Lama Alsharhan

LA26 Industry Builder Fellow

Have you ever walked into a room of people whom you thought were more knowledgeable than you, who have seemingly better-equipped resumes, who appear to be of a higher caliber of experience and talent?  You enter this room of peers, and immediately, you feel a spotlight shining down on you and all of your insecurities. The voice inside of you says that you don’t belong – that you’re an imposter. Aspiring Saudi filmmaker, writer, and director, Lama Alsharhan, knows this feeling of imposter syndrome, but her expertise is in the poise it takes to conquer this mountain of the mind…

Ahlam Alzahrani

LA26 Maflam Fellow

When’s the last time you got chills? Not the shivering kind. I’m talking about hair-standing, spine-twitching chills. The kind you get when you witness your first wedding. Or when, after opening hundreds of rejection letters, you finally get a job offer. Or when a loved one welcomes a baby into the world. The example looks different for each of us, but the feeling – the emotion attached to the moment – is something we’ve all experienced. It’s a feeling we share. Saudi-based film editor and sound designer Ahlam Alzahrani knows what it’s like to chase that soul sensation and to listen to its call. She strives to…

Mysoon AlRammal

LA26 Industry Builder Fellow

Think back to childhood. Where does your mind go? Swirling around those memories likely lives a fondness for nostalgic cartoons. Why is it that, societally, we present our children with these animated films? It’s simple, really: they harness the ability to introduce important topics in a gentle yet powerful way. So powerful that their lessons stick with us for a lifetime. Animation can do the same for adults. That potential is not lost on Saudi-based visual development artist and producer Mysoon AlRammal…

Reem Alabdulkarim

LA26 Finalist

There’s a saying in Arabic that goes, “خيرة” – that is to say, things happen in the highest good, even when we can’t see it. The story of Reem Alabdulkarim, a Saudi-based storyboard artist and animator, breathes life into these words. In retrospect, her story is one that captures…

Nada Al-Qawasmeh

LA26 Finalist

To feel like an outsider is to feel human. Believing that you don’t belong in a given group is certainly not a desired experience, but indeed a natural one, if we are honest with ourselves. And perhaps, it’s one that builds character. Up-and-coming art director and stop-motion animator Nada Al-Qawasmeh was born in Jordan but raised in Saudi Arabia. Defining where it is that she fits was a challenge that posed itself early on in her life, yet tracking this universal emotion through the unveiling of her creative career is a sight to behold…

Dahlia Baeshen

There’s a thirst for knowledge that lives within all of us. Its purpose is to build momentum that pushes us to connect with one another through shared humanity. Commonalities can be discovered between every corner of the world. Film – the marriage of words, environments, sounds, cultures – is one of the most natural ways to extend these bridges. It’s this ideology that drew Dahlia Baeshen, a Jeddah native, into the industry. The now-established screenwriter and producer was once…

Mana Almajd

No one definitively knows how their words will affect another; how a sentiment will sink into someone’s behind-the-scenes story; the kind of power that simmers within a sentence. What is certain, though, is the great responsibility one has when sharing their words on a public platform, and the even greater opportunity it presents to use spoken art as a means to spread the healing properties of positivity. This is precisely why Mana Almajd, the Saudi founder of…

Amal Aljohani

Life offers few moments that stop us in our tracks, flip our perspective upside down, and tear through our projection of the future. “I’m a cancer survivor” – words spoken by Saudi filmmaker and post-production professional Amal Aljohani. “I’ve seen life in black and white. Life and death become so real,” she continues, “So, why would I give up on my dreams?… If you have a rebel soul, you have to go for it.” The following is not a presentation of illness, nor recovery, but rather the story of a woman who refuses to settle for less than her dream of succeeding in the world of film…

Malak Quota

There’s a place that unites our uniqueness, fuses raw reality with anonymity, and captures potent emotion in a whimsical, flat-screen window. That place is Malak Quota’s world of imagination poured into beautiful animation. Malak is an established director, animator, and writer who grew up in Saudi Arabia and is now…

Rana Matar

Determination is an invaluable trait, a fact known very well by Rana Matar, a 22-year-old director who has built quite an impressive resume by proving the significance of her work through protecting and honoring her creative voice, a way of being that she first formulated while pursuing…

Hanaa Saleh Alfassi

Before her discussions around television deals, before being selected for multiple Red Sea International Film Festival workshops, there was just a girl who craved the creative expression of storytelling. For her, it was a fact of life. This girl was Hanaa Saleh Alfassi, a Saudi-born screenwriter and…

Khawlah Halawani

Picture the Bajdah Desert’s red sand baked by 27°C (81°F) temperatures. You’re dripping, not with water, but with sweat. Long, yet gripping hours fill the day. Does it sound like an ideal work environment? For Khawlah Halawani – a freelance second assistant camera operator and still photographer based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – this type of challenging setting is exactly what she craves. In fact, it’s right where she found herself after landing a position in the camera department of Hollywood’s…

Nourah Aladwan

LA26 Maflam Fellow

It’s no secret that a country is defined by more than the shape its borders make. The history, the rich culture, the traditions; those are what our flags truly represent. Art – animation, to be specific – presents a beautiful opportunity to share these foundational roots with nations near and far. Nourah Aladwan, Saudi based creative director and 3D artist, has a deep sense of pride for her home. She leverages her unique skillsets to…

Joanna AlFattani

LA26 Industry Builder Fellow

Are there invisible strings tying us to our future? Or is our life what we make it? On one hand, we’re all born with our own unique set of skills and talents. But, on the other, “we are responsible for defining our own direction and destination in life,” says Joanna AlFattani, a Saudi multimedia designer and animator. Perhaps, the truth is somewhere in the middle; a combination of both. Joanna’s story is the perfect example…