Nujoom Alghanem

Nujoom Alghanem is a renowned poet and filmmaker who is considered a leading voice of her generation. With eight critically acclaimed volumes of poetry to date, she is highly regarded for her contributions to new forms of contemporary Arabic poetry. As an award-winning filmmaker, she has directed a number of features and documentaries that further the discourse around gender issues and societal norms.

Her work was previously featured at the National Pavilion UAE in the 2017 group exhibition Rock, Paper, Scissors: Positions in Play.

Some of her films were Sharp Tools (2017) which won around ten regional and International awards, Honey, Rain and Dust (2016), Nearby Sky (2014), which won Best Non-Fiction Prize in the Muhr Feature Competition at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and Best documentary from GCC Film Festival, 2016, Abu Dhabi, Sound of the Sea (2014), which was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the Alexandria Mediterranean Countries Film Festival and Amal (2011), which won several awards including a Special Jury Prize from the Beirut International Film Festival. In addition, some of Alghanem’s other documentary films include Hamama (2010), Between Two Banks (1999), and Al Mureed (2008), winner of the Best Documentary in the Gulf from the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Also a poet, Alghanem has written eight poetry collections including Asqoto Fi Nafsi [I Fall Into Myself] (2012), Layloun Thakilon Alla Allayle [Heavy Night on the Night] (2010). She earned a Master’s degree in film production from Griffith University School of Film in Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Video Production from Ohio University.