What took Oscar-nominated Emirati filmmaker Nahla Al Fahad from Dubai to Indian Ocean?

Dubai: On Emirati Women’s Day which was celebrated on August 28th, you’d expect the spotlight to fall on polished CEOs, ministers, or influencers in power suits. Instead, Oscar-nominated Emirati filmmaker Nahla Al Fahad is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, perched on a fishing boat, camera in hand, chasing stories of women who battle waves more ferocious than any corporate storm.

“Who would believe that I’m now in the south part of India, filming women in their houses and boats in the middle of the ocean?” she laughs.

“I’m proud of it — celebrating Emirati Women’s Day from here.”

Her upcoming feature documentary still in production, co-directed by Jibin Jose, takes her across India and Sri Lanka, shining a light on fisherwomen whose lives are defined by grit and grief.

“This film is about empowering women — the heroes who are facing the waves,” she explains.

“Powerful women are not only sitting behind desks in boardrooms. These women face death every day, just to look after their families and the economy.”

Among the women she’s met is a mother who lost her son to violence at sea in 2017.

“She found out through the news,” Nahla recalls. “After that, she refused to let her other children fish. Instead, she worked herself to the bone to send them to university. She lost one, and she wouldn’t risk losing more. Look at that strength.”

For Nahla, their courage mirrors her own fight as a filmmaker. “They are in a male-dominated world, just like us,” she says.

“People always ask me, why make movies in a field ruled by men? But we’re strong enough to make our way because we’re passionate. And I see the same passion in their eyes.”

Produced by Sarinlal, the film's director of photography is by Aadujeevitham cinematographer Sunil KS with creative direction by Rajesh James.

"It's an amazing team who want to tell compelling stories," said Nahla.

If you expected her to tell glossy tales framed against the Burj Khalifa, think again.

“The beauty of it is the surprise factor,” she says. “I’m from Dubai, surrounded by technology and advancement. But I wanted to do something else. I love travelling with my camera, meeting people whose stories never make the news. It’s our duty as filmmakers to give voice to the unknown.”

And this is no sparkling reality-show setup. “I hate that,” she says firmly. “These are real women with real stories. Their communities know them — who lost a husband, who lost a son. We just give them the space to speak. We don’t interfere.”

A filmmaker who bets on women

Her filmmaking journey is already trailblazing.

Her 2015 documentary Hijab, which tackled the politics of the veil, was shortlisted for the Oscars, putting her on the global map.

“We are preparing everything for this one too. I hope it gets appreciated globally,” she smiles.

But awards aren’t her only driver.

“Women’s stories always attract me,” she insists. “They’re emotional, powerful, and I feel it’s my responsibility to tell them. Women are heroes — 100%.”

She’s also producing a new project on a 60-year-old Palestinian woman whose grocery store was lost in the conflict. For Nahla, whether it’s fisherwomen at sea, Palestinians under siege, or Emirati women in boardrooms, the theme is consistent: courage against the current.

Being a woman director in the UAE has never been smooth sailing. “It’s hard, not easy,” she admits.

“Even if they have thousands of men’s clubs, it won’t stop us from doing what we love. Support often comes late — only after we’ve already achieved something. But we still go ahead and do it.”

Her family, once skeptical, now cheers her on. “My father used to ask, ‘How will you find a job?’” she says with a grin. “Now he shares ideas with me, even filming locations. He knows I can’t do anything else.”

And while she’s fiercely proud of Emirati cinema, she refuses to imitate Hollywood. “We have amazing Emirati stories that no one has told yet,” she says. “Why adapt someone else’s when we have our own heroes?”

She’s also blunt about how Emirati women are celebrated in fits and starts. “Why do I discover some women I’ve never heard of before, only on August 28?” she asks.

“Their achievements should be highlighted all year, not just one day.”

From Hijab to the Indian Ocean, Nahla Al Fahad has built a career out of swimming against the current — and loving it.

"Who would have thought an Emirati woman would be here, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, filming fisherwomen?” she asks with a laugh.

And maybe that is Nahla Al Fahad’s legacy: to go where no one expects her to, and to come back with stories powerful enough to move the world.