Nayla Al Khaja Height, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography

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Bio/Wiki
Other Name	Nayla AlKhaja
Profession(s)	• Director • Entrepreneur • Producer • Screenwriter
Known For	Being the first the first female director, producer, and screenwriter in the United Arab Emirates
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5'3" (161 cm)
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Light Brown with Golden Highlights
Career
Debut	As a Director Emirati Musical Short Film: Sweet Sixteen (1996) Emirati Short Documentary: 3adi.com (1998) Emirati Short Film: Arabana (2006) Qatari Short Film: Three (2013) Emirati Feature Film: Three (1 February 2024) As a Writer Emirati Musical Short Film: Sweet Sixteen (1996) Emirati Short Film: Arabana (2006) Qatari Short Film: Three (2013) Emirati Feature Film: Three (1 February 2024) As a Producer Emirati Short Documentary: The Will (2003) Canadian Short Film: The Loss (2005) As an Actress Emirati-Indian Short Film: Malal (2010)
Awards, Honours	• Alumni Entrepreneur Award by the Dubai Women's College (1998) • Action Cut Award in New Jersey, USA (2003) • Featured in the Ahlan’s Hot 100 list by the Ahlan! magazine (2003) • Featured in the Ahlan’s Hot 100 list by the Ahlan! magazine (2004) • Emirates Woman of the Year by the Emirates Woman Magazine (2005) • Local Artist of the Year by the Emirates Woman Magazine (2005) • 'The Youngest Entrepreneur' of the year at the Global Businesswomen & Leaders Summit Awards (2005) • Featured in the Ahlan’s Hot 100 list by the Ahlan! magazine (2005) • Lloyds TSB Bank Inspirational Leadership Award (2006) • Alumni of the Year by the Dubai Women's College (2006) • Best Emirati Female Filmmaker award at the Dubai International Film Festival for the short film, 'Arabana' (2007) • Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award at the 6th Middle East Businesswomen and Leaders Achievement Awards (2007) • UAE Woman of the Year in the Film/Photo Category by the L'Officiel Magazine (2009) • 1st Prize by the International Young Screen Entrepreneur British Council, UK (2010) • 1st Prize by the International Young Screen Entrepreneur British Council, UAE (2010) • 1st prize at the Emirati Short Film Script Competition Gulf Film Festival, UAE, for the short film, Malal (2010) • Best Script Award at the Gulf International Film Festival • 1st Prize in the Muhr Emirati category at the Dubai International Film Festival for the short film, Malal (2010) • Visionary of the Year at the Arabian Business Awards (2011) • Production of the Year award at the Digital Studio Awards for the short film, Malal (2011) • Named in the 500 Most Powerful Arab People list by the Arabian Business magazine (2012) • Named in the Top 50 Most Powerful Arab Women list by the Arabian Business magazine (2012) • Named in the Top Female Entrepreneur in The Middle East list by Al-Rasub (2013) • Muhr Emirati Special Jury Prize at the Dubai International Film Festival for the short film, The Neighbour (2013) • Best Emirati Film award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival for the short film, The Neighbour (2013) • Named in the '100 Most Powerful Arabs Under 40' list by the Arabian Business magazine (2015) • Muhr Emirati Special Jury Award for the short film, 'The Neighbour' at Dubai International Film Festival (2015) • Middle East Now Award in the Best Short Film category for the short film, The Neighbour (2015) • Named in the '50 Most Inspirational Women' list by the STYLIST magazine (2016) • Honoured by the Asia One magazine as World's Greatest Women Achievers (2016-17) • Italian Movie Award for the Best Short Fiction for the short film, Animal (2017) • Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Gulf Business Awards (September 2017) • Most Admired Leaders of Asia by the BARC Asia (2017-2018) • Women of Substance award by Khaleej Times (2018) • Named in the Forbes' Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands list (2019) • Black Swan Award for Women Empowerment by Asia One (2019) • Recognized as an IVLP #FacesofExchange honoree (2020) • Gold Award for Best Fantasy/Horror Short for the short film, The Shadow, at WorldFest Houston (2020) • Businesswoman of the Year at the Gulf Business Awards (2020) • Named in the Top 50 most powerful personalities in Arab Cinema list by the Arabian Business magazine (2021) • Fall Award in the Best Horror Short category for the film, The Shadow at Arthouse Festival of Beverly Hills (2021) • Certificate of Appreciation in the 'Best Women's Issue Short' category for the film, Animal, at the Madrid Arthouse Film Festival (2022) • Silver Dolphin award at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards in the 'Documentaries and Reports: Environment, Ecology and Sustainability' category for The Road to Fulfilment (2023) • WIFTMENA Excellency in Cinema Honorary Award at the 6th META Cinema Forum (2023) • Named in the '14 Successful Emirati Women Who Continue to Help Build the UAE' list by the Vogue Middle East magazine (2023) • Breaking This Bias award at the Women Leaders Summit & Awards (2023) • Best of Festival category award for the feature film, Three, at the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival (2024) • Outstanding Achievement award in the Best Feature Film category for the film, Three, at the IndieFEST Film Awards (2024) • Award of Excellence in the Islamic Filmmaker category for the film, Three, at the IndieFEST Film Awards (2024) • Award of Excellence in the Islamic Theme category for the film, Three, at the IndieFEST Film Awards (2024) • Outstanding Achievement award in the Woman Filmmaker category for the film, Three, at the IndieFEST Film Awards (2024) • Best Feature Film award at the HorrOrigins for the feature film, Three (2024) • Best Thriller Feature Film award at the HorrOrigins for the feature film, Three (2024) • Best Debut Film award at the Strasbourg International Film Festival for the feature film, Three (2025) • Best Drama Film award at the Strasbourg International Film Festival for the feature film, Three (2025) • Best Narrative Feature award at the Berlin Women Cinema Festival for the feature film, Three (2025) • August Award in the Psychological Thriller category at the Bangkok Movie Awards for the feature film, Three (2025)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 March 1978 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2025)	47 Years
Birthplace	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Zodiac sign	Pisces
Nationality	Emirati
College/University	• Higher Colleges of Technology, Abu Dhabi (1996-1999) • Ryerson University, Canada (2001-2005)
Educational Qualification	• A degree in Mass Communication from the Higher Colleges of Technology • Bachelor's degree in filmmaking from the Ryerson University
Religion	Islam
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Twitter
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Second Marriage - Year, 2016
Family
Husband/Spouse	• First Husband - Divorced • Second Husband - Christian Peter (Producer)
Children	Son - Noah Daughter - Dana
Parents
Siblings	Brother- 1 • Abdulrahman Al Khaja Sister- 2 • Sara Alyousef • Amna Alyousef
Favourites
Book(s)	• One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) • The Remains of the Day (1989)
Restaurant	Fyn Restaurant, Cape Town
Style Quotient
Car Collection	Mercedes-Benz CLS

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nayla Al Khaja

According to her, when she was 8, she was inspired by her father’s collection of films, especially the Indian classic ‘Boot Polish’ (1954), a film about the separation of siblings. At the time, her parents were going through a separation, and she feared separating from her brother.

During an interview, she revealed that she became interested in filmmaking after noticing that her paintings appeared like stills from a film. She said,

I’m a painter. My background is oil on canvas. One day, I noticed something interesting: when I looked at my canvases, they were all as if someone had paused a moment, like, paused a scene in a movie. I accidentally stumbled into filmmaking at the age of 19 and absolutely fell in love with it, because I felt that it gave me what art couldn’t: energy.”
Her parents initially disapproved of her career choice and worried about the drama and glamour associated with the film industry. According to her, after watching her films, they started to support her.

Iranian film director and screenwriter Abbas Kiarostami mentored her in the art of filmmaking at the beginning of her career.

She studied filmmaking in Canada through a scholarship. She revealed in an interview that her parents wanted her to get married before she moved to Canada to study, and said,

It was very difficult when I told them I wanted to go and study in Canada. They were completely against the idea. They told me I had to get married. Therefore, I found a potential candidate and I got married the first time. Then they were fine with it, so I went and I studied and I came back, I got the most amicable divorce, and then I got married again. That is the route I took to get an education.”
She launched Dessert Productions in 2002, which later evolved into D-seven Motion Pictures, a production company based in Dubai, in January 2002. She served as the company’s CEO until September 2017.

At the beginning of her career, she directed TV commercials to raise money for her films. She has directed several TV commercials for various national and international brands such as Mercedes, Nike, Nestlé, Neutrogena and Nivea.

In 2004, she won a Kodak grant with her team to produce a Super 16mm Canadian film, ‘The Loss’ (2005).

She founded UAE’s first formally recognised film club, The Scene Club, in January 2004, which is a monthly film club that highlights the best of international independent cinema, and served as the club’s CEO till February 2018.
Nayla Al Khaja with members of The Scene Club

In 2005, she became the first Emirati woman to direct a TV commercial.

In 2007, she became a speaker for The London Speaker Bureau and has since spoken at its various international events.
Nayla Al Khaja during her speech

In 2008, she became American skincare brand Olay’s brand ambassador, representing Arab women in the Middle East.

In the same year, she was appointed as the cultural guide and co-host for the reality TV show, ‘Paris Hilton’s My New BFF’ (2008-2009).
Nayla Al Khaja in a still from the show, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF

She served as a jury member for various film festivals, including the Middle East International Film Festival (2009), Dubai International Film Festival (2011), and Topic Fest (2011).

She has written, directed, and produced several films and documentaries, including ‘Once’ (2009), ‘Hi’ (2011), and ‘The Neighbour’ (2013).
Poster of the film, The Neighbour

In 2010, she served as a member of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
Nayla Al Khaja at the Melbourne International Film Festival

In 2010, she became an endorser for the Emirates NBD Bank.

She served as an official judge at ‘Red Bull: The Art of Can’ in 2010.

In 2010, she travelled to L.A. as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), ‘Film in the U.S.’

Her short film, ‘Malal’ (2010), is the first movie to be produced by a UAE national outside the Emirates. The film’s script was awarded a cash prize of $13,500 at the Gulf Film Festival in 2010.
Nayla Al-Khaja during the shooting of her short film, Malal, in India

In 2011, she was commissioned by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority to make short films for their cultural initiative, ‘Soul of Dubai.’

In 2011, Abu Dhabi Media Hub selected her to represent the hub in a CNN commercial.

In 2011, she partnered with Canon Middle East for the BLOOM! Cine Startups initiative. She also served as a brand ambassador for Canon Middle East from 2011 to 2014.

She served as a partner to the AFLAM Film Club, a monthly film club formed in collaboration with her production company, D-Seven Motion Pictures and Two Four 54, celebrating the best of independent Arabic films and filmmakers.
A poster of the AFLAM Film Club

She serves as a member of the Rotary Club of Jumeirah, Dubai.

She is multilingual and well-versed in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, and Hindi. She also has elementary proficiency in Italian and Persian.

In 2013, she was selected in the Doha Film Institute’s (DFI) first cycle of the Hazawi Fund for the short film ‘Three’ (2013), becoming one of the four filmmakers to get selected for the fund.
Nayla Al Khaja with the team for her short film, Three

The Dubai government appointed her as the behind-the-scenes director for the Hollywood film, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ (2016).

In September 2017, she began working as an Executive Producer and Film Director for Nayla Al Khaja Films LLC.

She suffered a miscarriage of her twins in 2017. In 2019, she became a mother to twins through IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation).
Nayla Al Khaja with her twin children and husband

In 2018, she became the first Emirati to be awarded a seat at the Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival for the script of her short film, ‘Animal’ (2016).

She is registered at the London Speaker Bureau as a motivational speaker. As a motivational speaker, she tackles taboo subjects, such as breaking down the Arab women stereotype and gender balance in male-dominated fields.

She has delivered talks at various TEDx events.
Nayla Al Khaja in a still from her TED Talk

She offers consultancy services to companies, organisations and businesses to help them with sensitive intercultural challenges.

She suffers from asthma.

In 2021, it was announced in the global media that she would serve as an executive producer for the show, ‘The Alexandria Killings,’ based on a concept created by her.

In September 2022, Netflix acquired the rights to her films, ‘Animal’ (2016) and ‘The Shadow’ (2019), helping her reach a global audience.
Poster of Netflix declaring that it streams Nayla Al Khaja’s films, Animal and The Shadow

For her first feature film, ‘Three’ (2024 ), she raised funding from private individuals to avoid the gender based inequalities often seen in the financing world. It is the first Arabic production to utilise AI technology for voice localisation, helping its release in Mandarin.

According to her, she has been influenced by several filmmakers, including Guillermo del Toro, Park Chan-wook, Asghar Farhadi, and Masoud Amralla Al Ali.