Nayla Al Khaja
Filmmaker

Nayla Al Khaja, was not deterred by the fact there was no film industry to speak of in the UAE, nor any role models to guide her in her career choice. After graduation she went about making short films and hit the jackpot with her first film, Arabana, which won a lot of praise for its dark overtones and controversial subject matter. It touched on the sensitive topic of child abuse, and was used by UNICEF in one of its awareness campaigns.

At 33, Nayla is known as the UAE's first female film producer/director and Canon Middle East brand ambassador. In January 2012 she launched a new film club in Abu Dhabi known as 'Aflam,' which was founded by her company D-SEVEN Motion Pictures. The club will serve as a platform to significantly boost and support Arab filmmakers. Nayla's long term goal is to produce commercial films for the UAE people by the UAE people and develop a film economy. By doing this she hopes to change the stereotypes that are often presented in imported film.