When anyone thinks of winter, one of the first things that comes to mind is snow. We therefore chose to set our film in a fairy-tale-like winter wonderland.
To capture the cosmopolitan and contemporary look and mindset of the Vogue Arabia reader who is equally at home in the East as they are in the West.
Whether they travel for work, education, family or pleasure, revolving cities, changing views and a jet-setting lifestyle are becoming the norm for many of the modern Arab women in our target audience. They are exploring what the world has to offer them and are empowered by the prospect of unknown realms.
We adopted the Japanese concept of ‘mā’, which means ‘space and time’ to bring to life this theme of exploration. Mā has been described as a pause in time, an interval or emptiness in space and is the fundamental time and space we need to grow.
Our story follows the experience of a young Arab woman who travelled West to study – we see the challenges she faces; we feel the torn sense of home sickness and her fear of leaving a comfortable and safe life to explore her mā.
The film starts slowly in a dream-like state and keeps speeding up until our muse is literally spinning between East and West: Dubai and New York. The momentum builds to a crescendo to evoke a sensation of excitement, leaving the viewer stirred with intrigue.
“The film was shot between New York and Dubai and flawlessly captures the similarities (and differences) of these two cities..
For me it was important to pack the film with visual opportunities: urban shots against the backdrop of New York and Dubai, mixed with human movement and emotion. I wanted to create a poignant and eclectic story that speaks to the journey every one of us takes to find our ‘mā’ – a story that wanders through events and embraces experiences.”
‘Finding Mā’ was the first-ever film from the region to be selected in the fashion category for the globally-renowned London Fashion Film Festival 2019, celebrating the art of fashion and film.