Maha Al-Saati

Maha Al-Saati is an independent Saudi filmmaker interested in exploring women’s stories in the Arab World. She is an alum of the TIFF Filmmaker Lab, TIFF Writers’ Studio, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) residency. Her short films have screened at Slamdance, Fantastic Fest, Palm Springs ShortFest, HollyShorts, BAFICI & The Red Sea International Film Festival.

Her latest short VHS Tape Replaced won the Audience Award for best international short at the Florida Film Festival, & received an Honorable Mention at Fantastic Fest 2023. It is available on Netflix MENA, and Short Shorts Asia’s platform. Her feature-in-development “Darwin in Taif” was developed with TorinoFilmLab Next, Red Sea Project Market. She is a Simon Fraser University alum, and currently teaches courses on media studies and moving image in Saudi Arabia.