Yasmin Fedda

Yasmin Fedda
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
University of Manchester, Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology
Occupation(s)Filmmaker and academic
EmployerQueen Mary University of London
Notable workBreadmakers (2007)
Queens of Syria (2014
Ayouni (2020)
Websiteyasminfedda.com

Yasmin Fedda is a Palestinian filmmaker, artist, creative producer, and academic, based in the United Kingdom. She is most noted as a documentary film director, producer and programmer, and has taught with film organisations, NGOs and universities internationally. She was a co-founder of the project Highlight Arts, UK, which works with artists in times of conflict.[1]

Her films have won awards and been screened at international festivals including the Sundance Film Festival and the Edinburgh Film Festival, as well as being broadcast by the BBC and Al Jazeera English.[2][3] Fedda is a senior lecturer in film at Queen Mary University of London.[4][5]

Background

Yasmin Fedda holds an M.A. in social anthropology from the University of Edinburgh, an M.A. in visual anthropology from the University of Manchester's Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology, and a Ph.D. by practice in Transdisciplinary Documentary film from the University of Edinburgh.[6]

Having spent a year as a support worker at the Garvald Edinburgh bakery, she made the short documentary film Breadmakers (2007), which had an acclaimed reception,[7][8] being named as best short documentary at the Middle East International Film Festival[9] [10] and was nominated for a BAFTA for best short Scottish documentary of 2007.[11] Her 2014 film Queens of Syria also won the Black Pearl award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.[1][12][13] It is a documentary that follows a theatre project run with Syrian refugee women in Amman, where they are in the final rehearsals of staging a new version of Euripides's tragedy, The Trojan Women, interwoven with their own experiences of war.[14][15][16][17]

Fedda's 2020 film Ayouni premiered at CPH:DOX in 2020.[18][19] Described by Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian as "a powerful and urgent documentary tribute", Ayouni focuses on Bassel Safadi and Paolo Dall'Oglio, both "forcibly disappeared" in Syria, Bassel's wife Noura Ghazi Safadi, and Machi, Paolo's sister.[4] In 2024, Fedda's interactive installation The Pathogen of War premiered at CPH:DOX,[20][21] and also that year she made the feature-length film How We Work, with 39 filmmakers across the world.[22][23]

Fedda has been a participant in a variety of conferences and her work has been widely shown at festivals, on television and in galleries around the world, including at the Sundance Film Festival, the Edinburgh Film Festival, the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, the Glasgow Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival, the Dublin Film Festival, and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.[24][25][26][27]

She is a co-founder of the Highlight Arts project, "which brings together a diverse array of artists, writers, photographers and others to explore the stories of and to give voice to those affected by war, environmental disaster and other forms of conflict",[28] making use of residencies, workshops and labs, translations and collaborations.[29]

Filmography

Features

  • 2012: A Tale of Two Syrias[5][30]
  • 2014: Queens of Syria[5]
  • 2020: Ayouni[4][31]
  • 2024: How We Work[5]
  • 2024: The Pathogen of War (interactive installation)[5][32]

Short films

  • 2004: Milking the Desert[2]
  • 2007: Breadmakers[5]
  • 2009: Moving Pictures[33]
  • 2011: Waiting for Spring[5]
  • 2013: Siamo Tornati/We are Back[1]
  • 2015: Abu Hawash[33]
  • 2015: Found in Translation[5]
  • 2015: Rebel Geeks: Steal from the Capitalists[5]
  • 2020: Blink and You'll Miss Us[34]

Selected writings

  • (with Daniel Gorman) "Cinema of Defiance", Critical Muslim, 11.2, 2015.[35]
  • (with Daniel Gorman and Tory Davidson) Creation and Displacement – Developing New Narratives Around Migration, IETM – International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts, 2016[36]
  • "Filming the Invisible", New Lines Magazine, 28 October 2020.[37]
  • "Am I still a filmmaker?", Raising Films, 2021[38]
  • "Time, grief, and hope on film", HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, 2022
  • (with Daniel Gorman) "Three Nights in Free Syria", The Markaz Review, 24 January 2025.[39]
  • (co-written chapters) "Researching protracted displacement" and "A new political economy of displacement", in Refugees in a World Without Aid (edited by Ceri Oeppen, Ali Ali, Michael Collyer, Priya Deshingkar, Anne-Meike Fechter, and Tahir Zaman), Open Press, University of Sussex, 2025.[40]

Awards

  • 2004: One World Broadcasting Trust award, Milking the Desert[41]
  • 2006: Debut competition Jury Prize, Moscow Visual Anthropology Film Festival, Milking the Desert[41]
  • 2007: BAFTA nomination for best short film, Breadmakers[41]
  • 2007: Scottish Short Film Award, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Breadmakers[41][42]
  • 2008: Best Short Film, Emotions Film Festival, Greece, Breadmakers[41]
  • 2008: Black Pearl Short Documentary Award, Middle East Film Festival, Abu Dhabi, Breadmakers[41]
  • 2008: Palme Dewar Award, Heartland Film Society, Breadmakers[41]
  • 2009: Special Jury Mention, Gdansk DocFilm Festival, Breadmakers[43][44]
  • 2014: Black Pearl for Best Director from Arab World, Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2014: Special mention from the UNHCR, Human Screen Film Festival, Tunis, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2015: Best Documentary Film Award, Salé International Festival of Women's Film, Morocco, Queens of Syria[45]
  • 2015: Prix Safi Faye CREDIF (UNESCO), Best Female Director, Carthage Film Festival, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2015: Tanit de bronze for Best Documentary, Carthage Film Festival, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2015: UNHCR/CONARE Director Prize, CineMigrante Festival, Argentina, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2016: Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, Minneapolis, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2016: Best Documentary Feature, Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, Minneapolis, Queens of Syria[27]
  • 2021: Commendation, RAI Film Prize, Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival[46]
  • 2022: Eurimage Award, for Best Prototype for The Pathogen of War at CPH:DOX[47]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Yasmin Fedda – Documentary Filmmaker, London, United Kingdom". salzburgglobal.org. Salzburg Global. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Yasmin Fedda - An Ethnographic Eye". truestory.film. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Jurors Statement for the Palestine Showcase at Sheffield DocFest 2024". palestinefilminstitute.org. Palestine Film Institute. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Bradshaw, Peter (22 February 2021). "Ayouni review – a raging lament for Syria's 'disappeared'". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dr Yasmin Fedda, BA, MA, PhD, FHEA | Senior Lecturer | Profile". Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Session Report 532 | Conflict Transformation through Culture: Peace-Building and the Arts" (PDF). Salzburg Global Seminar. 6–10 April 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  7. ^ Gilchrist, Jim (13 December 2007). "Rising stars". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Full record for 'Bread Makers' (7950) - Moving Image Archive catalogue". movingimage.nls.uk. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  9. ^ Crane, Kelly (20 October 2008). "Black Pearl winners announced at MEIFF closing ceremony". Gulf News. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  10. ^ Clouston, Erlend (29 October 2008). "Charitable bakery film wins top award". The Guardian.
  11. ^ Clouston, Erlend (16 January 2008). "On a roll". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  12. ^ Weissberg, Jay (11 December 2014). "Film Review: 'Queens of Syria'". Variety. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  13. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (24 February 2015). "Yasmin Fedda talks Queens of Syria". Screen Daily. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  14. ^ Williams, Holly (10 July 2015). "Queens of Syria: Exploring a modern retelling of Euripides's The Trojan Women by female victims of the Syrian civil war". The Independent. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  15. ^ McRobie, Heather (6 July 2016). "I shall leave as my city turns to dust: Queens of Syria and women in war". openDemocracy. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Queens of Syria Documentary Trailer". Trojan Women Project. 11 February 2021.
  17. ^ Rothe, E. Nina (10 August 2015). "Queens of Syria Extinguishes the Stereotypes Created by War". HuffPost. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  18. ^ Parfitt, Orlando (21 February 2020). "CPH:DOX unveils 2020 competition line-up with 50/50 gender split (exclusive)". Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Ayouni Trailer | CPH:DOX 2020" – via YouTube.
  20. ^ "The Pathogen of War". cphdox.dk. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  21. ^ "The Pathogen of War". UK Films Database. British Council. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  22. ^ "How We Work". 2024.
  23. ^ "Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IHSS) Annual Report 2023–2024 | Fellows | Dr Yasmin Fedda" (PDF). Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  24. ^ "Yasmin Fedda". The Markaz Review. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Global Stories with filmmaker Yasmin Fedda". theasa.org. Association of Social Anthropologists. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  26. ^ "Artworks | Yasmin Fedda | Abo Hawash, 2015, Syria". Imago Mundi Collection. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h "Queens of Syria - Documentary". Trojan Women Project. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  28. ^ Romani, Rebecca (20 November 2015). "'Queens of Syria' Director Uses Creative Methods For Political Topics". kpbs.org. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  29. ^ "About". Highlight Arts. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  30. ^ Kermode, Jennie (29 January 2013). "A Tale Of Two Syrias (2012) Film Review". Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  31. ^ Leduc, Sarah (26 June 2020). "'Ayouni', the documentary film that puts a face to Syria's forcibly disappeared". france24.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  32. ^ "We caught up with the amazing Yasmin Fedda, director of 'Pathogen of War' opening today @batterseaartscentre to talk about emotional impact of the play and her inspiration behind it". Instagram. Shubbak Festival. 27 June 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Dr Yasmin Fedda, BA, MA, PhD, FHEA | Senior Lecturer | Publications". Queen Mary University of London. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  34. ^ "Blink and You'll Miss US". yasminfedda.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  35. ^ Fedda, Yasmin. "Cinema of Defiance". Critical Muslim | 11.2. Daniel Gorman. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  36. ^ Fedda, Yasmin; Daniel Gorman; Tory Davidson (March 2016). "Creation and Displacement Developing new narratives around migration" (PDF). ietm.org. ISBN 978-2-930897-05-9. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  37. ^ Fedda, Yasmin (28 October 2020). "Filming the Invisible: What can a filmmaker do when her main subject disappears?". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  38. ^ Fedda, Yasmin. "Am I still a filmmaker?". raisingfilms.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  39. ^ Fedda, Yasmin; Daniel Gorman (24 January 2025). "Three Nights in Free Syria". The Markaz Review. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  40. ^ Oeppen, Ceri; Ali Ali; Michael Collyer; Priya Deshingkar; Anne-Meike Fechter; Tahir Zaman, eds. (2025). "Refugees in a World Without Aid". Open Press University of Sussex.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g Benci, Jacopo (ed.). "fine ARTS 2012-2013" (PDF). bsr.ac.uk. The British School at Rome. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-904152-68-5. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  42. ^ Hunter, Allan (26 August 2007). "Corbijn takes major honours at Edinburgh". Screen Daily. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  43. ^ "Breadmakers". yasminfedda.com. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  44. ^ "Latest News | Special Jury Distinction in Gdansk". Cadies Productions. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  45. ^ "MOROCCO / 9th Salé International Festival of Women's Film". mediterranee-audiovisuelle.com. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  46. ^ "Royal Anthropological Institute Film Prize Past Recipients". Royal Anthropological Institute. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  47. ^ "CPH:LAB 2024/2025 Projects revealed". CPH:LAB. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
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