Majid Al Ansari (born 1987), is an Emirati

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

. He is best known as the director of critically acclaimed film '' Zinzana: Rattle the Cage'' and

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's first Egyptian television series ''

Paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...

''.

Personal life

Al Ansari was born in 1987 in

Abu Dhabi, UAE Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

to an Emirati father and Kuwaiti mother. Al Ansari studied music at

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

before entering cinema.

Career

He started film at the Abu Dhabi Film Commission under David Shepherd. Then he moved to work at

Image Nation Image Nation Abu Dhabi, (formerly Imagenation), is an Emirati film studio established in 2008. It is based at twofour54’s Yas Creative Hub in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The studio focuses on creating films, TV series, documentaries, and ...

in 2010. During this period, he moved to Africa and attended the Maisha Film Lab in Uganda, a non-profit training initiative for emerging East African film-makers. After returning to UAE, he made his maiden short film ''The Intruder!''. Ansari made his feature debut film '' Zinzana: Rattle the Cage'' in 2015. The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX, and then European premier at BFI London Film Festival. The film received critical acclaim and later won the award for the Best Arab Filmmaker of the Year at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival. The film was then picked up by IM Global for world-wide representation, and sold to Netflix as the first Arab film acquisition. The film is reportedly the first film of its genre to be produced in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. After the success of the film, he worked as an executive producer on three major Arab films: ''Shabab Sheyab'', ''Rashid & Rajab'', and ''Scales'' - which premiered at the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

Critics Week in 2019 and won the Club Verona award for most innovative film. In 2020, Majid directed three episodes of the acclaimed Netflix series ''Paranormal''. The series, based on

Ahmed Khaled Tawfik Ahmed Khaled Tawfik Farrag (; 10 June 1962 – 2 April 2018), also known as Ahmed Khaled Tawfek, was an Egyptian author and physician who wrote more than 200 books, in both Egyptian Arabic and Classical Arabic. He was the first contemporary wri ...

's renowned novels, was the first Egyptian original series for the global streaming platform and was a top trending series following its November release.

Partial filmography

References

External links

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Dubai Fest: Director Majid Al Ansari on His Neo-Noir ‘Cage’

‘Zinzana’ Helmer Majid Majid Al-Ansari Receives Mid-East Filmmaker of the Year Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ansari, Majid Living people 1987 births Emirati film directors Emirati film people California State University, Long Beach alumni