Arab cinema has always flourished and has always broken boundaries. Every now and then some names make their way to the international clouds. Maybe many acclaimed filmmakers have been making waves for years; or for days, but we decided to shed light on girl power this time. Those five female filmmakers give us just one more reason to be proud of how Arab we are.
Haifaa Al Mansour
The Saudi filmmaker is best known for being the Kingdom’s first female filmmaker and her 2012 production, Wadjda. Her award-winning feature film has garnered massive global attention as it was named winner in several reputable film festivals as Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.
Reem Ali
The Syrian actress and film director is well known for her documentary, Foam, produced back in 2006. The documentary gave Reem’s name access to the international scene as she participated in festivals such as Rotterdam International Film Festival and Carthage Film Festival.
Leyla Bouzid
Tunisian Leyla Bouzid is best known for her 2012 production, As I Open My Eyes, which was directed and co-written by her. It was also named the winner in Venice Film Festival and Dubai International Film Festival.
Annemarie Jacir
Not just that she’s multitalented, but the Palestinian filmmaker has a decent portfolio of works that has gained international recognition too. Jacir’s most recent achievement is that her award-winning film, Wajib, just proudly won Best Film and Best Screenplay in the second edition of the Arab Critics Award presented at the Cannes Film Festival.
Nadine Labaki
Lebanese actress and director has been making waves for so long we cannot just miss her out. Her recent feature, Capernaum, is currently competing for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Not just that, but guess what? It just landed her a $1.3 million deal with Sony Pictures Classics.