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Arab female film directors have helped change the landscape of Arab cinema in recent years, presenting stories that have not been told before and claiming a place in the industry in a region that rarely makes room for women’s development.
Four influential female directors take part in this year’s Red Sea Film Festival JeddahPaving the way for more diverse narratives in Arab cinema.
Bringing together 38 directors, the festival showcases Saudi Arabia’s heavy investment in film, gaming and sports as part of its broader transformation efforts. Some rights groups have criticized these actions, saying they serve to distract from the state’s human rights record, which includes high rates of executions and restrictions on free expression.
Cherian Dabis
Palestinian American filmmaker Cherian Dabis premieres his new film “All That’s Left of You,” a multi-generational story that traces one family’s experience with the 1948 Nakba. Arabic For extermination, mass expulsion of Palestinians Before and during the Arab–Israeli War that followed the establishment of Israel until 2022. The film deals with the themes of Palestinian displacement and personal loss.
He said, “It tells the story of a family over three generations and how they survived the Nakba in 1948 and the ongoing occupation.” “It gives people context about how we got to where we are today and shows how much Palestinians have had to endure over the last several decades.”
Born and raised in Dabis, United States of America The Palestinian-Jordanian parent said his passion and inspiration to become a filmmaker grew from the lack of authentic Arab and Palestinian representation in Western media. “I knew I wanted to delve into the world of storytelling to tell our authentic stories, because I couldn’t find ours anywhere else,” she said.
He said that growing up in America offered better opportunities for a career in cinema than in the Arab world, but the racism his family faced reinforced his desire to challenge harmful stereotypes. “My experience in the diaspora really compelled me to become a storyteller,” he said.
And she still struggled to be taken seriously, feeling pressure to adopt a more authoritative, even masculine tone to refute stereotypes about female directors. “There’s this image of women filmmakers as being overly emotional or unable to take control on set,” she said. “Many of us felt we had to overcome these unfair ideas.”
His film “All That’s Left of You” won the Silver Usser Feature Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival, which comes with a prize of $30,000.
Shahad Ameen
Saudi filmmaker Shahad Amin emerged as one of the standout voices at this year’s festival. Her latest film, “Hijra” won the Yusar Jury Award, marking another milestone in her career.
“Hijra” tells the story of three women – a grandmother and her two granddaughters – who traveled from Taif to Mecca to perform the Islamic pilgrimage Hajj. When a granddaughter suddenly disappears in the desert, the film searches for her in southern Saudi Arabia.
Amin traces his passion for filmmaking back to his childhood, which was inspired by the historical television dramas that once dominated Arab screens. “I felt that as Arabs we should make our own voices heard and not have someone else speak for us,” he said.
Amin said the changes taking place in Saudi Arabia and the growth of the Red Sea Film Festival have directly shaped his journey in filmmaking. “Ten years ago, we couldn’t even dream of this,” he said, calling the festival a turning point for cinema in the state.
She said filmmaking remains an uncertain path for Arab women, requiring continued perseverance with no guarantee of success. “Every film is a new beginning,” he said, adding that directors must repeatedly convince investors, festivals and audiences of their vision.
Amira Diab
Amira Diab’s filmmaking journey was not traditional. A former financial investment professional living in Manhattan, she felt attracted to him after watching the Oscar-nominated film “Omar” by Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad – who would later become her husband. The film and its association drew him into the world of cinema.
Diab studied film production in Los Angeles, while working with Abu-Assad as a producer. She directed two short films and collaborated on a series with her husband. One of his breakout moments came with the short film “As a Husband,” part of the Netflix anthology “Love, Life, and What’s Between.”
This film, which depicts the emotional conflict of life in the Palestinian territories, was very much liked by the audience. “People told me they saw a lot of themselves in it. That’s how life is in Palestine – joy turns to mourning, then turns to joy again. But there’s always a glimmer of hope,” she said.
Diab’s feature film “Wedding Rehearsal” began as a story rooted in the Palestinian territories, but took place in Egypt – a decision he felt expanded the cultural reach of the story. “Egypt has such a rich, diverse social fabric,” he said. “And I worked with amazing people like Nelly Karim and Sherif Salama. Egypt really embraced me.”
Even though she has experience in Hollywood, Diab is committed to telling Arab stories centered on women’s voices. “Women obviously see the world differently. That’s why our voices matter,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean men can’t write about women – it just means that certain emotional details can only be fully brought to the screen by women.”
zain durai
Zayn Durai said his love of filmmaking began at the age of 10 while watching “Titanic” with his father in Amman, Jordan. He found himself fascinated not by the love story, but by how the ship sank – how the film was made. That spark turned into a passion nurtured by school theater and later refined at Toronto Film School.
At the Red Sea International Film Festival, Zain premiered her first feature film, “Sink”, about a mother battling her mentally ill son, a subject that is often ignored in Arab cinema.
Durai started his career from the ground up, playing every role from production assistant, assistant director, producer, before directing his own films. “I carried heavy equipment up the mountains,” she recalls. “People told me, ‘That’s not a woman’s job,'” but that pushed her further. “I dabbled in everything in film production. I wanted to learn it all.”
Durie is known for tackling personal and social issues, particularly those related to mental health and the female experience. She said, “I love working in the psychology of drama, and I want to tell stories about women – but also break down stereotypes.” She said that Arab cinema is not there yet when it comes to gender inclusivity.