Amjad Al Rasheed is the first Jordanian director presented at the Cannes Film Festival. His film Inshallah Walad (Inshallah to boy) was selected in the Cannes’ Critic’s Week category.
Inshallah Walad (Inshallah a boy) is the story of Nawal, a mother and a housewife, is in risk of losing her possessions to Rifqi, her brother-in-law, as a result of her husband’s sudden passing.
Existing inheritance law automatically recovers the majority of the bequest for the husband’s family when a woman doesn’t have any sons.
Akhbarona Aljalia went to meet Amjad Al Rasheed to discuss about the production of his film and the impact of the presence of Arab and African cinema for the development of the 7th art in those countries.
Akhbarona Aljalia : Hello Amjad ! How do you feel to be the first Jordanian film director presenting in Cannes Film Festival ?
Obviously I’m proud and very excited to be the first Jordanian film director but it’s a lot of pressure and the success comes with responsability of how I’m presenting Jordan.
A.A. : What Jordanian population could expect watching Inshallah Walad (Inshallah a boy) ?
What I was looking at is to raise questions and to make people think about what they would do if they would be in the characters’ position.
A.A. : It takes you six years to produce this movie, what was the longest step ?
I took the time to write the story to produce a good script at first. And then the financial part takes time as well and the pandemic didn’t help as we did a break during two years.
A.A. : Did you change something to the script through the shooting ?
The chore hasn’t change but through years the story has been developed. We didn’t try to change it but to make it better by working more on the characters and making them more realistic.
A.A. : What was the first feedback you have recieved ?
After the avant premier the atmosphere was overwhelming, I’ve received amazing feedbacks it was emotional.
A.A. : This year in Cannes, we can see more African and Arabs film directors presenting at the Festival, do you think it’s an extra step towards the developing of the Arab and African cinema ?
Definitely ! To highlight our stories as Arabs and Africans it is important to be presenting in Cannes. There is no boarders in the seventh art. Cinema is international with different voices, different colors.
