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Nabila Abuljadayel, a Saudi artist and award-winning director, producer, photographer, and co-founder of Suraya Productions.
Creative visionary in art and photography
Nabila Abuljadayel’s artworks have been presented to King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, King Hamad of Bahrain and Queen Rania of Jordan. Abuljadayel’s extensive portfolio includes over 500 artworks that document the history of Saudi Arabia and depict various royal families, including those of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Jordan. Several of her artworks can be seen in ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia.
She has also gained recognition as a photographer for her award-winning Hajj series, which was featured in a documentary on the British ITV channel and screened in the UK Parliament, given her role as a Hajj photographer for four consecutive years.
Pioneering Saudi producer and director
Alongside her mother, Suraya AlShehry, Abuljadayel co-founded Suraya Productions, a production company that specializes in animations. Their recent short film (Prostrate and Draw Near) directed, produced, and written by the mother-daughter duo Suraya AlShehry and Nabila Abuljadayel has received numerous awards, making it the most awarded Saudi short animated film with 31 international film festival awards, including the “Animation That Matters” award part of the Animation Day in Cannes at Marché du Film during the 77th Cannes Film Festival in 2024 and it also became the first Saudi animation to screen at the Venice Production Bridge during the 81st Venice Film Festival in 2024.
Prominent philanthropist and dedicated advocate for refugees
Abuljadayel earned her bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in digital art and minor in photography and cinema studies from Northeastern University in Boston. She also studied Cinema at Harvard University where her ideas on reviving Saudi heritage through the innovative blending of art and film first materialized.
She often uses her art to contribute to humanitarian ends, given her role as goodwill ambassador for the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief).
She taught art courses in Zaatari Camp, Jordan, to refugees of varying ages and skill levels, focusing on their personal development and equipping them with skills that could improve their future employment prospects.
