Khadija al-Salami (Arabic:خديجة السلامي; born November 11, 1966) is the first Yemeni femalefilm producer and director.[1] Al-Salami currently resides inParis,France. She has been nominated and also won awards at film festivals such as the Dubai International Film Festival and Vesoul Asian Film Festival.[2] Her semi-autobiographical 2014 film,I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced was submitted to the Academy Awards, but was not selected.
Khadija al-Salami was born on November 11, 1966 inSanaa,Yemen.[3] At an early age, al-Salami was sent to live with relatives after her mother divorced her father over severedomestic abuse. At age 11, she was forced by her grandmother into anearly marriage and wasraped by her husband.[4] Some weeks later her husband returned her to her uncle, who immediately disowned her and returned her to her single mother. She escaped the immense family and society pressure by finding employment with the localtelevision station and simultaneously attending school in the mornings which was her only output for happiness.[1] At the age of 16, she received a scholarship to finishsecondary school in theUnited States. Subsequently, she enrolled at theMount Vernon College for Women, inWashington, D.C. After a period in Yemen and Paris, she returned to Washington to earn herMaster's degree in communications at theAmerican University. For her thesis, she produced her first film.
Al-Salami began her career making documentaries, whose primary foci are women, includingA Stranger in her Own City (2005) about exile and how home can keep one trapped with the traditions one grew up in.[5] She was inspired to create this film from her own experiences with arranged marriage as well as the experience of a young girl by the name of Najmia who was 13 years old at the time.[5] She said enjoyed filming her because of her carefree spirit and of how she had reminded al-Salami at her age.[5] Al-Salami stated that it was "never aired on Yemeni television as they were not used to such controversial subject matter".[5] Another of her documentaries,Scream (2013) is about the roles of women duringYemen's 2011 uprising.[1] Al-Salami has produced several documentaries for varioustelevision networks in France and Yemen.[citation needed]
Her 2014 film,I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, which was shot entirely in Yemen, recounts the true story of Nujood Ali, Yemen's most famous child bride, who was married off at ten and filed for divorce in court.[1] Al-Salami did not want to tell only Nujood's story, but also her own and that of many other Yemeni child brides to allow other young girls to understand the effects of these marriages.[1] Unlike most of her subsequent films, this one was only shot in Yemen, and she currently resides in Paris,[1] This movie won her the best feature film at the Dubai International Film Festival and was also shown at other festivals.[1]I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced, became the first Yemeni film to besubmitted for consideration for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the89th Academy Awards.
She has also co-authored with her current husband, the AmericanCharles Hoots, an autobiography,The Tears of Sheba.[citation needed]
Al-Salami currently serves as Press and Culturalattaché and Director of the Yemeni Information Centre at theEmbassy of Yemen in Paris.[citation needed]
| Year | Works |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Hadramaout: Crossroads of Civilizations |
| 1994 | Le pays suspendu |
| 1995 | Women of Islam |
| 1997 | Land of Sheba |
| 2000 | Yemen of a Thousand Faces |
| 2005 | A Stranger in Her Own City |
| 2006 | Amina |
| 2013 | Scream |
| 2014 | I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced |
| 2015 | La rosée du matin (French), with Nada al-Ahdal |
| 2016 | Jedenastoletnia zona (Polish), with Nada al-Ahdal |
| Festival | Year | Award | Category and/or Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai International Film Festival | 2014 | Muhr Award- Winner | Best Feature Film:I am Nujood, Age 10, and Divorced (2014)[2] |
| Dubai International Film Festival | 2006 | Muhr Award- Winner | Best Documentary- Silver:Amina (2006)[2] |
| Vesoul Asian Film Festival | 2006 | Youth Award- Winner | Une étrangère dans sa ville (2005)[2] |
| Vesoul Asian Film Festival | 2005 | Youth Award- Nominee | Les femmes et la démocratie au Yémen (2003)[2] |
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