Tima Shomali (Arabic: تيما الشوملي‎, born March 7, 1985)
is a Jordanian producer, director, writer, and comedy actress. Zainab
Salbi called her "Tina Fey of the Arab world" during an interview with
the young actress, in New York at the Woman in the World Summit. After
earning an MFA degree in producing and screenwriting at RSICA, Shomali
joined the YouTube show Bath Bayakha, where she was first recognized
for her work as a writer and actress. Later in 2012, she founded her
own production company which she called Filmizion Productions, and
through the company, she created and starred in her first Web series
titled Femaleshow. The show attracted millions of viewers from across
the region online, which led to it being aired on different TV
stations around the region. Becky Anderson described her as a national
phenomena in a CNN interview with the young filmmaker. Currently, she
is working on creating the second original Arabic Netflix series, in
collaboration with her Jordanian production company Filmizion
Productions, titled AlRawabi School for Girls.Shomali graduated from
the University of Jordan with a BA in Business Administration and
Finance, since none of the universities in Jordan at the time were
offering film courses. However, after she earned her BA degree, she
started participating in workshops and seminars offered by the
Jordanian Royal Film Commission. After making her first short film,
she applied to an MFA program at Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts
(RSICA) that started operating in Aqaba in 2008. She graduated with an
MFA in screenwriting and producing.After graduating from RSICA,
Shomali made her debut as a comedy writer and lead actress in the
local online comedy show Bath Bayakha. The show gained 11 million
viewers on YouTube and became a huge success in the region. Shomali's
success in Bath Bayakha led her to start her own production company in
2012 called Filmizion Productions. She created her own online show,
which she titled Femaleshow. It started off as a show that conducted
social experiments in the streets of Amman, which then Shomali would
comment on through comedic monologues and skits that she wrote
herself. Without attempting to change the stereotype that exists in
the Arab world that claims women are not funny, Shomali became one of
the most well known comedian actors in Jordan.Later, Shomali
transformed Femaleshow into a fictional romantic comedy series about a
couple's life through dating, engagement, marriage and pregnancy from
a woman's point of you. The show attracted more than 25 million
viewers, and was rated as one of the top five web series to watch in
the Arab region. Shomali wanted to make Femaleshow relatable, and
wanted to use it to tackle issues in Jordanian society, without
speaking about the problems directly. She made her content comedic and
relatable so she could place emphasis on the reality that women and
Arabs in general are a part of, and change the stereotypes that exists
about Arabs in the world at large. Shomali became one of the most
familiar faces in the industry, and was titled one of the "100 Under
40: The World’s Most Influential Young Arabs". Shomali gained
thousands of followers on her social media pages (Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter) and all her social media accounts were verified. She uses
her social media influence to promote causes that she believes in,
such as humans right to education, women empowerment, and youth
empowerment.
is a Jordanian producer, director, writer, and comedy actress. Zainab
Salbi called her "Tina Fey of the Arab world" during an interview with
the young actress, in New York at the Woman in the World Summit. After
earning an MFA degree in producing and screenwriting at RSICA, Shomali
joined the YouTube show Bath Bayakha, where she was first recognized
for her work as a writer and actress. Later in 2012, she founded her
own production company which she called Filmizion Productions, and
through the company, she created and starred in her first Web series
titled Femaleshow. The show attracted millions of viewers from across
the region online, which led to it being aired on different TV
stations around the region. Becky Anderson described her as a national
phenomena in a CNN interview with the young filmmaker. Currently, she
is working on creating the second original Arabic Netflix series, in
collaboration with her Jordanian production company Filmizion
Productions, titled AlRawabi School for Girls.Shomali graduated from
the University of Jordan with a BA in Business Administration and
Finance, since none of the universities in Jordan at the time were
offering film courses. However, after she earned her BA degree, she
started participating in workshops and seminars offered by the
Jordanian Royal Film Commission. After making her first short film,
she applied to an MFA program at Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts
(RSICA) that started operating in Aqaba in 2008. She graduated with an
MFA in screenwriting and producing.After graduating from RSICA,
Shomali made her debut as a comedy writer and lead actress in the
local online comedy show Bath Bayakha. The show gained 11 million
viewers on YouTube and became a huge success in the region. Shomali's
success in Bath Bayakha led her to start her own production company in
2012 called Filmizion Productions. She created her own online show,
which she titled Femaleshow. It started off as a show that conducted
social experiments in the streets of Amman, which then Shomali would
comment on through comedic monologues and skits that she wrote
herself. Without attempting to change the stereotype that exists in
the Arab world that claims women are not funny, Shomali became one of
the most well known comedian actors in Jordan.Later, Shomali
transformed Femaleshow into a fictional romantic comedy series about a
couple's life through dating, engagement, marriage and pregnancy from
a woman's point of you. The show attracted more than 25 million
viewers, and was rated as one of the top five web series to watch in
the Arab region. Shomali wanted to make Femaleshow relatable, and
wanted to use it to tackle issues in Jordanian society, without
speaking about the problems directly. She made her content comedic and
relatable so she could place emphasis on the reality that women and
Arabs in general are a part of, and change the stereotypes that exists
about Arabs in the world at large. Shomali became one of the most
familiar faces in the industry, and was titled one of the "100 Under
40: The World’s Most Influential Young Arabs". Shomali gained
thousands of followers on her social media pages (Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter) and all her social media accounts were verified. She uses
her social media influence to promote causes that she believes in,
such as humans right to education, women empowerment, and youth
empowerment.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.