Hana Alomair

Last updated
Hana Alomair
Education King Saud University
Heriot-Watt University
OccupationDirector
Years active2008–present

Hana Abdullah Alomair is a Saudi writer and director. She is also the chairperson of the Saudi Cinema Association. [1] She has directed films like Dancing On Fire and series like Whispers, the first Saudi thriller original series on Netflix. [2] [3] [4]

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In 2020, Alomair was named to the list of Arab Stars of Tomorrow. [5] In 2021, she was named to the Arab Cinema Center's list of the most influential people in the Arab film industry. [6]

Early life and education

Alomair graduated from King Saud University in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in Arabic-English translation. In 1996, she graduated from Heriot-Watt University with a master's degree in the same area. [4]

Career

Prior to her career in film, Alomair worked as a journalist writing film reviews. [7] In 2008, she won the Silver Palm Tree Award for writing Hadaf, a script about a Saudi girl dreaming of being a professional footballer. [8] [4]

In 2013, Alomair served on the jury of the 2013 Saudi Film Festival. One year later, in 2014, her sophomore film, The Complaint, competed in Tessa's Festival for Asian and African Films; in 2015, it won the Golden Palm Tree Award for best short film in the Saudi Film Festival. [4]

In 2019, Alomair's short film Swan Song won the Golden Palm Tree Award for best actor in the Saudi Film Festival. [4]

In 2024, it was announced that Alomair, as creative director at MBC Studios, would direct a horror film adaptation of Osamah Almuslim's Traveler's Hell. [9]

References

  1. Saudi Cinema Association Chairperson speaks to CNN on Barbie film release | CNN. 2023-08-17. Retrieved 2025-12-27 via www.cnn.com.
  2. Sheded, Mona. "Yaqoub Alfarhan, Adwa Bader join Hana Al-Omair's 'Dancing On Fire' (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  3. "Hana Alomair, award-winning director, brings Saudi's new thriller 'Whispers' to life". Al Arabiya English. 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hana Abdullah Alomair, Saudi film director". Arab News. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  5. Goodfellow, Melanie. "Arab Stars of Tomorrow 2020: Hana Al Omair, director (Saudi Arabia)". Screen. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  6. "Saudis Haifaa Al-Mansour, Hana Al-Omair nab spots on most influential Arabs in cinema list". Arab News PK. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  7. "Hana Al Omair: Filmmaker Inspired by Writing". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
  8. "Hana Al Omair: The Saudi Film Industry". CSIS. 2023-08-08.
  9. Vivarelli, Nick (2024-12-11). "Saudi Powerhouse MBC Studios Set for High-End Horror Feature 'Traveler's Hell' as Part of Broader Deal With Bestselling Author Osamah Almuslim". Variety. Retrieved 2025-12-27.