Netflix partners with Arab Fund for Arts and Culture to fund content produced by Arab women creatives

Netflix has partnered with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture to donate a one-time grant of $250,000 to women producers and directors in the Arab world through the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.

"We are committed to telling stories about and by women across our slate in the Arab world," the streamer states in a press release. "The Arab world has a long-standing history of women in entertainment, and we’ve had incredible successes and firsts from the region that we’re all very proud of. But in order to give more people a chance to see their lives reflected on screen, we need more women behind and in front of the camera."

The streamer has shortlisted five projects led by women from Tunisia, Lebanon, and Morocco. "While they hail from different cities/regions and have different specialities — some are producers, some are writers and some are directors — all the women receiving support share a common urge to tell stories that haven’t been told before and tackle subjects often considered unconventional for women." Netflix says.

Asmae El Moudir is a director and producer from Morocco whose film, "The Mother of All Lies" has been shortlisted for the non-fiction category. Diala Kachmar, Jana Wehbe and Tania Khoury (Manity) - all exceptional female producers from Lebanon are spearheading three exciting fiction projects, and Sarra Abidi - director and producer from Tunisia is excited to bring her story, My Name Is Clara, to life on screen. 

The Fund for Creative Equity aims to help create new opportunities for underrepresented communities within the entertainment industry. "More and more Arab women filmmakers are creating moving images that have the power to shed light on the realities of the region," Rima Mismar, AFAC's Executive Director, said. "This second collaboration with Neftlix, this time to support women in the field of cinema, complements perfectly AFAC's mission to promote diversity of voices and narratives."

Some of the shows the fund will contribute to include "Al Rawabi School for Girls" and "Finding Ola," all of which were made by women."We strive to be a meaningful part of the Arab world’s creative industries – building the right opportunities, amplifying underrepresented voices, and ultimately bringing fresh and authentic Arab content to our members around the globe," the streamer says.