Dia Zaiem
Prolific Filmmaker, 2017
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Digital Film & Television
“My advice to students who want a career in the film industry or any other industry is to never quit trying, because you’ll never know how you’ll get opportunities.”
07 August 2017
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Dia Zaiem is a prolific filmmaker whose work is a force to be reckoned with in the industry. Zaiem is also a producer, writer and an editor, and his work has seen nominations at film festivals around the world.
Born in Syria, the 26-year-old declared that he has been a cinema lover all his life, and started actively pursuing his passion when he was only 13 years old.
He draws his inspiration from the famed Quentin Tarantino. “The way he uses camera movement, how he tells the story, and his way of using music in his films has always been an inspiration to any fan of cinema all over the world.”
In 2012, Dia Zaiem came to Malaysia and joined Limkokwing University to study Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Digital Film & Television.
“Limkokwing was the best fit for me to study at. Having students of different nationalities and cultural background was a life changing experience; it pushes your boundaries of creativity.”
On how he got involved with the industry Zaiem said, “During studying and after graduating I worked as a freelancer with different companies, and worked for 5 months for a kids’ TV show in 2015, with the German television channel Deutsche Welle (DW). And that’s how I got into the industry.”
Dia Zaiem’s career soared to heights when ten of his short films and documentaries got nominated in the United States, Malaysia, and London.
His Silou: A Tale of an Orang Asli, was nominated for Best Short Documentary in Hollywood Screenings Festival in California, USA in 2017, and Official Selection in Best Film Fest 2017.
“I worked as senior gaffer in the short film Infinite Hiulcity, it was in the official selection category in Indie Wise Film Festival in Miami, USA in 2017.”
Dia Zaiem’s greatest achievement was being nominated for The Best Director and The Best Short Film in TMC London Film Festival in 2017, and winning The Best Editor Award for his film The Forgotten.
The short film was nominated as The Best Student Film in SEA Shorts Festival in Malaysia in 2017.
The young lad credits his success to trusting his ideas and not fearing failure, and tells the stories using his films.
His current project involves writing a script for his upcoming feature film. “My future project is working on a TV drama series as an assistant director. The project is still in its pre-production stage, but shooting will start in September 2017, in UAE and Lebanon.”
“My advice to students who want a career in the film industry or any other industry is to never quit trying, because you’ll never know how you’ll get opportunities.”
