Leila Almawy

Leila Almawy is an Arab-Canadian filmmaker and activist whose work centers marginalized voices and underrepresented communities. Her work is rooted in im/mobility, displacement, and systemic oppression in the racialized experience. Some examples of her works are: Salma, which follows the inspiring story of a Hijabi Muslim Canadian as she explores different facets of her identity as a stand-up comic and a biomedical engineer; and Rumaan, a short film that follows the resilient story of a pomegranate tree that was planted in Canada, but transported from Palestine by her late grandfather in 1948 after he was forced to flee the Nakba. Her latest film is a documentary about one man's experience of being on Canada's No Fly List. Leila lives and works in London, Ontario with her Husky, Brando.