Five short films created by young women from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have been selected to receive support via the AFAC-Netflix Women in Film — Bring your Story to Life initiative.
The films present characters moving through harsh realities, faced with unexpected encounters that change their lives, or trying to pursue their dreams.
But across their various genres and subject matters, the films present the voices of young women in a region dominated by patriarchal norms.
The five films were selected by a jury made up of Jordanian producer, screenwriter and script editor Nadia Eliewat, Egyptian film director Nada Riyadh, and Lebanese director and editor Pamela Ghanime.
After making their selections, the jury issued the following statement:
-
“Today, as we witness humanity being tested live on global screens, it has become more important than ever for Arab voices to put forth their narrative, our narrative. AFAC’s Women in Film in collaboration with Netflix contributes to empowering young women’s voices, by providing them with a safe space to tell their stories guided by experienced mentors. Some of those voices will dig deep into their roots to branch out to tell their stories to the world.
We found some comfort in escaping the daily horrors of the genocide in our beloved Gaza and Lebanon by getting the chance to explore different worlds created by young Arab women.
It was refreshing to discover those voices expressing themselves through stories that vary in their topics and genre. Some are based on personal experiences of trauma and the struggle of wellbeing, while others tackle social issues rooted in the region. What they all have in common though, is a strong will and inspiring motivation to bring their stories to screens.
It was a challenge to nominate the finalists. But we made our decision based on the projects’ merit, originality of vision and the potential for further development. We encourage all applicants to keep developing their stories, as the core of each film is the screenplay, and to never stop seeking opportunities to make their voices heard.
Best wishes from the jury, fellow women storytellers who are also seeking opportunities to make our voice heard.”
Women in Film — Bring Your Story to Life offers up and coming women filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work. Through the initiative, young women-led filmmaking teams receive financial and professional support to produce their short films. The program includes virtual consultations on script writing, producing, directing, cinematography and editing, in addition to post-production support sessions in Saudi Arabia.
The five projects selected by the jurors
- Of Burning Memories and Wounds by Suha Soliman and Salma El Sharnouby (Egypt)
- Cleanse the Streets by Aysha Shahaltough and Rahmeh Dib (Jordan)
- Jareesh Sallam by Tala Alharbi, Lujain Alkubara, Zahra Aldhamin, Renad Badawi and Alaa Kashef (Saudi Arabia)
- No Land in Sight by Eiman Alkhalifa and Zainab AbdelAziz (United Arab Emirates)
- Somewhere Else by Haya Alghanim and Raghad Bajbaa (Kuwait)