About Nadia Fares Egyptian-Swiss Director & Screenwriter

“I try to capture my characters' truths as closely and authentically as I can to bring out subtext that is simmering beneath the surface.”

Director's
Statement

The Polish director, Krzysztof Kieslowski, who was my directing mentor while I was at NYU, said that great directors always tell stories differently but linked to the same theme.  I guess “the fish out of water” theme connects all my films. It reflects my upbringing and my view of the world. My father is Egyptian, my mother Swiss. I've  learned to deal with different cultures, identities, mentalities and even different senses of humor. Overall this rich experience has shaped my approach to stories as a director. It’s an obsession of mine, that people in different places are thinking the same thing, but for different reasons. I guess I try to make films which connect people to the other  "fish out of water". 

I have lived and shot films and TV shows in different countries: America, Tunisia, France, Switzerland, Egypt and the Emirates. This diverse cultural background has allowed me to get inside different perspectives which I apply in my creative work and in my interaction with actors and collaborators. It has also forced me to adapt to multiple environments, think quickly on my feet, and assemble the best available talent and production teams in virtually any situation. 

Critics have described my visual style as very sensual. I don't really think about it or plan it per se, but I try to capture my characters' truths as closely and authentically as I can to bring out subtext that is simmering beneath the surface. 

Since I can remember, I've always had the urge to lift up a stone to see what's underneath. 

Nadia Fares.

BIO / Nadia Fares

Nadia Fares is an award - winning director, writer and producer working in Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. Her first feature film “Honey and Ashes” received multiple international awards and critical acclaim for its groundbreaking depiction of contemporary Arabic women trying to carve their identities in a patriarchal society that fails to recognize women’s dreams and yearnings beyond their function as mothers and spouses. Variety called it “edgy and intelligent”.

ARTE France invited Fares to be part of a prestigious series called “Masculin/Féminin”. Her one-hour dramedy “Small Differences” takes place in Paris, France and tells the story about a newborn baby without a determined sex. While waiting for tests, the father wants to name the baby Dominic. But the mother doesn’t need medical tests to know that it is a boy. The couple must battle their own pre-disposed gender biases. 

In addition to scripted work, Fares has an impressive portfolio as a documentary filmmaker, a way for her to give her fictional work gravitas and authenticity. She has ventured into dangerous territories including going undercover to interview hit men in Europe and a jihadist prisoner in Africa. Fares speaks 5 languages and has directed over 20 documentaries on social-political issues exposing an array of conflicts and cultures around the world.

When truth sometimes can be stranger than fiction, these experiences have influenced her approach in directing scripted work. When working with actors, she always tries to capture her characters’ truths as closely and authentically as possible to bring out subtext, layers and contradictions that lie beneath the surface. 

In Los Angeles, she has directed 5 episodes of the series “Swiss Stories in L.A.” following the daily endeavors of an artist, a dance teacher, an architect, a student and a bodyguard to achieve their Californian dream. 

Her latest film “Big Little Women”, has received multiple awards for her personal and poetic approach, telling the story of three generations of women rebelling against patriarchal prohibitions. It was picked up by an U.S. World Sales.

Her feature script “Diplomatic Corps” was accepted into the New York Writers Lab backed by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman. Her script is based on a true story following the son of a diplomat who struggles with his sexual identity while his embattled father deals with a human rights crisis at the U.N. in New York City.

Nadia graduated from New York University, TISCH School of the Arts where she received her Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television. In 2015, she has created her own production company AfterAll Films and has produced and co-produced several award-winning films in the U.S., Middle East and Europe.​ 

Fares is a fearless director with strong imagery and storytelling, leaving audiences hungry for more.

  • Director, writer, co-producer of the feature doc film "Big Little Women"
    Luna films & AfterAll Films Cairo​

    Director of the series "Swiss Stories in L.A."
    RTS, SRF, RSI & Framevox, Switzerland
    5 episodes

    Writer of the feature film "Diplomatic Corps"
    Winner of the Writer'sLab in New York, supported by Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep.

    Director, writer of "The journey of geckos"
    ARTE, France, RTS, AfterAllfilms & Framevox

    Writer & Creator of a TV - Series "Young Cleopatra"
    WK Productions, USA

    Director, writer of "Checkpoint Tunisia" documentary
    Framevox & RTS, Switzerland

    Director, writer & producer of "GirlsGoWheels" documentary
    AfterAll Films Cairo, RTS, Switzerland.

    Producer and Line Producer of "Born in Battle"
    Short fiction
    Afterall Films Geneva,  Arte Libera, Switzerland.

    Co-director and co-producer of "Karmalogic",
    TV pilot for a docudrama series,
    Unicon Films, L.A., California.

    Director of  "Double Life of Ron Appel, Scientist and Musician"
    Docuportrait
    Swiss-French Television, Violon Dingue, TV5Monde.

    Director, writer and producer of 3 TV commercials  for  "Home Exchange"
    L.A., California, AfterAll Films, Geneva.

    Director and writer of "Hit Man for Rent",  documentary.
    Swiss-French Television, Temps Présent, TV5Monde.

    Director of "The Recruited",  documentary.
    Swiss-French Television, Temps Présent, TV5Monde.

    Executive producer of "Mirage.com"
    Short film by Mansour Al Dhaheri.
    Al Kalema Art Production, U.A.E.

    Director, writer and producer of "Expectations"
    Short fiction.
    Al Kalema Art Production, U.A.E. "Honorable mention"  at the Los Angeles Movie Awards.

    Executive producer for commercials and music videos in Abu Dhabi.
    Al Kalema Art Production, Filmquip Dubai, U.A.E.

    Director and journalist of short documentaries, RTS, Switzerland and TV5 Monde, France.

    Director and co-writer of "Anomalies Passagères" (“Small Differences”)
    TV drama for the series "Masculin/Féminin" ("Male/FeMale").
    ARTE France, GMT Productions, Paris, France.

    Director and co-writer of "Les Saveurs du Printemps" (“Spring Break”).
    Cab Produtions, Switzerland, ARTE, France.

    Director and writer of "Mixed Up"
    A  personal  journey  into my Egyptian-Swiss family.
    Dschoint Ventschr, Switzerland.

    Director and writer of "Honey and Ashes"
    A feature film which received over 18 awards worldwide: Skyy Prize for best first film at the International Film Festival in San Francisco, the prestigious Ecumenical Award at the International Film Festival of Locarno and Antigone d'Or in Montpellier, France for best feature film.
    DschointVentschr, Switzerland and CTV Productions, Tunisia.

  • Graduate Film and TV Program at New York University, TISCH School of the Arts
    Master of Fine Arts

  • ​Acting workshops at the University for Music and Theater in Bern (HKB), Switzerland

    Lecturer at the University of Zurich, Graduate Film, Storytelling and Filmanalysis

    Instructor at NYFA in Los Angeles: Screenwriting, Directing

    Executive Managing Director of New York Film Academy, Abu Dhabi Campus, U.A.E.

    Private film instructor for Cheikha Aliazia, daughter of the Minister of Higher Education, U.A.E.

    Instructor at NYFA in Abu Dhabi: Directing, Screenwriting,  Documentary

    Filmmaking, History of Cinema, Film Production, Acting for Film.

    Screenwriter and script consultant on documentaries and fiction projects.

    Teaching a documentary workshop for journalists in Cairo, Pro Helvetia, Egypt.

    Teaching summer programs at the New York Film Academy in Paris, France: Screenwriting, Film Production and Acting for Film.

    Studies of Fundamentalism, Comparative Studies of the Science of Religion.
    University of Fribourg, Switzerland.