Nujoom Al Ghanem

Early life and education

Al-Ghanem was born in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and was raised there, being the only girl out of five children. She was mostly taken care of by her grandmother because her father did not accept having a girl after having four boys. As a child, she enjoyed reading about any subject, such as mysticism, theology, philosophy, and poetry. She was able to get access to her reading through the Sharjah International Book Fair. Arabic poetry inspired her when she was a girl, later causing her to write her own poetry. She also enjoyed painting because her aunt was a painter, as well as photography. Before her professional writing career, her work was published in local newspapers and magazines. After her high school graduation, Al-Ghanem decided that she wanted to attend a university in London. Although her father supported her pursuit of the arts, he did not want her to be alone in a different country, and he also wanted her to marry someone first.

After completing one semester at a university in Al Ain, she became tired of her schooling so she decided to give up. She said of her schooling, "I felt like I couldn't breathe. I didn't like life in a dormitory. Every time I was in my dorm I thought of ways to escape." Later, she became the Head of Culture and Art Department For Dubai and Northern Emirates. After getting married, becoming a mother, and starting a career as a journalist, Al-Ghanem decided to travel to Ohio to study with her husband's support. She received a Bachelors Degree in TV Production Ohio University in 1996 and later received a Masters in Media Production from Griffith University in Australia in 1999. Al-Ghanem said, "Opportunities are not free. You have always to work hard. You have to read, to teach yourself, to know about the world and to be very careful about what you publish".

Poetry

Al-Ghanem has published the following poetry collections:

1. Masaa Al-Janah (Evening of Heaven), 1989.
2. Al-Jarair (The Consequences), 1991.
3. Rawahel (Journeyings), 1996.
4. Manazel Al-Jilnaar (Homes of Pomegranate Blossoms), 2000.
5. La Wasf Lima Ana Feeh (No Describing What I Am In), 2005.
6. Malaikat Al-Ashwaaq Al-Baeeda (Angels of Distant Longing), 2008.

Masa’a Al Jannah (The Night of Heaven) was Al-Ghanem's first book of poetry, which was published in 1989. The Night of Heaven gave her more of a reputation as a professional writer.

Al-Ghenam was inspired by other Arabian women poets such as Ousha the Poet and Sheikha Sana’a bint Mana Al Maktoum. She said, "“The majority of poets in our world are male, but quantity does not make quality". There are recurring themes in her poetry including patriotism, homesickness, human weakness, and the hardships that women go through each day. She is on the board of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and is a regular participant in the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

Films

1. Between Two Banks, 1999, documentary film.
2. Al Mureed, 2008, documentary film.
3. "Hamama", 2010.
4. "Amal", 2011.
5. "Red, Blue, Yellow", 2013
6. "Sounds of the Sea", 2015
7. "Nearby Sky", 2015

Al-Ghanem's 2015 film Nearby Sky is a documentary about Fatima Ali Alhameli, the first Emirati women to have her camels be a part of local auctions and beauty pageants. According to Al-Ghanem, it was simple to convince Alhameli to join the film project. Both Nearby Sky and her earlier film Sounds Of The Sea have to do with an aging generation being nostalgic about their past. Nearby Sky won Best Non-Fiction Film at the Eleventh Dubai International Film Festival. The films Sounds of the Sea, The Young Fighter, and Amal and Hamama have also won awards. Her films have won local, regional, and international awards. Her films are based on people's lives and their emotions, but she is more focused on women as both characters and subjects. Al-Ghanem said, "People greatly inspire me: their world, stories, frustrations, hesitation, confusion, sadness, happiness, pain, passion" and "I search for those characters, learn about them and from them; I live with them and always try to enter their unknown world, explore the unspoken and find out about their special moments." She believes that film-making is a passion that brings change to society.

She is a film consultant and film instructor for United Arab Emirates organizations and institutions, as well as a cultural consultant.

Recognition

Dr. Omnia Amin, a professor at Zayed University in Dubai, says this about al-Ghanem's poetry and work,"Nujoom al-Ghanem is one of the strongest modern Emirati poets who rose in the early 1980s in the Persian Gulf region. Her language is such that it permeates the soul with a rich and flavoured life experience that goes beyond the five senses".

Co-founder of the United Arab Emirates branch of Women in Film and Television, Michelle Nickelson, said, "Nujoom could be considered a UAE national treasure. Her films have a lovely feature style to them." Al-Ghanem won the Best Emirati Female Filmmaker Award at the Fifth Dubai International Film Festival for her film Al Mureed.