©Nohad Sammari
Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama (she/her, born in 1994 in Brussels) is a filmmaker and screenwriter based in Brussels. Of Tunisian and Danish descent, she grew up in the Belgian capital, where she studied film at the LUCA School of Arts.
In 2019, she directed the short film Okht Elmarhoum, which served as the starting point for her first feature film, Têtes Brûlées. The latter was selected for the official selection at the Berlinale in 2024 (Generation 14plus section) and received two special mentions from the international jury.
Her film work explores the complexity of diasporic identities, contemporary masculinities, as well as emotions and the unspoken. She is also interested in the relationship between the personal and the collective, as well as forms of celebration on screen.
Parallel to this, she has been actively involved in Brussels’ nonprofit and cultural landscape for several years. She co-founded the non-profit organization Bledarte (2017–2024), a space for the empowerment of young people from immigrant backgrounds through art, culture, and nightlife. She continues this commitment today within various associations and cultural centers, where she leads writing and storytelling workshops for diverse audiences.
Stills from Têtes brûlées © Grimm Vandekerckhove
