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 based Dubai. Her resume includes short films that have not only screened but also won at international festivals, such as short film, With Time, and short animation, Free as a Bird, among others. Included within her accolades is the award-winning VR experience, Surrounded Serenity, that was showcased at SIGGRAPH 2024 and won awards across multiple festivals, including Best VR & 360 Experience at the Castle Film and Media Awards. The reality of an outwardly successful career is that, behind the scenes, there’s an ocean that ebbs and flows, oscillating between highs and lows—and usually, the magic is found within the waves. Let’s dive into it, shall we?
Malak earned her undergraduate degree from Otis College of Art and Design, then went on to receive her MFA in Animation from the University of Southern California. After school, the world before her became a storyboard, her career like carefully sketched frames, and she was holding the pen. She had a vision of where she wanted to end up: “I love directing. I love imagining how a scene, how cameras, lights, all of that [comes] together. It’s about having that larger focus… the aesthetics of how you frame a story or a narrative visually.” She was determined to lead the charge of blending real life and fantasy. But the in-between—the steppingstones that would bring her from being a graduate with big dreams to a professional who’s achieved those dreams—had not yet revealed themselves.
A young woman in a young industry, Malak was tasked with pioneering her own path. “I remember I was just on my computer, really depressed one day…I was working in production houses, kind of lost in my jobs because nobody [was] going to hire me as a director at my age.” Eventually, she secured funding to make one of her first short films, which was a hybrid between live action and animation. Malak says, “It was my first time really understanding what it means financially to make a film.” This initiated a mindset pivot. Malak began to think of herself as an investment; her storytelling was a business, and with enough support and hard work, it would become profitable.
With that, to supplement her projects, she found perhaps the only creative outlet that guarantees a reward; she became a professor. She chose to keep her own imagination burning by igniting the sparks in inquiring minds. A beautiful contribution to an ever-evolving industry, Malak provides the up-and-coming with a supportive, wisdom-rich environment to kick-start their careers.
All the while, Malak never yields when it comes to working on her original material. Needless to say, she juggles a lot. There are days when she questions her professional endeavors: “I still [think], maybe I should open a bakery one day. It’s tough. I think it’s always highs and lows. There are definitely moments where I’m really low and I’m done. I hate getting rejections.” But then, the tides change. A new opportunity never ceases to emerge, reminding her that sometimes, it just takes patience and persistence. One of the most refreshing ways to snap back into this mindset is through the power of community. In comes the grounding effects of a film festival: “It’s great to go there and see how people are still very much supportive… if there are other people who are still struggling, you see a little bit further outside your shell and understand that it’s not always personal. When it’s time, it’s time.” Intentionally surrounding herself with a creative community pushes her to persevere.
A testament to her ambition to grow with the industry, Malak is closing in on her goals with determination and grit: “I haven’t made the film that I’m like, yes, this is what I want,” she says. Infused with tireless passion, she’s using her innovative style of melting reality and animation into an impactful and moving experience for the audience.
Follow Malak’s journey on Instagram at @malaak.b.q!
Written by Sydney Leclerc
