Inside Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja's unique iftar at her Dubai home: 'I’ve always lived life on my own terms'

Dubai: “We don’t eat a lot while ending our fast during Ramadan,” says Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja, reaching for a single date and a glass of water on her table.

“You start with something small and then you go pray. After that, we come back for the main meal.”

It is a moment of quiet simplicity, and perhaps the most revealing way to understand Nayla, the fierce Emirati filmmaker who has always broken the proverbial glass ceiling.

For this special Iftar edition of Dine With The Stars with Manjusha Radhakrishnan, the pioneering talent invited us into her villa in Al Furjan in Dubai for her favourite sunset meal. There is something disarmingly intimate about being welcomed into an Emirati household during Ramadan: a time when homes open up and conversations flow as easily as the food. Her young twins Noah and Dana were out to play with her charming Swiss husband Christian Peter. It's truly a multicultural family and that was evident in her choice of Iftar spread.

Instead of an elaborate Emirati spread, the table is refreshingly unfussy. There are dates to break the fast, homemade maamoul biscuits from her mother — and then, unexpectedly, a plate of aglio e olio pasta and garlic bread, one of her favourite comfort meals, materialises in front of us.

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She laughs at the contrast. She promises that our next meal would be at her late grandmother's home with traditional delicacies. But for now, she craved Italian food and without worrying about expectations, she leaned right into that choice.

“Whoever knows me extremely well knows that my favourite is Thai and Italy's aglio e olio - the spaghetti, garlic, and olive oil is pure divine,” she says with an exaggerated accent and twirling the pasta. “It’s so basic, but so good.”

It’s a scene that perfectly captures the filmmaker’s personality.

For someone often described as a bold voice in Emirati cinema, Nayla is surprisingly unpretentious at home. She marches to her own tune and naturally, she prefers to keep things real with some good food and easy conversation that moves effortlessly between filmmaking, family and the deeper meaning of Ramadan.

“I’d rather die knowing I tried,” she says at one point, reflecting on the risks she has taken to pursue filmmaking in a region where the industry is still evolving.

For Nayla, ambition and humility coexist easily. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Emirati cinema, but she insists she still feels like she is figuring things out.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m just starting to understand the film business,” she says. “Cinematically, I found my voice. But from the business perspective, I feel like I’m just starting.”

Gulf News has chronicled Nayla's career from the very beginning. She began her career directing short films such as Arabana (2006), Once, Malal, and The Shadow. Soon, she became the first Emirati filmmaker to see her works acquire global streaming distribution when Animal (2016) and The Shadow (2019) were picked up by Netflix, a milestone that brought Emirati cinema to worldwide audiences.

Her debut feature, Three (2023), a psychological horror-drama, premiered at the Red Sea International Film Festival and toured globally, while her second feature, Baab (2025), an art-house exploration of grief was scored by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman.

“I want to be in a position where I can produce, let’s say, four or five pictures at the same time,” she explains.

“Of course, I’m not going to direct all five, so that means I have to find other voices.”

Her goal is to create a cycle of films under her own studio, one designed to empower local storytellers while producing content that can reach global audiences.

She says her life is a careful balance of extremes: a maximalist energy on set with 150 crew members, and a me-time that she guards fiercely.

“I am social because I have to be, but I’m happiest when I’m alone. I could stay two years without leaving the house and I wouldn’t feel a difference,” she admits.

“As I grow and have become a mother, I realise how important it is to honor my parents’ hearts,” she says.

“Their blessing is way more important than any worldly pleasure.”

What we love about Nayla is also her disarming, self-deprecating humour. She laughs easy and has this childlike delight when she digs into garlic bread.

“It’s not the most graceful food for the camera, but I love it.'

Her approach to Ramadan is equally thoughtful and layered.

“There’s body cleansing, spiritual cleansing, family reconnection, forgiveness,” she explains.

“It’s a beautiful time to pause spiritually. To think about your life as a whole, not as a machine.”

So what about social media addiction? She lets us in on a secret. While her accounts appear active, she quietly employs a team to manage her online presence. “I can complete a detox and the account will still stay active as if I’m there,” she laughs.

But not everything was that easy to delegate. Filmmaking is one passion that cannot be split as easily.

"It is very difficult to sell films in UAE's nascent market," she adds.

The hurdles of working with streamers, and the obstacles faced by Emirati filmmakers in carving out an international presence is a persistent problem.

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“Cinematically, I found my voice with my second feature film. From the business perspective, I feel like I’m just starting,” she reflects.

Yet she does not shy from risk or controversy. When composer AR Rahman faced backlash over a cryptic remark hinting at communal nature of Bollywood, she publicly supported him, emphasising integrity and personal experience over popular opinion. Even during this interview, she doesn't budge.

“He doesn’t have a shred of evil in his bone. I had to speak from my perspective.”

Her unconventional streak extends to genre and storytelling preferences. Horror, particularly psychological and atmospheric horror, is where she feels at home.

“Horror can have eight or nine categories. The one I like is atmospheric, psychological. It sits very well with me,” she says.

Her studio will specialise in such genre films, blending local stories with global appeal.

Even in the most personal stories like how she met her husband, the quirky details of her fear of flying, or her laughter over family meals, opened up about what keeps her going.

“I dare to dream ... I have the courage to dream, even if they don’t come true. I always get up, and I hope I keep getting up as I keep falling.”

“Sharing Iftar at her home, with food as simple as dates and pasta, reminds you that greatness doesn’t need to be grand. It’s in laughter at the table, the warmth of family, and following your own path with courage.

“I’ve always lived life on my own terms,” she says.

“I married twice, had my twins at 42, and I make films I believe in. God plans, I follow.” And sometimes, the simplest moments like a plate of garlic bread, a twirl of pasta, breaking bread with family are the ones that leave the deepest impression.