Maram Taibah

Once upon a time, there was a young woman, educated, curious, and searching for her life’s calling. She was, in other words, venturing out on a quest that could only be completed with persistence and self-growth. If you think this sounds like the outline of a fairytale, you’d be correct. But it’s also the trajectory of Maram Taibah’s life, a Saudi screenwriter, director, and novelist.  

In pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, Maram was unsure of where her professional endeavors would take her. It wasn’t until she took a screenwriting course that “something just clicked, [a career in film] suddenly felt accessible, and it suddenly felt like a possibility,” she says.  

Without further ado, her “odyssey of self-discovery” took flight. With a master’s from Boston University in hand, Maram set out to find her place in the world of film. She worked for Telfaz11 producing improv scenes for release on YouTube, wrote screenplays, and even finished a novel while lodging in the faraway wooded realm known as Canada. But no matter which direction she turned, Maram couldn’t seem to reach the pot of gold at the end of her rainbow. “It was hard…all the attempts that I threw out into the world…kind of bounced back. I dropped off the film landscape because I felt like I didn’t know where I was headed.” When endless avenues had been explored—multiple continents, different jobs, new interests—but she was still coming up empty, Maram began to look inward. 

“I went through a deep process of getting to know myself, and what it is that I believe in, what it is that I wanted to do,” Maram remembers.  “And then I rediscovered fiction.” A melting pot for turmoil and triumphs, a place where realities can be imagined, then reimagined all over again, a space where creative freedom holds a magnifying glass to real-life challenges. For years, Maram had been wrestling with potent questions surrounding female sovereignty: “I had been struggling to define that for myself, to get it for myself, to create it for myself,” Maram says. Born from this inner negotiation was her short film, Malika. It’s the story of a little girl who goes on a fantastical expedition to find her grandmother’s lost crown and, on the way, learns to be a queen.  

Shortly after beginning the script, Maram saw an ad on Instagram and applied for a program that would provide three female filmmakers with mentorship and funding. Maybe it was a wish upon a lucky star, the wave of a magic wand, or perhaps her principled dedication to her craft; no matter, Maram and her short film, Malika, were chosen. 

Malika was the first short film she shot in Jeddah. Maram fondly reminisces about the “camaraderie and deep respect” shared amongst everyone on the set. Logistically, the story came to life with Maram’s impeccable communication. She learned to share her thoughts visually; the many pitch decks she presented to various departments allowed her to vividly relay her ideas, leading to efficient precision when it came time to film. As the team familiarized themselves with each other, hurdles like budget restraints were overcome by leaning on the strengths of the group. The film was a beautiful success, attracting a nomination from the Red Sea International Film Festival and winning Best Canadian Short Film at the Toronto Arab Film Festival. These accomplishments, though they may have concluded one adventure, gave way to a profound and fulfilling enterprise. 

Today, Maram has just finished writing the second draft of her first feature film, a rescue story that is a continuation of Malika. Her thoughts on the endeavor: “I am in a state of blissful denial…I am determined to take it step by step because it’s very easy for a film like this to be super overwhelming.” Simultaneously, she’s chasing the publication of her fiction novel. Juggling all her dreams as they transpire into reality, Maram is no stranger to challenges. But much like the characters she writes into existence, her experiences have given her the skills to persevere. 

When roadblocks appear, and “you’ve painfully let go of an expectation that you’ve been building…You eventually dive into yourself,” Maram explains. “You ask yourself, ‘Who are you without all these dreams and all these successes or failures?’ You have to be able to find that place of contentment, whether you do succeed or you don’t.”  Rooting herself in something deeper, beyond ambitions and expectations, gives Maram the courage needed to continue her fantastical journey of creating stories and sharing them with the world.

Follow her journey on Instagram at @maram.taibah!

Written by Sydney Leclerc