The Filmmaker Connecting Saudi Culture and Cinema

Lina Malaika is a Saudi filmmaker, creative director and cultural consultant, and the Founder and CEO of Nisr Al-Arabi Films, working across cinema, culture and visual storytelling.

For Lina Malaika, filmmaking is part of a much wider creative journey. Her work spans cinema, fashion, photography, creative direction and cultural consulting, with a growing focus on telling stories connected to Saudi Arabia and the region.

Lina studied filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, building on an earlier interest in fashion and visual creativity. Before focusing more heavily on film, she worked across areas including photography, styling, graphic design and creative direction, developing an approach that brings different creative disciplines together.

One of her early filmmaking projects was Maskoon, a psychological horror and thriller short film that she co-directed. The film premiered at the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2021 and was later selected for the Saudi Film Festival. Shot in Jeddah’s historic Al-Balad, the film uses the area’s distinctive architecture and atmosphere as an important part of its visual world.

Cinema also has a personal connection for Lina. Her grandfather, Jamil Malaika, was involved in Egyptian cinema during its golden era and established Al-Nisr Al-Arabi Films in the 1960s. Lina later revived the family name through Nisr Al-Arabi Films, connecting that cinematic history with the development of Saudi Arabia’s film industry.

Through the production company, Lina is developing projects that explore different aspects of Saudi stories and landscapes. One of her upcoming projects is Red Sea, a survival and shark thriller set along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline. The project is being developed with Natasha Lyonne attached as a producer, with the screenplay by Heaven Howard and Brooke Schlegel.

The Red Sea holds a personal significance for Lina. Her connection to the coastline and its marine environment became part of the inspiration behind the project, bringing together her interest in the region with her fascination with the survival thriller genre.

Her filmmaking work has also extended into documentary. Lina co-directed One Giant Leap with filmmaker David Darg, a documentary project following the journey and historic mission of Saudi Arabia’s first female astronaut.

Beyond filmmaking, Lina has continued to create platforms for other talent. She co-founded Clay Models with Saudi fashion designer Farah Hammad, a model-scouting platform designed to connect local talent with brands and creative clients. Her professional experience has also included work with international fashion names such as Fendi and Gucci.

Lina’s connection with the wider creative industry has also brought her to Vogue Arabia, where she has contributed writing on cinema, Arab identity, memory and filmmaking. Her work allows her to participate not only in creating visual stories but also in conversations around how those stories are represented.

Today, Lina Malaika continues to work across film production, creative direction and cultural projects. Her career brings together several worlds that have shaped her creative perspective, from fashion and design to cinema and Saudi culture.

HerStory celebrates Lina Malaika for building a multidisciplinary creative career and using film, culture and visual storytelling to bring Saudi stories and creative talent to wider audiences.