A talented young Bahraini filmmaker pursuing studies in the US has received two prestigious grants to fund her upcoming short film about the island.
Filmmaking graduate student Zahraa Shams will use the awards to bring to life the story of a Bahraini mother and daughter, tentatively titled Portraits of Love.
The 24-year-old, who is pursuing a master’s degree in filmmaking in the US, received a scholarship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) North America. She also won a grant from her university, the City College of New York, where she has already completed a year of her 24-month programme.
“The film explores how a mother and daughter’s relationship changes with the passage of time and how their roles shift,” Ms Shams told the GDN.
“We had the choice to make the film about any subject we wanted and I chose to represent my country and the Arab region.”
She said her aim is to showcase the diversity of Bahrain’s culture which, according to her, has not been represented enough on the world screens.
“I find it important to properly portray the Gulf region so that we do not misrepresent it, or give a wrong image,” she said.
Explaining her narrative, Ms Shams said she took inspiration from small secrets which daughters share with their mothers, and the unique stories that are told behind closed doors.
“Girls tell their mums stories which are sometimes taboo and cannot be shared with the world,” she said, adding that she wanted to capture that special camaraderie on the screen.
The young Bahraini did not have any expectations when she pitched her film for the scholarships. She went on to win the $2,500 (BD942) Bafta US scholarship and another $4,000 (BD1,507) grant from the City College of New York.
Vision
“The concept of close relationships between mothers and daughters in Arab societies caught the attention of judges at the university, who probably found the culture unique and different from what they are used to,” she said.
The filmmaker, who also creates advertisements for various media, spoke about her vision for the future of movie-making industry in Bahrain.
“We need to start building a storytelling industry that does not solely focus on aesthetic, but also on the concept and message,” she said.
“My goal is to inspire Bahrainis to explore issues through storytelling and to create films that pose questions to the audience instead of telling them what to think.”
The Fulbright scholar has already started pre-production of the student film which is written, directed and produced by her.
Portraits of Love, which is also her Master of Fine Art’s final project, will be shot in Bahrain by the end of the year and is set to premiere in the US in mid-2023.
According to Ms Shams, the production team will feature local talents and a Bahraini cast and hopes to eventually screen the film in Bahrain.
She can be contacted on Instagram @shams.cs.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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