Emirati Director Nayla Al Khaja on her Haunting New Film 'BAAB'

A woman loses her sister, and grief takes her on a journey through memory, fear, and the uncanny—this is the world of ‘BAAB,’ Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s newest female-led psychological dark film exploring identity, cultural taboos, and feminine perspectives rarely seen in Gulf cinema. Starring Saudi actress Shaima Al Fadl and featuring an original score by Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman ('Slumdog Millionaire'), the film explores identity, familial bonds, and cultural taboos through a feminine lens rarely seen in Gulf cinema. Set against the untouched northern mountains of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, as well as deeply rooted in Arab folklore, 'BAAB' unfolds in an ethereal, quietly unsettling visual language shaped by Al Khaja in collaboration with acclaimed Dutch cinematographer Rogier Stoffers, whose work spans multiple Oscar- and Emmy-nominated projects. Speaking to SceneNowUAE at the Cairo International Film Festival, where 'BAAB' premiered, Al Khaja reflects on the personal experience of grief that inspired 'BAAB,' offering a behind-the-scenes look at her creative process and the collaboration that brought the film to life