CAIRO – 16 May 2018: Arab cinema has always enjoyed great success because of its filmmakers that have pushed it to new heights internationally. Egypt Today casts light on four Arab female filmmakers who could direct and produce blockbusters and make Arab cinema internationally recognized.
Kamla Abu Zekry
Kamla Abu Zekry-Snapshot of Youtube
After graduating from the High Cinema Institute, Kamala Abu Zekry started her career as co-director of “131 Ashghal” (131 Works) by Nader Galal in 1993. She went on and directed her first short film, “Qittar Al Sa’aa Al Sadisah” (The Six O’ Clock Train) in 1999. After working as a director’s assistant in several films, she made her first feature films, “Sanna Oula Nasb” (2004) and “Malek W Ketaba” (2005).
She had participated in several international and national film festivals, including the Cairo International Film Festival, the Dubai International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.
Sandra Nashaat
Sandra Nashaat -Snapshot of Youtube
Sandra Nashaat, 48, is an Egyptian film director. She attended Cairo’s Higher Film Institute while simultaneously studying French literature at Cairo University.
Her most famous movies are "Mallaki Iskandariya" (Private Alexandria, 2005), "Leh Khaletny Ahebak" (Why Did You Make Me Love You? 2000), "Haramia Fe KG 2" (Thieves in KG 2, 2001) and "Haramia Fe Thailand" (Thieves in Thailand, 2003).
In conjunction with the 2014 referendum on the Constitution, Nashaat released her short movie "Sharek" (Participate), in which she toured the governorates of Egypt.
In the same year, she documented the simplicity of the Egyptian people in her movie "The Dream", aiming to deliver ordinary citizens' requests to the president.
Haifaa Al Mansour
Haifaa Al Mansour-Snapshot of Youtube
Being best known as Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker to be internationally recognized with her work, Haifaa Al Mansour left for Egypt to study comparative literature at the American University in Cairo with the encouragement of her father, late Saudi poet Abdul Rahman Mansour.
The director, screenwriter and producer later completed a master’s degree in directing and film studies from the University of Sydney in Australia.
She started her directing career with three short films, including “The Only Way Out”, which won several international awards.
She was awarded at several reputable film festivals, such as Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.
Annemarie Jacir
Annemarie Jacir-Snapshot of Youtube
Palestinian filmmaker and screenwriter Annemarie Jacir is internationally recognized, as two of her films premiered as official selections at the Cannes Film Festival, one as an Academy Award qualifier and one in Venice.
She began her career working in theater; first in set design and then writing and directing plays. She then entered her career in cinema as an assistant on various sets.
Her first feature film, “Salt of this Sea”, was Palestine’s official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film and was also noted as the first feature film directed by a Palestinian woman. The film also won the prestigious FIPRESCI Critic’s Prize, as well as Best Film in Milan, Best Film in Traverse City and the Special Jury Prizes at both the Osians Asian and Arab Film Festival and Oran Festival of Arab Cinema.
Jacir’s most recent achievement is that her film “Wajib” received Best Film and Best Screenplay in the second edition of the Arab Critics Award presented at the Cannes Film Festival.
Comments
Leave a Comment