Dubai: Why former diplomat-turned-filmmaker explores ‘unpopular’ communities

From diplomatic missions to international movie sets, Dubai-based Russian filmmaker Olga Sapozhnikova has spent her life trying to bridge divides between nations, between people, and even within the self.

A former Russian diplomat stationed in Japan, Sapozhnikova describes her life’s work as one continuous pursuit of ‘cross-cultural communication’. “In the beginning I was more interested in how it’s possible to stop wars. Now I’m more interested in how to stop conflicts between people; like if two groups in a company hate each other, or a husband and wife don’t get along, how can we make them be friends?”

Her journey began with a fascination for Japanese culture and diplomacy. She studied Japanese at the Moscow Linguistic University and went on to take a course in political science, which she described as “additional knowledge” to support her interest in diplomacy and conflict resolution. She eventually became one of the first female Russian diplomats to serve in Japan, posted at the Russian embassy in Tokyo, where she was responsible for cultural affairs. “Before, there were never women in this position,” she recalled. But it was a deeply personal crisis that pivoted her career towards filmmaking.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

From trauma to storytelling

In 2001, her younger sister was caught near Ground Zero during the 9/11 attacks in New York. For three days, Sapozhnikova’s family had no idea whether she had survived. “She lived next to it. She was studying for the New York Bar. For three days we didn’t have connection with her,” she recalled. “She survived, but she lost her house. She was living somewhere without clothes or food. She was helping Americans from under the ground.” That experience, coupled with rising Islamophobia at the time, pushed Sapozhnikova to take action.

“In Moscow [at the time], if somebody in hijab entered the underground, everybody would run away. So, I thought it was very important to do something to connect Muslim people and Christian people,” she explained. Her motivation was also shaped by her own childhood experience. “When I was 12 years old, living in Kuwait, I was saved by an Iraqi doctor. Nobody could cure me, and he saved me. That’s why I’m so devoted to Muslims, and I thought it would be great to build a bridge. I have a lot of Muslim friends, especially girls. They are very kind and very smart. I wanted to portray that.”

She pitched a film concept to a Russian TV station, which turned into her debut work, Hareem. Though she clashed with the director, who openly admitted to anti-Muslim bias, Sapozhnikova fought to keep her vision intact. “I was the idea author and the scriptwriter. I was doing everything. But because I was very young, they didn’t put me in the credits at first,” she said. The film aired 25 times and reached an audience of 140 million people. “After this movie, a lot of people in Russia started studying Arabic,” she added. “I showed that we are all one blood.”

Women on the edge

Her follow-up project was a sharp turn from her last one. She began profiling women in extreme professions for a film titled Risky Girls. She documented female stunt riders, tiger trainers, and base jumpers — each pushing past boundaries often seen as male-dominated. “I was studying why women choose risky professions. Because by nature, the heart of a woman is to be safe,” she said.

“One girl was jumping from buildings. It’s the most dangerous because the parachute opens at the last minute. “During one of the jumps, she crashed hard into the side of the building — so violently that the cameraman, normally calm, started yelling, convinced she might not survive the impact.”

The film featured women who lived double lives: nurturing mothers and fierce athletes. “Few of them really surprised me. They had three kids, they cooked in the house, they wore dresses. But then suddenly, they were doing things men were afraid to do,” she added.

The beauty of growing old

Another theme that has emerged in her work is ageing, particularly how it is perceived in different cultures. Her recent projects have spotlighted elderly icons from Kazakhstan, Russia, and the UAE. In Hidden Beauty, she told the story of Jamila, the first Emirati woman to work in ambulance services, as well as other pioneering women in the UAE. In a Kazakhstan-based film on longevity, she featured women aged 60 to 90 who were still modelling internationally, a 103-year-old Russian woman who recites classical poetry weekly to keep her memory sharp, and an 86-year-old dancer who believes “love will never get old.”

“In Kazakhstan, people over 60 stay at home. Some said they felt shy to go outside because of their wrinkles. I wanted to show they can,” Sapozhnikova said. “They have an incredible desire to live.”

Rewriting life’s script

Living in Dubai, Sapozhnikova works as a life and public speaking coach, helping people, particularly women, reshape their internal narratives. “A lot of women, even if they are very successful, will say ‘Yeah, but I’m still not married’ or ‘I’m already 45’. I help them rewrite what they want,” she said. “I ask questions, they write it down, and for 21 days, they read it to themselves. And they change.”

The method draws from her experience in diplomacy and filmmaking. “In a way, I work like a director, helping them rewrite their scenario.” One woman from Kazakhstan, she recalled, came to her ready to give up after losing her husband, son, and home. “She said there was nothing else left. But after the programme, she changed completely. Now she’s living again.”

A global vision

Sapozhnikova’s films have been broadcast widely and recognised at festivals from Cannes to Los Angeles. Her subjects range from Emirati policewomen to Kazakh Olympic champions training in cabbage warehouses. “I choose unpopular topics. A boxer who didn’t have gloves. A girl jumping from a vegetable market to a stadium named after her. People don’t believe such stories exist,” she said.

Next, she plans to host a forum in Dubai focused on longevity and is considering a new documentary on “higher vibrations” — a concept she defines as the mindset that allows people to focus on what unites rather than what annoys or divides. “When you start thinking about building something bigger, your vibration changes. Then you start taking all your resources, all your mind, all your network — and you do something that makes you and others stronger.”