.png)
RAWIYAT SPOTLIGHT
In this section, we spotlight a woman filmmaker, whether from within or outside our collective. She has the freedom to use this platform to express whatever inspires her at the moment, whether it's a past project, one she is currently working on, or a particular reflection on cinema and its industry.
ZAIN DURAIE
This time, we have chosen to put the spotlight on Zain Duraie, a member of our collective, who has decided to talk to us about her first feature film, Sink.
How important is it for you to maintain your attachment to your projects, your attachment to creation in the current circumstances in Palestine?
I am attached to my projects as long as I am working on them. Once they are finished, I move on as they move away.
As for the importance of creating in Palestine currently, I believe it’s important, as long as my creation is giving back to my people. We are in desperate need for each other’s voices, and to get rid of individualism, art should be a way to regain touch with our collectiveness, heritage and history as a nation, and be as far as possible from any individual benefits.
How do you see the making of this film evolving, and what are your aspirations for the life it will lead once it's finished?
I am honestly very proud of the way it organically evolved and naturally without being forced in anyway, truly. This is by far the most relaxed and trusting project I worked on.
My aspiration for this project is to have it’s own life outside mine, to act as a time capsule. In 50-100 years, people, our grand-grand-children will watch it and know what their ancestors really felt and believed at the darkest of times, and to be awarde of the insanely complex identity we carry. And that we ARE Palestinians, we speak Palestine, we walk Palestine, we do things in a Palestinian way, and that we have endured a lot, and wish to see another, different day.
How do you manage your relationship with the protagonists, and how do you personally and emotionally deal with your role as filmmaker in relation to the reality you're documenting?
That’s a good question. My protagonists are very different than me, and that’s the whole point. As I went with the project, I came to realize that I have been sitting in my echo chamber for a long time that I started falsely believing that everyone thinks the way I do or that our beliefs and ideologies are all aligned as Palestinians, but the reality that we are currently living in, in addition to the experiment that I am currently working on proved to me that no, we are very different, welcome from different backgrounds and upbringing, but what unites us, is being indigenous.
I worked so hard to love my protagonists and see beyond my beliefs and upbringing and embrace their complexity and even understand it, even though I might not always agree with them. And that is crucial for my film, because if I’m to present the voices of the 1948 Palestinians with all their complexities and dualities, I can’t do so without loving and caring for them.
Specifically for this documentary, how do you manage the search for funding and keep the creative process alive during this often long and tumultuous road?
It’s not easy, to say the least. For the fundings, I keep my eye opened for any opportunity that’s out there. I never stop working on the film. I also use every funding application as a way to test if I know my film well enough at this stage or if I need to sit with it a bit longer. As for the creative process, I keep experimenting with it, as long as I feel in my guts that I can’t live without making this work, I shall continue working on it. I watch a lot of films, try to recreate scenes that I like, and of course read a lot.
As we all know, financing a documentary is no mean feat, especially if you live in the MENA region. How do you see the influence of international funding policies on the documentary industry in our regions today ?
For me, this was my first experience in documentary and in experimental texts in general, and I would say the financing was a long and lonely way. But that is true to filmmaking in general. I knew from the beginning that I don’t want to apply to funds that their stance on what’s going on in Palestine wasn’t clear or were tiptoeing around it, so I made sure I apply to the two biggest Arab region funds. Additionally, I participated in Sheffield MeetMarket, where I was the only Palestinian there, and I had to make sure I set the tone correctly regarding my film and its’ ideology before getting into money talks.
As we all know, financing a documentary is no mean feat, especially if you live in the MENA region. How do you see the influence of international funding policies on the documentary industry in our regions today ?
This film has been changing constantly for the past 11 months. It started with anonymously receiving messages from 8 individuals and then listening to them for the first time. As I was listening to them, images where coming to my mind, I would write them, roam empty Palestine (that was in November and December 2023) and shoot as much images as I can, edit it all together and then decide how to continue. So basically at first it was super organic and completely not premeditated.
Afterwards, I moved into the 2nd phase, which is researching, writing a script and then “casting” anonymous voices which were brought to me by a 3rd party to resonate with the script I wrote. The 3rd phase was deciding on a general feeling/chapters and then actively asking the voices questions where they answer freely and openly. The process is long, now I have more than 5 hours of audio material where I edit into a 40ish minute film!
That’s a good question. My protagonists are very different than me, and that’s the whole point. As I went with the project, I came to realize that I have been sitting in my echo chamber for a long time that I started falsely believing that everyone thinks the way I do or that our beliefs and ideologies are all aligned as Palestinians, but the reality that we are currently living in, in addition to the experiment that I am currently working on proved to me that no, we are very different, welcome from different backgrounds and upbringing, but what unites us, is being indigenous.
I worked so hard to love my protagonists and see beyond my beliefs and upbringing and embrace their complexity and even understand it, even though I might not always agree with them. And that is crucial for my film, because if I’m to present the voices of the 1948 Palestinians with all their complexities and dualities, I can’t do so without loving and caring for them.
Specifically for this documentary, how do you manage the search for funding and keep the creative process alive during this often long and tumultuous road?
This film has been changing constantly for the past 11 months. It started with anonymously receiving messages from 8 individuals and then listening to them for the first time. As I was listening to them, images where coming to my mind, I would write them, roam empty Palestine (that was in November and December 2023) and shoot as much images as I can, edit it all together and then decide how to continue. So basically at first it was super organic and completely not premeditated.
Afterwards, I moved into the 2nd phase, which is researching, writing a script and then “casting” anonymous voices which were brought to me by a 3rd party to resonate with the script I wrote. The 3rd phase was deciding on a general feeling/chapters and then actively asking the voices questions where they answer freely and openly. The process is long, now I have more than 5 hours of audio material where I edit into a 40ish minute film!
How do you manage your relationship with the protagonists, and how do you personally and emotionally deal with your role as filmmaker in relation to the reality you're documenting?
Specifically for this documentary, how do you manage the search for funding and keep the creative process alive during this often long and tumultuous road?
It’s not easy, to say the least. For the fundings, I keep my eye opened for any opportunity that’s out there. I never stop working on the film. I also use every funding application as a way to test if I know my film well enough at this stage or if I need to sit with it a bit longer. As for the creative process, I keep experimenting with it, as long as I feel in my guts that I can’t live without making this work, I shall continue working on it. I watch a lot of films, try to recreate scenes that I like, and of course read a lot.
How do you manage your relationship with the protagonists, and how do you personally and emotionally deal with your role as filmmaker in relation to the reality you're documenting?
That’s a good question. My protagonists are very different than me, and that’s the whole point. As I went with the project, I came to realize that I have been sitting in my echo chamber for a long time that I started falsely believing that everyone thinks the way I do or that our beliefs and ideologies are all aligned as Palestinians, but the reality that we are currently living in, in addition to the experiment that I am currently working on proved to me that no, we are very different, welcome from different backgrounds and upbringing, but what unites us, is being indigenous.
I worked so hard to love my protagonists and see beyond my beliefs and upbringing and embrace their complexity and even understand it, even though I might not always agree with them. And that is crucial for my film, because if I’m to present the voices of the 1948 Palestinians with all their complexities and dualities, I can’t do so without loving and caring for them.
How do you see the making of this film evolving, and what are your aspirations for the life it will lead once it's finished?
I am honestly very proud of the way it organically evolved and naturally without being forced in anyway, truly. This is by far the most relaxed and trusting project I worked on.
My aspiration for this project is to have it’s own life outside mine, to act as a time capsule. In 50-100 years, people, our grand-grand-children will watch it and know what their ancestors really felt and believed at the darkest of times, and to be awarde of the insanely complex identity we carry. And that we ARE Palestinians, we speak Palestine, we walk Palestine, we do things in a Palestinian way, and that we have endured a lot, and wish to see another, different day.
How important is it for you to maintain your attachment to your projects, your attachment to creation in the current circumstances in Palestine?
I am attached to my projects as long as I am working on them. Once they are finished, I move on as they move away.
As for the importance of creating in Palestine currently, I believe it’s important, as long as my creation is giving back to my people. We are in desperate need for each other’s voices, and to get rid of individualism, art should be a way to regain touch with our collectiveness, heritage and history as a nation, and be as far as possible from any individual benefits.
As we all know, financing a documentary is no mean feat, especially if you live in the MENA region. How do you see the influence of international funding policies on the documentary industry in our regions today ?
For me, this was my first experience in documentary and in experimental texts in general, and I would say the financing was a long and lonely way. But that is true to filmmaking in general. I knew from the beginning that I don’t want to apply to funds that their stance on what’s going on in Palestine wasn’t clear or were tiptoeing around it, so I made sure I apply to the two biggest Arab region funds. Additionally, I participated in Sheffield MeetMarket, where I was the only Palestinian there, and I had to make sure I set the tone correctly regarding my film and its’ ideology before getting into money talks.
As we all know, financing a documentary is no mean feat, especially if you live in the MENA region. How do you see the influence of international funding policies on the documentary industry in our regions today ?
For me, this was my first experience in documentary and in experimental texts in general, and I would say the financing was a long and lonely way. But that is true to filmmaking in general. I knew from the beginning that I don’t want to apply to funds that their stance on what’s going on in Palestine wasn’t clear or were tiptoeing around it, so I made sure I apply to the two biggest Arab region funds. Additionally, I participated in Sheffield MeetMarket, where I was the only Palestinian there, and I had to make sure I set the tone correctly regarding my film and its’ ideology before getting into money talks.
As we all know, financing a documentary is no mean feat, especially if you live in the MENA region. How do you see the influence of international funding policies on the documentary industry in our regions today ?
For me, this was my first experience in documentary and in experimental texts in general, and I would say the financing was a long and lonely way. But that is true to filmmaking in general. I knew from the beginning that I don’t want to apply to funds that their stance on what’s going on in Palestine wasn’t clear or were tiptoeing around it, so I made sure I apply to the two biggest Arab region funds. Additionally, I participated in Sheffield MeetMarket, where I was the only Palestinian there, and I had to make sure I set the tone correctly regarding my film and its’ ideology before getting into money talks.
Your film was almost entirely funded by regional funds. Was this a deliberate choice? What impact does this have, and why is it important (or not)?
It wasn’t a deliberate choice, but co-producing a story that came naturally—and one that’s very personal—without political or social agendas, made it difficult to secure international funding. The West often expects something specific from us, especially from a small country like Jordan, where they may expect certain stereotypes. I completely broke away from those expectations in my debut feature.
I’m also not trying to please any funders just to get the film made; I want to be honest with what I’m doing. My producer was strong enough to manage all the funding from the region and show the world that we, as Arabs, can create this on our own without conforming to what the West expects from us as Arab filmmakers.
Your technical and artistic team for this film was composed of many women, which is deeply encouraging. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes, many women were involved, starting from the creative producer to the script supervisor, focus puller, DIT, video village, makeup, hair, and costume designer. And, of course, my lead actress is a woman.
Many amazing women are involved in practically every layer of the industry in Jordan, and I believe the female presence in our industry is growing, which is truly inspiring.
Jordan is a major destination for international shoots, but what about local cinema, and how do you feel navigating within it?
Jordan is an expensive country to shoot in as well. However, I feel very confident about local cinema, especially with the support of our Royal Film Commission, which assists filmmakers daily in making their films. I hope that one day we will be able to fund all our films entirely within our own countries, without needing any co-productions!
Can you tell us more about what the film is about and where you are in production?
The film delves deeply into the emotional and psychological complexities of a mother and her teenage son, framed within the context of undiagnosed mental illness. Set in a society that harshly avoids addressing these difficult subjects. The story sheds light on the stigma and silence surrounding mental illness in the Arab world.
It’s a profound exploration of love in its rawest and most authentic form, transcending superficial depictions to address its complexities and transformative power. It doesn't rely on typical tropes like "heroes" or moralizing agendas; instead, it dives into the depths of the human psychological experience.
We locked the picture in Jordan, finished the music score with a Greek composer, and completed the visual effects in Jordan. We’re now working on sound design in Estonia and color grading will be done early next month.
How did you come to this genre of psychological drama?
I love this genre and feel it’s somewhat lacking in the Arab world. It draws me in to tell different kinds of stories, away from stereotypes or social and political agendas, and to purely focus on the human condition in our region, particularly human emotions.
Did you participate in residencies or work-in-progress programs for this project? What did you gain from them, and at what stage would you recommend filmmakers to join such programs?
I did Cité des Arts in 2021 for 3 months in Paris, Film Independent in 2020, and Red Sea Lodge in 2021. At Cité des Arts, I had the opportunity to work with our French co-producer at LE Bureau company in France.
Residencies are helpful, however, I believe a writer can write from anywhere; it just requires a lot of discipline and time. I mostly wrote my feature script at home from 2020 to 2024. I recommend joining a residency in the early stages of writing when you're looking for additional research and resources.