A day in Deira

We were inspired to take Deira as our subject matter because if you make an effort to look deeper, one comes across a side of Dubai that revels in its heritage yet is made of an incredibly diverse tapestry, has tradition as its base but also the character and culture that immigrants bring and not the sheen of its tall towers but the grittiness and sense of being real that you may find lacking else where in the city.

While both of us are passionate about filmmaking, our backgrounds are varied and with no prior professional experience in the field. Tanya is transitioning from a print to a video journalist and currently working on her own documentary based projects, whilst Fatima has studied design but also worked on film projects during her time at university in which she played key roles such as a filmmaker and editor.

Winning this scholarship is important for us as it combines our love of travel with something that we are deeply passionate about. An expensive craft to learn, getting this opportunity will help us not only learn and experience more but individually move each one of us a step closer to our dream. As storytellers, communicators and conversationalists.