Nujoom Alghanem
Nujoom Alghanem is an Emirati poet, artist, scriptwriter and multi-award-winning film director, born in Dubai in 1962. She has published eight poetry collections and produced eleven films including five short fictions and six feature length documentaries. Her films have won local, regional and international prizes. She is the founder of Nahar Productions, a film production company based in Dubai and a professional trainer in filmmaking and creative writing. She has published eight poetry collections as well as produced and directed more than twelve feature films, some of which are fiction and documentaries.
Nujoom started her professional career in 1980. She worked as a journalist for more than ten years. After graduation, she became head of training in Emirates Media, one of Abu Dhabi’s largest media companies, then secretary of the Executive Committee and finally Director of New Media. She is considered an active and well-established writer and filmmaker in the Arab world. In 2013 she joined the board of Trustees of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, which is managed in association with the Man Booker Prize Foundation in London. She has also been involved as head of jury and jury member in numerous International Film Festivals and a judge in literal and art activities. In addition to producing her own films, Nujoom currently works as a film, media and cultural consultant as well as film instructor for some of the educational and professional institutes and organizations in UAE.
Nujoom graduated with MA in Media Production, School of Film, Griffith University in Australia in 1999. In 1996, she finished her Bachelor’s in Video Production from Ohio University in the United States.
She has received various awards and honours, some of which include: Sayidaty magazine’s Award for Excellence and Innovation (2016), L’Officiel Woman of the Year Awards (2010) in Literature, Most promising film director in Dubai International Film Festival (2008), Rashid Award for Scientific Outstanding (2003).
Some of her Honours include: Effat University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for taking an active part in the Gulf Cinema (2016) Filmi, part of Watani Al Emarat initiative for her contribution in the film movement in the UAE (2013).
Some of her Achievements include: Recognized for her contribution in filmmaking in the Gulf Region by the GCC Film Festival in Kuwait (2013), Recognised for her distinguished role in film production in the UAE (2014) Watani, Filmi Program, Selected among 11 women from around the Middle East for being un-stoppable by Femina Middle East magazine, Selected as the Personality of the Month by Emaratalyoum Newspaper in Dubai, December (2015)
Nujoom has published several outstanding books, some of them include: Evening of Paradise (1989) Writers & Literature Association, Bahrain ; Sins (1991) Writers & Literature Association, Bahrain ; Journeyings (1995) Dar Aljadeed Publishing Lebanon ; Homes of Pomegranates (1999) Arab Diffusion Company, Lebanon ; Indescribable (2005) Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Lebanon ; Angels of Distant Yearning (2008) Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Lebanon ; Heavy Night on the Night (2010) Qalam, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage -Cultural Foundation, UAE ; I Fall Into Myself (2012) Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Lebanon.
Some of her award-wining films include: Sharp Tools (2017)Feature Documentary ; Honey, Rain, & Dust (2016) Feature Documentary ; Nearby Sky (2014) Feature Documentary ; Sounds of the sea (2014) Feature Documentary ; Red Blue Yellow (2013) Feature Documentary ; The Young Fighter (2013) Short Documentary ; Amal (2011) Feature Documentary ; Salma’s Dinner (2011)Short Fiction ; Hamama (2010) Feature Documentary; Al Mureed (2008)Feature Documentary ; Between Two Banks (1999) Short Documentary ; The Park (1997) Short Fiction ; Ice Cream (1997) Short Fiction.
Website link: https://www.facebook.com/nujooma
