Featured Lifestyle NewsApril 2, 2024

Tigereyes – An Award-Winning Short Film Featuring the First Hijabi Scuba Diver in the Maldives

An exclusive Maldivian premiere of Tigereyes; an award-winning short film by Martina Trepczyk about Hamna ‘Hamty’ Hussain was presented at Joali Being on 31st March 2024.

Hamty is the only female Muslim scuba diver on a remote Maldivian island who regularly dives with the world’s most misunderstood creatures — tiger sharks!

Hamty is changing the trajectory of many women and girls to follow and started a programme in collaboration with PADI to help more women enter the Maldivian dive world. Hamty chooses to wear her hijab as a symbol of reclaiming her own narrative. She invites other women to join her in oceanic leadership while battling stigmas, both against sharks and against women.

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Photo: Joali Being

She is also co-founder of Miyaru, a research plattform bringing together scientists, conservationists and storytellers on a mission to study and further protect the shark population. A project, that is currently also collaborating with National Geographic.

Martina Trepczyk is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer and artist. Born to a Polish family from the Baltic Sea in snow-covered Salzburg, Martina feels most at home in the ocean. She captures cinematic ocean stories to foster meaningful connections between viewers and the environment. Her compositions also encompass politics and poetry.

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Photo: Joali Being

Both these trailblazing women shared their views on art, activism and conservation with our guests, followed by an exclusive screening of TIGEREYES and exhibition ‘In Our Hands’.

This very special event is part of JOALI’s commitment to creating platforms for women’s empowerment. Inspired by the fiery female spirit and vision of Esin Güral Argat, JOALI’s founder and owner, one of the brand’s primary goals is to honor the economic and creative aspirations of women. As passionate supporters of female education and vocational training, their efforts are aimed at opening avenues of self-sufficiency and new opportunities for social entrepreneurship.

To learn more about the premier: Tigereyes | Joali Being