My in-laws or nieces/nephews really peeve me off when they try to change the channel to something Arabic and hog up the TV for hours (well they try to) whilst I’m watching my favourite show.

They don’t understand how isolating it could be in a foreign country (and they’ll probably never know because they can never get out of this place), not be able to communicate with other people other than your husband.

I enjoy conversations with my husband but it would be nice to have more of a variety of perspectives.

Its nothing special anyways -everyone acts the same, same old recycling story (eyebrow dancing, furious hand movements, husband always cheating behind wife’s back and maybe if he’s decent marry 3 more or absent and wife has to cope on her own with 10 kids, wife being slapped or beaten, people always scamming others with the government doing absolutely squat, or the government trying to make money off anyone, Southern Egyptians and Bedoins always being portrayed as stupid airheads but with massive tempers ready to attack, showcasing the rich with empty lives, protraying sheikhs or religious persons (on the outside) as pimps, movies showing husbands, sons travelling to Europe or America like they’re travelling to the moon, singers promoting their albums through any lame movie like Tamer Hosny, car/donkey/people chasing and being blown up, drug warlords, bellydancers, escorts and skanky actresses make you rethink you could be watching a soft porn with a masked G-rating)…blah blah blah…you’ll be lucky to watch something really deep and moving…so depressing.

It got me thinking…I think I even mentioned this to my husband…that maybe I should make my own doco/movie/vid clip…yeah! -With many themes, stories, messages that haven’t been addressed.

I did get a taste of it back in my uni days when part of my Politics and Journalism major was to complete a filming unit whereby we had to create, direct, produce our own mini-pieces for the screen. Boy was that a lot of work!!! -just the organizing, managing people, getting it edited. I can understand how people are moved to tears when they get an Oscar because its so much hard work.

We were given 3 assessments: music video with a theme, interview, and a 5 minute mini movie.

My music video was about “Homesickness”. I just managed to capture this lady sitting and walking about, pondering on Leighton Beach, North Fremantle, with a surfing competition happening in the background, crushing waves and sands nearby with Michael Buble’s “Home” trying to capture the essence of it all.

My interview was with my Lebanese friend Heba, who just started to wear the hijab (own choice) and it was all about her progression as to what made her decide to wear it, especially when her mother didn’t, as well as her background and how she ended up in Australia.

The mini-movie was about the re-enactment of my classmate (Rohallah)’s journey of his plight from the Taliban cross to the Pakistani border. He was persecuted all because he was a Hazara Afghani.

I still need to get back to my studies because I’ve taken such a long break with working, getting married but I guess with every negativity there’s always something positive that comes out of it.

For me is more new genres and opportunities that haven’t been addressed in Egyptian/Arab films. Its even more promising especially when last year when I attended this conference hosted by the Australian Embassy in Cairo and the Egyptian Business Association, the Australian government mentioned that they were working closely with their Egyptian counterpart to exchange, work with each other’s film industries. Australia exports great actors but not so with films. Its very rare to see anyone really rush out to see the next Australian-made piece unless you’re a movie buff. Whereas on the Egyptian side -their movies do get sold out despite the themes, genres being all the same. And you find not just Egyptian actor/resses working on the set but from Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait…etc. A really interesting blend. I guess its much like the Iranian, Turkish and Bollywood films -how popular they are with their folks.