Bazaar Meets 6 Pioneering Female Film Directors From The Region
- Salma Azzam
- Jun 6, 2023
- 3 min read
We talk power moves, artistic platforms and shattering cultural norms with the film industry's cinematic trailblazers, in association with Bottega Veneta.
As the curtain lifts on the 14th annual Dubai International Film Festival, Bazaar talks to six pioneers guiding the changing face of an embryonic-cum-contemporary regional film industry, each representing a proliferation of creatives using their work as a mouthpiece for the Middle East. Directors, producers, writers and filmmakers, each with their own definitive experience of life in this region, they use their unique cinematic narratives to bring our culture to the fore. By chronicling history and amplifying perspectives of society in 21st century Arabia and beyond, these visionaries cast light over a region oft shrouded in mystery. They are leaders in their fields and where they go, hopefully many more will follow, allowing a burgeoning film movement to blossom into a mature industry.
The stars align further more so when creative fields converge. Cinema has long-influenced fashion, with archival kinships dating back to the birth of cinema in the late 19th century. On a present day playing field, one fashion force heralding innovation, creativity, and artisanship in the arts is Bottega Veneta, an Italian house steeped in tradition and history. With a deep-rooted vision for attention to detail, high precision and relentless perfectionism, which sees it turn leather craftsmanship into a true art form, the house pays homage in parallel to the same masterful characteristics in other cultural fields. Last month Bottega Veneta hosted the Hammer Gala for the fourth year running, in celebration of visionary creatives who have changed the landscape of the arts. This month, the brand focuses its attention on film, illuminating the achievements of the six Middle Eastern women in our story. Through Bottega Veneta’s mutual affiliation with cultural creativity, it helps draw attention to relevant narratives from a contemporary Middle East, whilst strengthening the bonds between fashion and film even further. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship that coexists through a mutual language of vision, evolution, and originality, and one that Bazaar is always happy to celebrate.
Salma Azzam
20, Syrian, Director
“I fell in love with film because it sends a message, and it literally has the power to make dreams come true. So that is what I hope to do. I work on commercials, documentaries, shorts, and I write a lot, too. But when I started, I knew nothing. I didn’t even know how to hold a camera. But I’ve learned day by day and now I have the education to start a film from scratch – from an idea, to a script, to take it all the way to the credits. I want to specialise in directing, but what I say is, ‘I can do whatever you want’.
“I know the roles of all the crew members, because in order to understand where you’re coming from and to be a good director, you need to understand all points of view. What excites me the most about the film industry here is the opportunities. That’s why I came to the UAE – here they give you the support you need. And there’s no other place in the Middle East that will give you the same experience. I believe any soul can do whatever they want to, it just depends how strong you are. It’s all about your drive. What drives me is to create a better future through filmmaking. We can change worlds.
“I want to help people be heard, to show we’re always here for each other, and that can be translated very easily through film. That’s why I would love to see more feature films being produced here. The UAE has a beautiful amount of filmmakers here who would kill to get that opportunity to speak up and get the UAE’s name out there as much as it should be. It would unite people too, as we’d all be working together for the same cause.”
