A millennial American girl befriends a Lebanese housewife and disrupts her ordered life; one night they become accidental partners-in-crime.

Interview with Director Noor Gharzeddine

Watch Are You Glad I'm Here on Tubi and Prime Video

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! As a Lebanese/American filmmaker who grew up in the U.S I wanted to make a bilingual film that took place in Lebanon and was accessible to an American audience. I wanted to explore the friendship between an American girl and a Lebanese woman in a way where both characters were challenged by the other, but in a nuanced and non-judgmental way. I also wanted to create a film that handled dark subject matters with a playful lens; moving away from a certain gritty and depressed aesthetic that is present in a lot of Middle Eastern foreign films.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

There’s something in this film for everyone, and I feel confident saying that because I developed the story alongside our screenwriter, Samuel Anderson, and we both have very different interests and storytelling techniques.

I think we as a society are very movie literate and when we watch a movie we can often predict what line is about to be said or what conflict is about to arise. Are You Glad I’m Here is a genre blend and takes unexpected turns, but in a realistic way. So even though I’ve watched it a million times I still find it to be a refreshing film.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

We explore a lot of universal themes (orientalism, domestic violence, happiness, motherhood etc) but we make sure our character’s realistic personalities are what drive the plot instead of the need to prove a point or paint a black and white picture.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Sam and I worked continuously on the script; he was on set with us the entire time so it was a never-ending process. As we spent more and more time in Lebanon we made changes based on that, and we also made adjustments after securing our cast and locations. And then of course once the edit starts you once again end up with something totally different! It’s a constant evolution and I really enjoyed that aspect of it because you as an artist can grow alongside your film.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

It’s been so rewarding to finally watch the film with an audience. I get to experience them cringing, laughing, gasping, tearfully smiling etc. A lot of people come up to me saying, “I wanna go to Lebanon!” or “How did you shoot that in less than three weeks?!”

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We play with a blend of comedy and tragedy and on paper this can sometimes read as harsh- tugging the viewing from one type of scene to the next. But we wanted to make a film that mirrored life and didn’t adhere to just one genre or tone. I’ve been really pleasantly surprised at how on-board audiences are for this type of film and how willing they are to laugh out loud. We just won the audience award at the Brooklyn Film Festival so that was a great surprise as well!

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope to keep expanding my audience and building my network of fellow indie filmmakers! It’s great to have such a thoughtfully curated platform for films that might not always get that type of attention.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We started our US festival tour in April and hope to keep screening the film throughout the next year, ideally going to European and Middle Eastern festival as well! Our goal is to build our audience with the help of festival directors and a sales agent and gain the attention of distributors.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I hope this film highlights the importance of cultural exchange and understanding.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What was Kirsten’s role in the crime? And what will her role be in Nadine’s life after the film’s final scene? On a more general level I hope the film sparks some debate about divorce in Lebanon and the harm of being denied a civil marriage.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I’m currently writing my next feature and developing a TV sitcom. Sam is working on a novel that he’s been writing for the past few years and is also half way through his next feature script- an action film set in 1920’s Florida!

Interview: July 2018

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

ARE YOU GLAD I’M HERE

A millennial American girl befriends a Lebanese housewife and disrupts her ordered life; one night they become accidental partners-in-crime.

Length: 85 mins

Director: Noor Gharzeddine

Producer: Noor Gharzeddine, Elie Deek

Writer: Samuel Anderson

About the writer, director and producer:

NOOR GHARZEDDINE is a Lebanese-American filmmaker born and raised in New York City. She has a BA in Film and Electronic Arts from Bard College, where she had the privilege of studying under influential filmmakers such as Kelly Reichardt and Peter Hutton. She is fascinated with blending hyper realism with absurdity, and tragedy with comedy. Her bilingual debut feature, Are You Glad I’m Here, which she directed, developed and produced, started its festival run this April. It premiered at the Atlanta Film Festival and recently won best original score & the audience award for best narrative feature at the Brooklyn Film Festival.

Other: noorgharzeddine.com

Funders: Private donors and crowd funding

Made in association with: Promedia and Big Vision Empty Wallet

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We’ll be at Woods Hole Film Festival on August 3rd. Follow us on social media to stay updated on our fall screenings!