“In one decade, the change has been huge,” enthuses Nayla Al Khaja. “The amount of filmmakers appearing [in the UAE] has quadrupled.” If there’s one person to consult on the state of play within her industry, it’s Al Khaja. For the UAE, she’s a cinematic reference point, not only the first female Emirati film director, but also the founder of her region’s first film club, The Scene Club, a venture that today attracts more than 9,000 members. A winner of multiple-awards, she now counts Mercedes, Nike, Gucci and Canon among her client list, but Al Khaja’s ascension was not without its troubles. “My parents were completely opposed to it,” she admits. In some ways, it’s understandable; Al Khaja’s designs to establish herself as a film director did not follow the set path that many parents associate with the safety and success of their offspring. Nonetheless, she moved forward, jumping through various social hoops in order to secure a place on a four-year filmmaking course in Toronto. She returned to her home country in 2005 as its first female filmmaker, a feat that attracted media attention with accolades from the Washington Post and BBC.
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Despite her merits and recognition, it took time to reverse the resistance that Al Khaja faced from her family. Today, she sits among the Emirati women shifting stereotypes and conquering careers in military, ministry and as pilots and judges. “My films are geared towards social awareness, so now my parents are more accepting – but, it took a whole decade to turn it around,” she says. Ultimately, it was Al Khaja’s family that afforded her with her first glimpse into foreign cinema, with pre-Bollywood Indian films resonating at a time when Disney absorbed her peers. “My father was an avid collector of films from all over the world,” she recalls. In later years, another filmic influence came from time spent with the celebrated Abbas Kiarostami. The Iranian director usually worked with ‘real people’ that came without prior acting experience. “He taught me to have the guts to cast someone with no acting experience and to get the best out of them as a director.” Indeed, social commentary has been a recurring narrative within Al Khaja’s work. Her first short film, Arabana (2006), dealt with the subject of child abuse; it premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2007 and Al Khaja was subsequently awarded the title for ‘Best Emirati filmmaker’.
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Her most recent venture afforded her with a new first, the chance to film in Saudi Arabia with Arabic channel, Quest Arabiya. In a series of short films titled HAKAWI: Ambitious Saudi, Al Khaja shined a spotlight on KSA’s regional talent, reflecting the passions and interest of the next generation of youth. A pioneer much like Al Khaja, Raha Moharrak, one of her six profiles, was the first Saudi woman to conquer Mount Everest. “As a UAE national, all of my own stereotypes regarding Saudi were broken down,” says Al Khaja. “I found the girls and guys to be very relaxed, especially in Jeddah, a city which also has the most street art I’ve ever seen!” For Al Khaja, the discussion over gender doesn’t carry as much weight as one might expect. “Film doesn’t understand gender,” she notes. “It’s a very forgiving medium that carries longevity and flexibility. You can copy it and share your story across every country in the world.”
