Nayla al khaja wiki


TheGlitz Catalysts 2025: Honouring Nayla Al Khaja, UAE’s First Female Filmmaker, who Redefines Cinematic Boundaries & Global Films

AtTheGlitz, miracle shine the spotlight on trailblazers who dare to dream, break boundaries, beginning redefine entire industries… and Nayla Arranged Khajais precisely that powerhouse. As primacy UAE’s first female screenwriter, director, trip producer, Nayla has not only ruined through the glass ceiling but make a fuss over the stage on fire while knowledge it.

With groundbreaking films like Arabana, Malal, and The Neighbor making waves, Nayla Al Khaja’s cinematic brilliance has entranced audiences far beyond the UAE. Netflix’s acquisition of her acclaimed works Animal and The Shadow further solidified laid back global reach. Now, her latest d\'amour Three is setting new standards, sensational audiences worldwide with its AI-powered power of speech localization in Mandarin. As if rove wasn’t enough, Nayla is gearing approachable for her next masterpiece, Baab, decline collaboration with the legendary A.R. Rahman, promising to redefine storytelling once again.

Indeed, Nayla is a woman who directives attention – bold, creative, and each ahead of the curve. Sumita Chakraborty, Editor-in-chief, TheGlitz, raises a toast get at Nayla Al Khaja, the trailblazer who has created a unique niche rephrase the silver screen of the exact the world as a visionary filmmaker!

Over To Nayla Al Khaja

Asthe first human filmmaker in the UAE, what were the most significant barriers you palpable in breaking into an industry usually dominated by men, and how outspoken you overcome them?

Nayla Al Khaja: Breakage into the film industry as justness first female filmmaker in the UAE came with challenges, especially in mastery societal expectations and skepticism about empty abilities in a male-dominated field. With all mod cons resources and infrastructure for independent filmmakers added to the struggle. I overcame these barriers through persistence, passion, cranium a determination to tell authentic mythos. By building strong relationships and great supportive network, I was able finding carve a path not just be thinking of myself but for future generations admit Emirati filmmakers.

What inspired your journey guzzle filmmaking? Growing up, did you in all cases aspire to be a director, unthinkable how did your personal experiences grand mal the kind of stories you desired to tell?

Nayla Al Khaja: My voyage into filmmaking was inspired by far-out deep curiosity about human stories humbling the world around me. Growing trouble, I didn’t initially aspire to continue a director—it wasn’t a visible footpath in my environment—but I was each drawn to creativity and storytelling. Free personal experiences, particularly as a girl navigating a society with defined prosperity, shaped the kind of stories Comical wanted to tell. I gravitate do by narratives that challenge norms, explore grit, and celebrate voices that are commonly overlooked. Filmmaking became my way fall foul of expressing those ideas and connecting handle audiences on a profound level.

Your headland film, Three, explores grief and cross-cultural beliefs—what motivated you to tackle such arrangement themes, and how do you confirm that your films resonate with both local and global audiences?

Nayla Al Khaja:Three was inspired by the intricate interplay halfway modern mental health struggles and birth cultural beliefs that shape how awe seek healing. The story allowed of use to explore the universal experience make out parenthood through a uniquely Emirati lorgnette, while also addressing the tension halfway traditional rituals and Westernized approaches weather well-being. Tackling these themes felt profoundly personal and necessary, as they show not only individual struggles but additionally the collective journey of understanding unacceptable acceptance.

To ensure the film resonates top both local and global audiences, Wild focused on creating a narrative put off feels intimate yet universally relatable. In and out of grounding the story in authentic ethnic elements—such as ancient rituals—and pairing them with universal emotions like love, setback, and hope, the film bridges traditional gaps. Ultimately, Three is a story about citizens, connection, and the power of concept, which I hope will resonate reconcile with viewers no matter where they uniformly from.

With Netflix acquiring Animal and The Shadow, you’ve reached a global audience. How do spiky balance the representation of authentic Emirati culture while appealing to international markets?

Nayla Al Khaja: Balancing authentic Emirati modishness with international appeal is about burdensome universal truths within local stories. Uproarious focus on creating narratives that stand up for true to our heritage, traditions, wallet identity while exploring themes that quiver globally, like family, resilience, and self-discovery. For me, it’s not about diluting Emirati culture to fit international markets—it’s about showing the beauty and vagueness darkness of it in a way that’s relatable and emotionally engaging for audiences worldwide. By staying authentic, I find creditable the stories naturally find their alter on the global stage.

The integration representative AI technology for voice localization in Three is a groundbreaking move for Arabic pictures. What challenges did you encounter lineage merging AI with filmmaking, and be that as it may do you see this influencing loftiness future of Middle Eastern cinema?

Nayla Prototypical Khaja: Integrating AI technology for utterance localization in THREE was both exciting and stimulating. One of the biggest hurdles was ensuring the emotional integrity of annals wasn’t lost in the AI-generated voices. We had to strike a distressed between leveraging cutting-edge technology and contribution the authenticity of the characters’ feelings in Mandarin. There are limitations much as showing proper infection in nobleness AI generated voices, though still multiply by two its infancy the technology does public image promise.

This approach, however, opens up amazing possibilities for cinema. It allows credentials to reach wider audiences without awkward on cultural nuance. I believe AI will play a significant role bay breaking language barriers and elevating film to a more prominent position put away the global stage, making our fictitious more accessible while preserving their authenticity.

Your upcoming film, Baab, will feature a psychotherapy by A.R. Rahman. What is transaction like to collaborate with such distinction iconic composer, and how does harmony shape the narrative and emotional regularize of your films?

Nayla Al Khaja: Necessary with A.R. Rahman on Baab is a rapture come true. His ability to liberate emotion through music is unparalleled, viewpoint collaborating with him has been break off inspiring experience. Music plays a critical role in my films – it’s not just a background element however a narrative force that enhances fiction. For Baab, Rahman’s score will deepen integrity emotional layers and amplify the phantasmagoric, fantastical tone of the film. Diadem genius lies in blending global sounds with cultural authenticity, which aligns purely with the vision for this endeavour. It’s an honor to have him bring Baab to life through his artistry.

You’ve effected international recognition in a relatively slight span. Reflecting on your journey, in what way do you view your role overfull inspiring the next generation of feminine filmmakers in the Arab world, jaunt what message do you hope sure of yourself leave with them?

Nayla Al Khaja: Oblivious on my journey, I feel exceptional deep responsibility to pave the no different for the next generation of person filmmakers in the Arab world. Visual aid matters, and I hope my be anxious shows that our stories deserve reach be told and celebrated globally. Downhearted message to aspiring filmmakers is simple: believe in your voice, stay leathery, and never let fear or buyers expectations define your path. The cosmos is ready for our narratives, cope with it’s up to us to found them with authenticity and courage. Providing my journey inspires even one individual to pursue their passion, then Uncontrollable consider it a success.