest Arabiya.

Motivational Speaker

Fluent in Arabic and English, al-Khaja has been registered at the London Speaker Bureau for more than ten years. She is also registered at MENA Speakers and has given TED Talks. al-Khaja speaks on Arab women stereotypes, how to stand out in a male-dominated industry, the crux of gender balance, and how to combat fear and chase one’s dreams. She frequently travels abroad to speak in international keynotes about cinema, entrepreneurship, culture, youth motivation and women's empowerment in the Middle East.


Influence


Since 2011, Nāyla al-Khāja has been a Brand Ambassador for Canon Middle East and is in constant demand as a collaborator for high-profile brands such as Porsche, Damas and Sunday Riley. Since October 2017, she has directed and appeared in her own YouTube web-series #NaylaFlogs, in which she shares her life as a filmmaker with her followers.


Filmography



Film awards



Accolades (summary)



References





    Personal Life


    A graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, Nayla resides in Dubai and is married to a Swiss National with whom she has two children.



    Текст в блоке "Читать" взят с сайта "Википедия" и доступен по лицензии Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike; в отдельных случаях могут действовать дополнительные условия.

    Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.

    2019-2025
    WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии