Sharjah: Two American University of Sharjah (AUS) graduates whose film was screened during the Cannes Film Festival said their film symbolises the barriers faced by women and youth in realising their dreams.
Shattered, directed by Eman Zakaria and Farah Sobhy, depicts a woman who maintains the illusion of being a famous ballet dancer because societal pressure forced her to abandon her childhood dream of actually becoming one.
The nine-minute film, which had almost no budget, was selected to be shown during the Short Film Corner of the 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival last month.
The directors, who are Mass Communication graduates from the AUS College of Arts and Sciences, told Gulf News the film carries a message of shattered dreams. “In the society in the region, many young girls are discouraged from joining certain fields, such as journalism or filmmaking. There’s a message in our film: you don’t get to do what you want,” said Farah, 22, from Egypt.
“Many students’ major of first choice, especially in the film or creative fields, is not easily available or accessible in the region. They end up studying majors they don’t really want to,” added Eman, 23, a Lebanese-Palestinian expat.
Shattered is the story of Sarah, a young girl who always dreamt of becoming a ballet dancer one day. However, she abandons her dream because of societal pressure. The setback leaves Sarah heartbroken, and she creates an illusion that she is an acclaimed ballet artist, as a way of coping with her loss.
The quickly progressing film is divided into two parts: Sarah’s childhood and her adult life. Sarah is portrayed by Hayat Tabsh, also an AUS Mass Communication graduate.
Shattered was made for film courses taken during their senior year as part of their minor in film programme, which is offered by the AUS College of Architecture, Art and Design.
They shot the film with just one Canon DSLR camera and enlisted Eman’s brother to play a part in the movie, which was filmed at his home over the course of a few days. The only expense was a ballerina costume.
The Short Film Corner is more of a showcase than a competition, though entries are selected by a committee. The director-duo was not able to travel to France for the screening.
“It’s Cannes, it’s a big deal. I was very proud of our work when I heard it’s been selected,” Farah said.
“It’s so rewarding to have your film played on screen. People think making movies is all fun and easy. It’s like an operation; everything has to fit together perfectly and it’s a lot of work,” added Eman.
