The MENA Canada Filmmaking Grant is a one of a kind funding stream for a MENA/SWANA-identifying filmmaker or team in Canada to help fund a short film to be presented at the annual MENA Film Festival!
The short film grant provides a single $5,000 initial or “top-up” fund for new and emerging talent with a link to the Canadian MENA/SWANA community.
We are super excited to announce the winner of the 2024 MENA Canada Filmmaking Grant. We received dozens of amazing applications, and this year’s jury put in overtime to come up with the finalist: “Nader’s Girl” by Omar Mouallem.
Omar is an Edmonton-based writer and filmmaker. Known for weaving together comedic human interest stories with broader social and historical themes, his work bridges literature, film, and journalism. Omar’s feature-length debut, The Lebanese Burger Mafia, premiered at Hot Docs in 2023, winning multiple awards, including Audience Choice at NorthwestFest and Best Documentary Screenplay at the Rosies.
“Nader’s Girl”” is a short film adapted from Saeed Teebi's short story "Cynthia," exploring themes of internalized racism and toxic masculinity within the Canadian immigrant experience.
MENA is honoured to host Omar for the 2025 MENA Film Festival in January and screen Nader’s Girl at the following year’s festival!
