Naila Zahin Ana - Directing and Producing

Yousuf, a religious immigrant in Iceland, becomes close with his co-worker Lucas. When Lucas confesses his love to him, Yousuf must reconcile his religious beliefs and his homosexuality.

What is the first film experience you remember that had an impact on you?

The first film I remember seeing was ‘Titanic’. I went with my mom and my aunt and the theater censored the nude painting scene. The first movie that grabbed my attention was ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. I saw the movie when I was quite young and it left a deep mark on me. It’s still one of my favorite films.

What fascinates you about filmmaking?

I would have to say the act of creation. You have this idea in your head. You write it down in a script, you get other people to collaborate with you as your crew and they always make your ideas better. Then you go through the grueling but utterly enjoyable pre-production, shooting and editing process. After all that work you have the final film you can actually show to other people. An idea that was all in your brain will live on forever for others to see and enjoy/critique. And with this film you can make them feel happy, sad, angry, inspired - whatever emotion you want. Now that’s magic!

Why did you choose Directing and Producing?

I have been a professional writer and journalist for years before I decided to learn filmmaking. So I didn’t want to re-learn writing again. I thought Producing would be a good fit for me because I love to create plans and boss people around according to those plans. Not to mention all the fun I could have with meticulously organized spreadsheets and color coded notes. I was not wrong.

Did anything particularly surprise you during your studies?

What surprised me the most was the amount of practical knowledge that goes into making a movie. As audiences we only see the final result which is entirely dependent on emotions and feelings. But that creativity is based on enormous amounts of efficiency, rigorous planning and diligent technicality.

Also another surprising part was how many friends I made in the school. I am not Icelandic and my grasp on the Icelandic language is rudimentary at best. But even with this limitation I have managed to make hopefully lifelong friends and collaborators all of whom I’ve come to love dearly.

And what does the future look like?

In the future I would love to devote my life to filmmaking in any capacity. I’ve searched all my life for a passion and I found it on a film set. So for now I’m crossing my fingers and only hoping for the best.