A'ibTok (عيبTOK)

Born in Cairo, raised across four different countries, and moved to Abu Dhabi to pursue Film and New Media in New York University, Salma Abdelaziz is a Scriptwriter, Director, and Producer based between Egypt and the UAE.

During the summer of 2022, Salma was awarded a film grant from NYU which she used to write, direct, and produce her first fiction short film `Healing Wounds’, currently in post-production. It tells the story of a 13-year-old girl secretly discovering her father's affair behind her mother's back. She is committed to protecting her and breaking the generational trauma. She has published her second fiction narrative short film ‘عیبTok’ as her debut in 2023 - created in response to political events in 2021 following the crackdown on female freedoms of social media influencers in Egypt, followed by a heartfelt short documentary, 'Reconciliation' - a poetic exploration of her relationship with her grandmother, the passage of time as she fights cancer, and the importance of acknowledging and mending relationships before it's too late - now streaming on the platform Labocine.

Challenging the norms and pushing the boundaries is the essence of her work. She unapologetically addresses taboo topics, drawing inspiration from her personal life and environment. She is deeply committed to crafting narratives that feel, look, and sound genuine while representing topics such as gender, socio-economic issues, and mental health, with honesty and care. She is currently developing her third short fiction film which she plans to shoot by the end of this year after applying for funding.

Salma began her professional career as an Assistant Director and Assistant Producer on several UAE-based projects, including Talabat Ramadan Campaign (2023), Soul of Dubai Podcast for the Ministry of Culture (7 episodes), the Abu Dhabi Media Office sustainability series (15+ episodes), BRED commercial (2024), Five Guys Global Campaign (2024), and the COP 28 Documentary selected at the Al Sidr Environmental festival (September 2024). She transitioned into Line Producing with TOD's Ramdan Campaign and Talabat Regional Campaign (2023), before leading her first major production with Infinix Note 40 series and later co-directing Emirati Women's Day film for this year. Currently, she works as a full-time Creative Producer and Director while also pursuing her passion for independent filmmaking.