Ema Shah

Ema Shah (Arabic: ايما شاه‎) (born 7 June 1981) is a Kuwaiti singer, composer, pianist, guitarist, actress, writer, dancer, and director. Her father is Kuwaiti and her mother is Iranian. At the Winter Film Awards of 2014 in New Your City, she won the award for Best Music Video, and won Best Short International Film at North Hollywood Cinema Festival 2016 and received Five awards at the Best Shorts Competition of 2013 in California and won Finalist Best Short Film at the Back in the Box Competition 2013 and received six nominations at the Best Shorts Competition and one in St Albans Film Festival of 2014 in UK for her Music Video Masheenee Alcketiara. In 2012, she sang to the Kuwaiti Prime minister the prince Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, a Song of the Kuwaiti heritage Sung by Abdel Halim Hafez.

Ema Shah
ايما شاه
Ema Shah, The Launch of Emagination Album
Background information
Born (1981-06-07) 7 June 1981
OriginKuwait
GenresWorld music, Arabic music, eastern music
Occupation(s)Singer, musician, composer, dancer, pianist, guitarist, writer, puppeteer, theatrical actress, theater director
InstrumentsPiano, guitar, accordion, xylophone
Websiteemashah.net

Career

Early life

Ema Shah studied opera, photography and films. She has attracted attention through her activism, radical views, humanitarian often controversial points of view and eccentricity. In addition to being a founding member and president of troupe Anthropology, she is a member of Team Force of the Rising Sun for brides in Kuwait, Kuwait Cinema Club, National Democratic Youth League, Kuwait Democratic Forum, Dubai Community Theater, Kuwaiti Human Rights Association and Club Business and Professional Women in Kuwait.

Theater

She made her debut stage appearance in Silence by Harold Pinter, followed by The rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco 2004, The old women and the poet by Yukiomicemia, Debate between night and day by Mohammed Affendi Al-Gazairi, the clown "Monodrama Bantomim" (at the Mediterranean People Festival-Italy) and The Meteor by Dorinmat.

In 2006, Ema established her group "Anthropology", joining actors from different nationalities, with performances, spectacles and songs in different languages, including Arabic, English, French, Japanese, Spanish. She has performed as a singer, pianist, composer and actress at various local and international events.

Films

In 2011, she starred a short movie called "Swing", she also acted on a short movie called Mooz (Banana). The film containing sexual allusions won the jury prize at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Music

She composed a collection of musicals inspired by books like "Jesus, the Son of Human", and The Prophet, written by Gibran Khalil Gibran, and performed them using piano and guitar on the Kuwait National Museum. She has also sung covers for many well known and international artists. She also took part in the musical We can not write on a black page. Her singles include "Shah" about her grandfather Shah Khan. She has sung lyrics written by, amongst others, Lebanese Elia Abu Madi, Saudi Malek Asfeer and Australian Miranda Lee.

Controversy

Ema sparked a big controversy after singing "Hava Nagila" in Hebrew which led to her being accused of promoting Zionism and normalization of ties with Israel. International news agencies, Arab and Israeli media covered the story[1] and Los Angeles Times ran an article about the affair under the headline "Diva blasted by Islamic clerics for singing in Hebrew at club"[2] including reports of putting her on trial. There were also reported threats on her life. Shah explained that she sang the song as she wanted to go beyond borders, and break barriers in support of universal peace between nations.

Dancing
Ema Shah compete rumba at The Twin Cities Open in Minneapolis

Ema Shah competed in dancing rumba at the Twin Cities Open 2019 in Minneapolis, reaching the finals. She danced different styles of silver–level rumba. They took second place in closed rumba and third place in open rumba.

Below is the picture of a rare international duo: Gordan Bratt from Dancers Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota, dancing with Ema Shah, officially the first Arab dancer from Kuwait and Arabian Gulf, in history, to Latin dance.

The second competing: Ema was 5X WINNER at Embassy Ballroom Championship 28 September 2019 in Irvine, California, Dancing with Fred Astaire Studio professional: Forrest Walsh from Pasadena, California: 4X WINNER: Closed Gold Rumba 1st & 2nd Place: Open Silver Rumba 2nd Place: Open Gold Rumba 3rd Place: Open Gold Rumba

Filmography
  • MOOZ (Banana)- actress (2009)
  • Swing - actress (2011)
  • I wish we were Dancers - main actress (2011)
  • Choose to See - Director "Music Video"(2012)
  • Hey Mister - Director "Music Video"(2012)
  • Masheenee Alcketiara - Producer, Director "Music Video"(2013)
  • Aleqini - Producer, Director "Music Video" (2014)
  • Who Killed $arah "Short Film" (2014)
  • Nashi and Mira - main actress "Future Film" (2015)
  • Bell - Producer, Director "Music Video" (2018)
  • The Visitor - main actress "Short Film" (2019)

Discography
  • The Poem And the old woman, 2008.
  • SYNC INFINITI, 2010.
  • Emagination, 2018.
  • In Love, 2019.

Awards
  • The Youth Theater |Kuwait|
    • 2004 - Best Second Actress
  • Best Shorts Competition |USA| Awards on IMDB
    • 2013 - Award of Merit Best Music Video
    • 2013 - Award of Merit Viewer Impact: Entertainment Value
    • 2013 - Award of Merit Art Direction
    • 2013 - Awards of Excellence Concept
    • 2013 - Awards of Excellence Viewer Impact: Motivational/Inspirational
  • Back in the Box Competition |USA|
    • 2013 - Finalist Best Short Film
  • Winter Film Awards |USA|
    • 2014 - Best Music Video
  • Horror Hotel: International Festival and Convention |USA|
    • 2014 - 1st place music video
  • Twickenham Alive Film Festival |England|
  • The Accolade Competition |USA|
    • 2014 - Award of Excellence Music Videos
    • 2014 - Award of Excellence Art Direction
    • 2014 - Award of Merit Direction
    • 2014 - Award of Merit Costume Design
  • WORLD MUSIC & FILM FESTIVAL |USA|
    • 2014 - Best Music Video
  • The IndieFest Film Awards |USA|
  • Global Music Awards (GMA) |USA|
    • 2015 - Bronze Medal Female Vocalist Awards on IMDB
    • 2015 - Bronze Medal Lyrics/songwriter "Aleqini"
  • The Northern Virginia International Film Festival |USA|
    • 2015 - Best Music Video "Masheenee Alcketiara"
  • Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards |Hollywood|
    • 2015 - Best Music Video "Masheenee Alcketiara"
  • St Albans Film Festival Nominations |England|
    • 2014 - Best Music Video
  • Be Film The Underground Film Festival Nominations |USA|
    • 2014 - Best Music Video
  • Meters Film Festival Nominations |Russia|
    • 2015 - Best Music Video "Masheenee Alcketiara"
  • American Sephardic federation Award |USA|

2016

  • North Hollywood Cinema Festival |USA|
    • 2016 - Best International Short Film "Masheenee Alcketiara"
  • Mediterranean Film Festival |Italy|
    • 2018 - Best Music Video/ International "Masheenee Alcketiara"
  • Chambal International Film Festival |India|
    • 2019 - Best Music Video/ International "Masheenee Alcketiara"
  • Kapow International Film Festival |Hollywood, USA|
    • 2019 - Best Music Videol "Masheenee Alcketiara"

References
  1. "Kuwaiti singer sparks furor for singing in Hebrew". Gulf News. 5 April 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  2. Alexandra Sandels (6 April 2010). "Diva blasted by Islamic clerics for singing in Hebrew at club". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
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