Nada Bedair (she/her)
On Your Radar is a weekly Grad Film News Segment that features a student picked at Random.
Where do you consider home and what is it like there?
The ultimate question that I keep asking myself on my journey of identity exploration. The truth is I'm not really sure.
I was born and raised in Egypt. It is the place where I discovered my love for photography and film, where I took my first photograph on my dad's camera at the age of 5, where I documented the Egyptian Revolution with my camera at the age of 13 and where my family still lives. Egypt is an integral part of my fabric as an individual. It is the place that made me who I am today as a woman.
After high school, I lived in Qatar, Chicago and India until I landed in New York. While I never feel like I truly belong in the US, New York as a city is where I feel most like myself as an individual and where I found my perspective as a filmmaker.
The short answer is: For me, home is a juxtaposition of Egypt and New York.
What is currently inspiring you as a filmmaker?
Telling stories about women from my community drives my work. While Egypt is the biggest producer of film/TV in the Middle East, I never grew up watching stories of the strong female characters that I saw around me everyday. I want to bring to life stories that my younger self needed to see and question societal expectations of what it is to be a "woman" in a conservative Muslim Egyptian community.
What has been your most rewarding experience at NYU Tisch Grad Film so far?
The strong sense of community at NYU Grad Film has definitely been the most rewarding. You are constantly surrounded by incredibly talented people which only pushes you to be your best creative self. I'm very grateful for my Grad Film family and their influence on my journey as an individual and as a filmmaker.
@nadabedair (instagram and vimeo)