[6] She later switched to visual arts and philosophy after taking an interest in photography and filmmaking, graduating magna cum laude in 1996.

[6][10] While studying at Harvard University, Noujaim worked alongside her fellow peers towards developing Blue Hill Avenue, about the operations of gangs in Roxbury, Boston.

[11] In 2002, before her graduation, Noujaim was awarded the Gardiner fellowship under which she directed Mokattam, an Arabic film about a garbage-collecting village near Cairo in Egypt.

[11] She has since worked in both the Middle East and the United States as a cinematographer on various documentaries including Born Rich, Only the Strong Survive, and Down from the Mountain.

[13] In 2004, she directed the feature-length film Control Room, a documentary about US Central Command and its relations with Al Jazeera and other news organizations that covered the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

[16] The mentioned creative approach led her to focus her filmmaking on viewer's bias grounded in individual characteristics such as cultural background.

[14] The neutral stream for the film gives little guidance to viewers, prioritizing their interpretation, an artistic choice on behalf of Noujaim.

[24] Noujaim contributed to a book in 2016 which included a collection of statements by individuals on their experiences travelling to or visiting global squares.

[27][28][29] Noujaim and Amer directed The Vow a documentary series revolving around NXIVM and its leader Keith Raniere, which premiered in August 2020 on HBO.

[36][37] In 2023, Noujaim served as an executive producer on Defiant directed by Amer, focusing on diplomacy and disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[39] After winning the TED Prize, Noujaim used her wish to organize Pangea Day, a live videoconference that took place in New York City, Rio de Janeiro, London, Dharamsala, Cairo, Jerusalem, and Kigali on May 10, 2008.

The purpose of the event was to screen the work of filmmakers who created pieces around cultural reflection that posed conversation starters among the audience to unite people globally through film.