experimenting with different modes of creation: photography; painting; dancing; music. Until I attended a film directing workshop and thought that’s pretty much it! It is the best umbrella to encompass all my passions for arts; storytelling; music; choreography in one! It was the beginning of a very long turning-point, that I believe am still trying to come to grips with. I have always been ardently in love with cinema, and for long had fantasies of acting, but never acted upon these fantasies. It was not until I was hitting my 30year threshold that I decided to leave behind all my success, and failures and start from scratch. I left my hometown in Alexandria and relocated in Cairo to pursue a two-year filmmaking diploma at the French University in Cairo. Throughout these two years I attended a myriad workshops on directing; acting; cinematography. I directed about 6 feature shorts and one documentary. My graduation film project, "Painting the Lily," co-written, produced and directed by me was officially selected in 36 international and local film festivals and won 6 awards: First Prize as best film at the 1st edition Luxor University African Forum, held in Luxor, Egypt, February 2020. Le Grand Prix as Best film at the 6th edition of Casablanca Short Film Festival for the Arab World, held in Casablanca, Morocco, December 2019. Best Achievement Award for the Director in Short Narrative Film Category at the 10th edition of Silicon Valley African Cinema FF, held in San José, California, USA, October 2019. Best Cinematography Award at the 3rd edition of Eyoun Short Film Festival in Baghdad, Iraq, July 2019. Principal Actress received an appreciation certificate for her role as actress in a leading role at Silicon Valley FF. Director received
an appreciation certificate at Eyoun FF. My later short film, "Sunset Memory" won First Prize at the short fiction film workshop competition at the 3rd edition of Sharm Sheikh Asian Cinema Film Festival, February 2019. When I ask myself, however, why I decided to make a film about two women bonding in different intimate crises, I find that the answer goes far beyond this project. I grew up with a solid feminist upbringing and academic education. I have always believed in women’s rights. Being a female film director was partly my safe haven to exercise both my creativity and leadership skills that are often taken for bossiness for not so feminist peeps! Yet, I did not want to tackle women battered up and having their identities eroded by men. I did not want to portray a relationship in any romantic sense, either. I wanted to show the uttermost power women bring into this world: their unwavering ability to nurture; heal and support themselves above all, and others. Women grow up with tons of insecurities; prohibitions; threats and restrictions in the name of protective patriarchal figures. I personally both have and haven’t suffered from his. I grew up equal in my household, yet faced an array of oppressive mentalities in society as I hit rock-bottom reality in the job market. I still get shocked to the very core with the amount of bigotry and misogyny some men still have deeply entrenched in 2020. Yet, I cannot say I was ever oppressed enough to have my life decisions taken for me or imposed upon me by anyone. Hence, I wanted to portray women who have crises concerning their own passions; life pursuits and evolving identities in face of pain; without any authoritarian patriarchal figure being the perpetrator. I wanted us as women to discuss us; as independent beings with our own psychological makeup and aspirations. That is why, I wanted to show the power of women in solidarity to lift up themselves, by themselves, for themselves because is not that what all women do every single day?
URBAN SE NTINEL MAGAZINE | DECEMBER
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