Meera Almidfa
- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Born and raised in Dubai, Meera embarked on her journey into the world of performance art at a young age, fueled by her father's captivating narratives and cultural heritage. Graduating with a Double Minor in Theatre & Film from the American University of Sharjah, she wrote, directed, and edited 3 short films and starred in 7 theatrical shows. Neveshaya & Macbeth Arabia were among the theatrical shows that the university sponsored to send overseas.
After college, she voiced the lead in the first Emirati animated feature film The Heart of Them (2016), created by Mohammad Fikree. She showcased her versatility when she performed in the musical Sweeney Todd, directed by Joseph Fowler at the Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre, as well as the psychological thriller, Exam, produced by the company Backstage. In 2015, she was chosen among 34 actors, in a casting search around the entire Middle East, to be part of the Kevin Spacey Foundation's Middle East Theatre Academy's production of Dhow Under the Sun; attended and sponsored by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohd AlQassimi, the ruler of Sharjah, and his wife HH Sheikha Jawaher. The short film she starred in, Don't Leave Me (2013), Directed by Khaled Almahmoud, won Best Muhr Emirati Short at Dubai International Film Festival. This was one of 10 other short films screening at DIFF that she starred in that year. She then acted in one of Alkalema Production's Promo ADs for the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Directed by renowned Mansour Al Dhaheri, which gathered 15M views on YouTube alone and screened nationwide. She was also the assistant producer for this entire project.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts at the American Film Institute. Meera is the first Emirati ever to be chosen for the directing program at A.F.I. Within that program, she has received training from noted filmmakers as Oscar-Winning Asghar Farhadi, Peter Markham, Neema Barnette, Billy Ray, Bruce Block and others. During the course of this study and in the process of freelancing in Los Angeles, she has taken on additional production roles with her peers, such as Producing, Script Supervising, Casting, Editing, First Assistant Directing and Writing.
Once back in Dubai, she was selected for both the 48th and 49th National Day Theatrical Presentations, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Maryam Al Nahyan, and was attended by all seven rulers of the UAE. Meera was then featured as a lead role in the Expo 2020's official Theme Song & Music Video. Her lead role in the short film "The Monster" directed by Abdulrahman Almadani has resulted in it entering 12 film-festivals in Dubai, Los Angeles and Saudi, and won Special Jury Prize at Al Ain Film Festival as well as Best Drama Short Film at World of Women Film Fair Middle East. Meera featured prominently in Aali Almakam, a 30-episode TV series on Sama Dubai TV written by the renowned Mohammad Hassan Ahmad. It is available on streaming site Awaan and is still being aired. Meera made notable contributions to commercials and brand endorsements for esteemed companies as L'Occitane, Mothercare, Ladurée, and Dubai Culture Tourism. She was also chosen by HH Sheikha Jawaher AlQassimi to be the face of the Sharjah International Children's Film Festival.
In the production field, Meera worked as Associate Producer and Production Manager with the production company Disruptive for Clients as Etisalat, Floyd Mayweather, Guru Randhawa, and lastly the official UAE Pavilion Expo Documentary. It premiered for important clients with a live orchestra, where Minister Of Culture Noura Alkaabi gave a speech to preface the event. Soon after, she acquired a year-long contract with Abu Dhabi Media, working as Creative Producer, under the Head Projects Manager Ali Bu Ali, in development for upcoming home-grown Emirati Television shows that will be set to stream on Netflix. Meera was then hired as a pre-production Creative Producer and Assistant Director for upcoming Emirati feature film Alyam, prepping all aspects of this tale of true events of 7 Emirati Marines that were lost at sea in 1985 Abu Dhabi. The film is in development, set to be directed by Mansour Al Dhaheri for winter 2024.
Meera got back into acting, starring in two short films at Arab Film Studio - under the mentorship of renowned Jordanian Director, Actor and Producer Zaid Abu Hamdan. The shorts have gone to four film festivals so far in Riyadh, Cannes, Morocco and Abu Dhabi.
Meera's latest project is a lead role in the feature film Al Eid Eiden (2024), a joint-venture between the budding film industries of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, under the guise of ImageNation Abudhabi, the UAE's largest award-winning production company. Set for a grand theatrical release in July 2024, the film promises to showcase Meera's work to audiences worldwide.
After college, she voiced the lead in the first Emirati animated feature film The Heart of Them (2016), created by Mohammad Fikree. She showcased her versatility when she performed in the musical Sweeney Todd, directed by Joseph Fowler at the Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre, as well as the psychological thriller, Exam, produced by the company Backstage. In 2015, she was chosen among 34 actors, in a casting search around the entire Middle East, to be part of the Kevin Spacey Foundation's Middle East Theatre Academy's production of Dhow Under the Sun; attended and sponsored by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohd AlQassimi, the ruler of Sharjah, and his wife HH Sheikha Jawaher. The short film she starred in, Don't Leave Me (2013), Directed by Khaled Almahmoud, won Best Muhr Emirati Short at Dubai International Film Festival. This was one of 10 other short films screening at DIFF that she starred in that year. She then acted in one of Alkalema Production's Promo ADs for the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Directed by renowned Mansour Al Dhaheri, which gathered 15M views on YouTube alone and screened nationwide. She was also the assistant producer for this entire project.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Masters of Fine Arts at the American Film Institute. Meera is the first Emirati ever to be chosen for the directing program at A.F.I. Within that program, she has received training from noted filmmakers as Oscar-Winning Asghar Farhadi, Peter Markham, Neema Barnette, Billy Ray, Bruce Block and others. During the course of this study and in the process of freelancing in Los Angeles, she has taken on additional production roles with her peers, such as Producing, Script Supervising, Casting, Editing, First Assistant Directing and Writing.
Once back in Dubai, she was selected for both the 48th and 49th National Day Theatrical Presentations, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Maryam Al Nahyan, and was attended by all seven rulers of the UAE. Meera was then featured as a lead role in the Expo 2020's official Theme Song & Music Video. Her lead role in the short film "The Monster" directed by Abdulrahman Almadani has resulted in it entering 12 film-festivals in Dubai, Los Angeles and Saudi, and won Special Jury Prize at Al Ain Film Festival as well as Best Drama Short Film at World of Women Film Fair Middle East. Meera featured prominently in Aali Almakam, a 30-episode TV series on Sama Dubai TV written by the renowned Mohammad Hassan Ahmad. It is available on streaming site Awaan and is still being aired. Meera made notable contributions to commercials and brand endorsements for esteemed companies as L'Occitane, Mothercare, Ladurée, and Dubai Culture Tourism. She was also chosen by HH Sheikha Jawaher AlQassimi to be the face of the Sharjah International Children's Film Festival.
In the production field, Meera worked as Associate Producer and Production Manager with the production company Disruptive for Clients as Etisalat, Floyd Mayweather, Guru Randhawa, and lastly the official UAE Pavilion Expo Documentary. It premiered for important clients with a live orchestra, where Minister Of Culture Noura Alkaabi gave a speech to preface the event. Soon after, she acquired a year-long contract with Abu Dhabi Media, working as Creative Producer, under the Head Projects Manager Ali Bu Ali, in development for upcoming home-grown Emirati Television shows that will be set to stream on Netflix. Meera was then hired as a pre-production Creative Producer and Assistant Director for upcoming Emirati feature film Alyam, prepping all aspects of this tale of true events of 7 Emirati Marines that were lost at sea in 1985 Abu Dhabi. The film is in development, set to be directed by Mansour Al Dhaheri for winter 2024.
Meera got back into acting, starring in two short films at Arab Film Studio - under the mentorship of renowned Jordanian Director, Actor and Producer Zaid Abu Hamdan. The shorts have gone to four film festivals so far in Riyadh, Cannes, Morocco and Abu Dhabi.
Meera's latest project is a lead role in the feature film Al Eid Eiden (2024), a joint-venture between the budding film industries of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, under the guise of ImageNation Abudhabi, the UAE's largest award-winning production company. Set for a grand theatrical release in July 2024, the film promises to showcase Meera's work to audiences worldwide.
