DUBAI, UAE – Production company electriclime has added award-winning and Oscar-shortlisted filmmaker Dania Bdeir to its director roster. The Lebanese writer and director will be represented exclusively in Asia and Australia, and on a freelance basis in the MENA region.
Based in Dubai, Dania has a wealth of experience through her work, with her film Kaleidoscope screening internationally and winning several awards, including the Golden Palm at the 2014 Mexico International Film Festival.
Her film, In White, received a grant from the Spike Lee Production Fund and won the international competition at the Rio de Janeiro International short film festival.
Meanwhile, her latest project, Warsha, was shortlisted at the 95th Oscars in the Live Action Short Film category, having already won the short film jury award – International Fiction, at the Sundance Film Festival earlier that year.
Warsha has played in over 300 film festivals and won over 100 awards, while currently being streamed on Netflix MENA, the Criterion channel, and can be rented on iTunes/Apple TV almost globally.
Along with her narrative work, she has also done spots for Dior and Piaget, while also linking up with electriclime for Estée Lauder’s “Reach For The Stars” campaign.
“I’m excited [to join electriclime] because I loved my experience with them and I’m genuinely a fan of their work and the directors they represent,” Dania said. “I feel like this is a production company that has excellent curatorial skills and that prioritizes quality and aesthetic above commercial gains.
“I think that’s rare and inspiring. At the end of the day, we’re all fans of video and cinema and we’re very lucky to be in this field so it’s extra fun when you work with like-minded people who bring out the magic in the experience.”
“The Estée Lauder piece was a really fun project because it was very character driven. I got to spend time with each of these powerful women and the main challenge was to tell their stories and to try and get across a main message that they’d like to communicate in a limited amount of time.
“Exploring the world of dance, race car driving, and cinema from the point of view of Arab women, each trailblazing in their respective fields was empowering and inspiring.
“Mostly, Lebanon is my biggest source of inspiration even though it’s my biggest heartache as well. But in general, I’m inspired by real life, by people, by underground communities and undiscovered worlds.”
Meet the all-female electriclime team in Dubai, led by Senior Producer Jumana Radi
