A teenage girl takes a step toward adulthood in contemporary Cairo.

Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Farida Zahran

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I grew up watching American teen movies. I’ve watched and re-watched hundreds of meet-cutes and first kisses. They’ve always felt easy, even automated. Mutual attraction always culminated in a majestic kiss or grand gesture and, after a few minor speed bumps, everyone lived happily ever after. I always secretly hoped for my life to operate like it did in those films. It never quite did.

While those films did provide me with the comfort of knowing I wasn't alone in my awkwardness and confusion, I always longed for Arab content that validated my experience without forcing me to pursue American high school cliches. This was my attempt at creating that.

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

For my Arab audience, I would suggest watching this film because it explores a moment that we are all familiar with but that is often relegated to a space of absolute privacy, which can leave us feeling alone in our struggles.

For my non-Arab audience, if you are usually only exposed to narratives of oppression when it comes to Arab women, I would suggest watching this because our experiences are just as diverse as your's and this is a chance to see that.

For anyone and everyone, this is a universal coming-of-age story that explores themes of growing up and facing the pressure to meet expectations that are set up by everyone but you yourself.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Coming-of-age stories in general have always appealed to me. They revolve around a character who’s in the midst of their development and is constantly subjected to pressure from friends, parents, cool kids and TV/magazine articles/instagram. They alone have to decide what direction they’ll allow themselves to be stretched in, or whether they’ll create their own set of rules.

Ultimately, the film explores the moment when a teenage girl is first forced to consider her own boundaries, independent of peer pressure or parental guidance. Our character's story culminates in a newly formed private life - one where she's left alone to figure out what she is and isn’t ready for.

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

The writing process was very rushed because I essentially started writing about a month before my shoot, so the script evolved massively throughout the rehearsal process with my actors and then again during post-production. This was the first time I'd written full scenes into the film during the post-production phase. The magic of filmmaking!

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

Film festival directors, journalists, buyers and distributors.

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

Farida is now in development on her thesis short, a dark comedy musical set in Egypt as well as her first feature, an off-beat comedy about a 60-something year old woman who decides to leave her husband after 40 years of marriage. Leah is in post-production on a comedic short film that she wrote and directed this year.

Interview: March 2019

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

Youth

A teenage girl takes a step toward adulthood in contemporary Cairo.

Length: 11:02

Director: Farida Zahran

Producer: Leah Chen Baker

Writer: Farida Zahran

About the writer, director and producer:

FARIDA ZAHRAN is an Egyptian filmmaker currently pursuing her MFA in Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She’s a third year at Tisch and is now writing her next short as well as developing her first feature. Prior to school, Farida worked in development at the Doha Film Institute. She is currently based in Brooklyn, NY.

LEAH CHEN BAKER discovered her passion for film production as a teenager and gained experience on NYU and independent shorts. Her freelance work includes producing an independent feature, "Her Composition" (Austin Film Festival), and production managing for shows on History Channel, HGTV, A&E and MTV. She's based in her hometown, New York City, where she is an MFA candidate in filmmaking at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Key cast: Yasmeen El Hawary, Ahmed Hosny, Nesma Bahi

Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, distributors

Instagram: @faridazahran_

Website: https://www.faridazahran.com/youth

Other: IMDB

Funders: Indiegogo

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? SXSW 2019