Netflix has joined forces with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), to launch “Women in Film – Bring Your Story to Life”, a new pan-regional initiative for emerging Arab women filmmakers based in KSA, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait. This will grant female filmmakers across region the opportunity to learn from experts in the industry, providing the tools they need to develop a short film.
Commencing in November, 2024, the dree day workshop will take place between Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah, with all participants given the chance to visit Netflix’s production studios in Europe in early 2025.
How to Apply
- Open to female candidates between ages 21-27, residing in five Arab countries: UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait
- Submission deadline is September 8, 2024.
- Successful candidates will be announced on October 17, 2024.
“At Netflix, we are strongly committed to amplifying the voices of women in the region. This initiative further underscores our unfettered support for authentic storytelling and developing the region’s talent pipeline,” said Nuha Al Tayeb, Director, Content for Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey at Netflix. “Our long-standing partnership with AFAC has uncovered a generation of promising Arab talent, and we are dedicated to ensuring that women are represented both on and off camera.”
If there’s one thing that’s been proven in the last year alone, it’s that betting on female directors from the region pays off both critically and financially. Nayla Al Khaja, the UAE’s first female director, had both of her projects, Animal and The Shadow, acquired by Netflix, and her major film debut screened at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival, which is rapidly approaching later this year.
Netflix’s commitment to ensuring that all voices are heard from all over the world remains one of the biggest driving factors in the film world today, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds in store.