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On Location: Behind “Three Veils”

As the writer and director of Three Veils, a few common questions I get about the film are “Is this movie based on a true story?” or “How was it working with the lovely and (insert your favorite saucy term) Sheetal Sheth?” However, the first question I inevitably get is “Excuse me, are you crazy?”

I suppose one must be crazy to attempt to make a film in this day and age about young Arab women – who are Muslim – who go through controversial subject matters such as arranged marriage, forbidden love. And for creating one of the first narrative films to ever feature the struggles of an Arab, Muslim Lesbian.

When I first started writing the script, I admit I was anxious. I didn’t want to offend any particular group, or make unwelcome enemies, especially of the threatening kind. Of course, that goal proved to be mostly hopeless as you’ll find out later on. But I’m still here, writing all you magnificent AfterEllen.com-ers, and am ready to tell the tale of how this little-film-that-could made it to the big screen. Sheetal will be along for the ride. I’ll be having a Q&A with her and ask questions I’ve never actually asked her before, even though we spent a lot of time together on-set, so I’ll be excited to see her responses (as are you, I’m sure). OK, lez do this!

Why this film?

Growing up in the Middle East with a Muslim family and social structure, I found it extremely difficult to voice the injustices I felt towards women in the region. Back then there were no women’s rights discussions, and even the mention of the word “lesbian” would be enough to get you suspended or even expelled from school.

This was my answer to that question. In the end, this is a film I made for that “me,” for the me who needed help figuring it all out. I always make films I would want to watch, and hope there are others like me who feel the same.

Writing in German bars

As the title suggests, I did most of my writing in German bars. It took me a year to complete the script in its entirety. It was 2006; I was living in Nuremberg at the time on a work assignment. I was alone, and was quickly becoming stir-crazy writing in my one-bedroom apartment. So every night I would walk a mile to the German bar down the street in the alt Stadt, order a tea (much to the bartenders’ horror), and write my heart out. Of course they got used to me patronizing their establishment night after night, writing furiously and ordering enough black tea to give an elephant the jitters.

After a year, I wrote the sweetest and most pleasurable two words a screenwriter could possibly write: “FADE OUT,” indicating the end of the script. I cried. I cried for three days. First in front of the good people at the bar, then the next two days in my bed. This was the beginning of something big. How big was yet to be determined.

Raising the roof, or not

In 2007, I returned home to the U.S. with my script in-hand, and started knocking on the doors and pockets of anyone who would listen. This wasn’t a project for the faint of heart. It was mired by the controversy that surrounded the topics of the film, and in the end, I was not able to raise any funds. The economy was at a standstill, and my friends and family were struggling. Investors looked the other way as soon as they heard the film was about three brown, Muslim women and their stories, one of which was a lesbian struggling with her deep repressions. I was left with 125-pages, each becoming heavier the more I carried the script from door to door.

One thing I have learned over the years is to never, ever give up. In fact, a quick side-note, the first short film I ever made when I was 12 years old was called Never Give Up. Sounds childish, but I tell ya, it matters. Always be the last one standing, even if you are being pushed and shoved, even if you are being booed and bullied, even if everyone has long gone and left the room.

Faerie Godmother

Enter the Faerie Godmother Fund. I was living in between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco at the time, and I was submitting to all kinds of film grants and fellowships. The Faerie Godmother fund had started an initiative called the Women’s Vision Film Grant, helping women filmmakers get their projects off the ground. After some stiff competition, Three Veils was chosen as the inaugural recipient of the grant.

Another thing I’ve learned in life is everything comes in snowballs. You just have to be ready to run after your snowball when it rolls down the hill. And I was ready. Upon receiving the grant, I decided to take the money and shoot a trailer for the film. This is something that indie filmmakers sometimes do in order to show investors what the film might look like. They sketch out a trailer for the film based on the script, bring together a gang of actors and crew, and shoot a trailer in hopes that the investor is impressed and will throw money at the project. They are rarely ever impressed. As I found out later, this usually rubs the producers the wrong way, and it is better to leave room for their own imagination (and money).

Zahra Pictures

Now, the ironic part is, if I had followed the advice I just relayed to you, I would have never gotten my film produced. It just so happened that I had sent out a casting-call to one of the many mailing lists in the web-o-sphere, looking for actors to star in the trailer for a film that hasn’t been made yet. My project piqued the interest of Ahmad Zahra of Zahra Pictures, who just happened to read the email through the mailing list I had posted on.

In the middle of my trailer shoot, I received an email from Ahmad. He said the synopsis of the film sounded interesting, and was wondering if he could read the full script. He was looking to produce his next film after MGM successfully picked up his previous film American East. He was looking for something cutting edge, and something that would have an effect worldwide. I sent him the script immediately (after the allotted 24-hours so as not to seem too eager). The trailer never saw the light of day, and from there, it was a match. Three Veils had found its producer.

Kiss on the cheek

In the indie world, finding the producer doesn’t mean that the filmmaker’s work is done, and that you can recline in a hammock in Mediterranean for a few months while the money rolls in. On the contrary, the work had just begun. Even with Zahra Pictures behind the project, money was still not coming easy.

The bold subject matters were both a turn on, and a turn off to investors. Some loved the script, but suggested to shorten the intimate scene between the two Muslim women to a simple kiss on the cheek, and cut the rest out. I was disheartened. A kiss on the cheek? Seriously? Why don’t we just show them playing patty-cake instead, but in the air, of course, so their hands don’t touch.

I did not want to sell my soul to anyone, but was afraid that I would have to, just to get some bits of the narrative told, even at the expense of the full story. In the end, I put my foot down, and so did Ahmad. We were not selling out. Not with this project. I was glad he supported me in that decision. In retrospect, it could have been so easy for him to disagree with me. I am thankful for that.

House parties

So what do you do when you can’t find big investors? Throw a house party of course! At the time, we called them “tea parties,” before the term turned yucky (and after which we called them house parties, but I digress).

The concept was to invite a group of people who might be interested in the film, tell them about Three Veils, show some of our previous work, open up the floor to some good discussion and hope that people believe in the project enough to contribute. This took a lot of work, but turned out swimmingly. This, in fact, is how we raised most of the money. People opened up their homes all across the West Coast, inviting their circle of friends, and giving what they could to a project they believed in. It was like the low-fi version of Kickstarter without the dot-com.

You’ll never eat kabob in this town again

Of course not all was rosy. There were gatherings that turned sour really quickly, especially amongst the more conservative crowds of the Arab or Muslim communities. One of the house parties had to end early because a group of women kicked us out, stating that they didn’t know it was “that kind of film.” And no, we couldn’t take any of the kabob home with us.

Another discouraging time was during a fundraiser in Portland when it was boycotted by a group of Muslim conservatives. What was even worse was all the generous folks who had donated money that night were being asked to reconsider giving money to such an “evil” cause. Keep in mind all this was taking place even before the first frame of the film was shot. If this was the reaction we were getting now, we were holding our breath, anticipating what might happen after the film’s release.

In the end, the positive response to the film was greater and more powerful than the negative, and Three Veils steadily gained a fan-base the more future audiences heard about it, and it even celebrated a burgeoning underground following throughout the Middle East.

Looking for Nikki

After two years of raising the money we needed, and putting in some of our own to cover the rest, it was time for casting. The great thing about not having big investors is you have no one to answer to except yourself. So I had complete and total freedom when it came time to selecting the cast and crew.

We went through Dream Big Casting in L.A who were just excellent in working with us to achieve what we were looking for. We had to find the perfect lead actress to play the character of Nikki, a young Iranian-American who is acting out her promiscuities as she battles her own demons after a tragic death in the family. During the film she meets the devoutly Muslim Amira. Nikki’s magnetic and lascivious character awakens Amira’s repressed feelings towards women, and Amira’s kind and tender nature bring Nikki back to a safer and more secure time in her life. A co-dependency is struck, as well as unmistakable sexual attraction.

From the moment Sheetal walked through the door I knew she was our Nikki. I had known her from her previous films American Chai, and Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, and being a good After Ellen.com-er, I of course loved her two most recent smashes I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen. I told the casting agents to immediately stop any future searches for Nikki, and to do whatever they could to bring Sheetal on board. I did not want anyone else to play the role of Nikki. When it was confirmed that she would be willing and available, I knew the project would take off.

Up close and personal, Sheetal-style

So now comes the part where I find out from Sheetal what her experience was leading up to the role, and what it was like in Nikki’s skin. Keep in mind I’ve never asked her these questions before, so I am eager to hear what she has to say. OK, here we go:

Rolla Selbak: So Sheetal, why did you decide to take on my film Three Veils?

Sheetal Sheth: The script. Truly. I had goose bumps when I read it and that rarely happens. The writing was special and everything about Nikki appealed to me. Her heart, mostly, and why she struggled so deeply. I wanted to tell her story and be a part of this film.

RS: I never asked you this before, but what was the hardest part about making the film? 

SS: The hardest part? Probably that we shot it in pieces. For the readers, let me elaborate a bit. We shot about a week every month for three months. It was a logistical thing as we only had access to certain equipment at these times, but it does make it challenging to stay connected when you are in and out like that. Especially when you have other things happening in between. On the other hand though, Nikki was a part of me for a long time and I could really sit with her and explore. 

RS: And Nikki is certainly a handful to keep up with for three months! I must say I couldn’t be happier with the performance. Was there a personal connection you felt with the character Nikki?

SS: I felt very protective over her. My heart broke for her and I can understand feeling lost and alone. We all obviously handle it differently but I did connect with her vulnerability. There’s something beautiful and tragic within it.

RS: Were you anxious about the intimate scene between you and Angela Zahra, and any backlash that would come with that? (Especially considering that she’s a high-profile actress from Syria, and the first actress from the region to participate in a scene such as this.)

SS: As far as backlash, I am no stranger to it.

RS: Really? I hasn’t noticed, LOL!

SS: LOL! I have gotten used to it. I seem to always be naive about such ‘controversies’ as I don’t see things that way. I say, bring it. Let’s talk about whatever it is that’s “bothering” you. One of the best parts of making films is the hope to stir something in someone that could hopefully lead to the better. 

RS: Yes indeedy. (Can we please cut that “indeedy” part? It just slipped out). What was the best part of making this film? 

SS: Working with everyone, the cast and the crew. And now, meeting people who are moved by the film after watching it for the first time. For me, I hope to be in movies that not only entertain, but impact, and this one seems to be doing that!

RS: OK, last question. You have some of the most loyal fans I have ever seen, how do you do it?

SS: All I know is that they mean so much to me and I truly appreciate the love and support. I love interacting with them and hearing their stories. I learn all the time and am a better person because of them. xx

And there you have it, Sheetal leaving her fans with double-kisses. Always the charmer.

The Three Wise Chicks

So, now with Sheetal on board as Nikki, we still needed to find the perfect cast for the two lead characters of Amira, the repressed Muslim Lesbian, and Leila, who is in an arranged marriage that she is heavily questioning. All three thus making up the Three Veils. One veil down, two to go.

Angela Zahra came to us from Syria, home to where she enjoys a huge amount of success and celebrity. It was important for me to find an actress from the Middle East to play Amira, as I felt the impact would be much bolder, both to the audiences, and to those who would criticize the character’s journey as something that is Western, and doesn’t exist in the Middle East (cough Ahmadinajad of Iran end cough). If an Arab actress played the role, I felt somehow it would give the story even that much more weight.

Angela was brave enough to step up to the challenge. Her performance was the perfect amount of subtle and brazen, and the project couldn’t be more lucky to have her on board. The chemistry between her and Sheetal was remarkable, both on-screen and off.

The role of Leila, for me, was the hardest to cast. Leila’s story opens up the film, and in some ways, required the most finesse. Leila’s storyline could have bordered melodramatic without the talent required to truly play the character as I envisioned it. Leila was in fact the last character I cast. And if I am to be completely honest and divulge further, the project was on the verge of not shooting that summer of 2009 because I was not satisfied by any of the choices I had been presented with. I was very dispirited, and was at a loss of what to do next.

Then one find day, as most of these things happen, I received a phone-call from Dream Big Casting, saying I should come down to their casting offices immediately to meet someone. Mercedes MasÖhn (Chuck, Red Sands). I was clear on the other side of town, and the producer, and my assistant director couldn’t make it on such short notice. I sped over to the casting office (as much as one can speed through 4 pm L.A traffic), was blown away by her audition, and the rest is herstory.

Shooting Red

We shot Three Veils on the Red camera, which was a great experience for me. Our D.P, John Frost, was very well-versed with the camera, and we had a great digital technician on-hand in case we couldn’t fix any issues with a simple reboot (yes, the camera reboots!) The camera Goddesses shone their light on us, and it was smooth sailing with no glitches.

The amazing color capacity and depth-of-field you get with the Red is phenomenal. Something unprecedented with other digital cameras of its caliber. This was important as we didn’t have a lot of big sets, and a lot of the scenes were in intimate spaces. I needed it to look as good as possible.

We shot over the course of three months, one week a month, for a total of 21 days. The reason for the extended span of time was the availability of the equipment and the schedules of the international actors. This proved to be challenging in some ways, especially for the continuity of the scenes (both emotionally for the actors, and technically with the production design and wardrobe), but we had a very professional and dedicated cast and crew who worked together seamlessly to make it all happen.

The great thing about shooting within this time-frame, though, was that I was able to edit and put together scenes right after the week’s shoot. This allowed me to gauge what needed to be changed or added or scrapped from the next month’s shoot. Very useful.

Here’s a look behind the scenes of Three Veils:

Who’s afraid of the big, bad bully?

During the shoot, we produced a few behind-the-scenes videos which we posted online. One of the first comments I received when I posted the first video shocked me. It stated, and I quote, “If this is an anti Islamic movie, I will not be surprised if she is‍ killed!!”

Now I wasn’t sure who would be doing the killing here. Was it the eloquent comment-poster themselves, or would they outsource the job to someone else who was more qualified? Or perhaps this may have been a protective shout-out from a concerned citizen, simply saying they would not be surprised and are way ahead of the game, prophesying that I will be killed at some point? Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, I admit, it made me a little sick to read, along with other comments.

I thought I might change my phone number, or even change my credit name in the film, but I am not in the business of hiding or running away. I am in the business of telling stories, and going all in. I am all in.

All about the fans

Ultimately, the amount of fans and support and love we garnered throughout the few years it took from the script’s inception in 2006, to the completed film in January of 2011 was overwhelming. The film celebrates a really big fan-base across the world. Even in places where online tools like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are not prevalent, I still receive notes from fans who, through traditional word-of-mouth, have hard about Three Veils and cannot wait to see a film that they can connect to. A film that gives them a voice.

And in the end, that is why we made this film. Why all of us – me, the producer, the cast, and crew, everyone who let us into their home to raise funds, the ones who let us use their locations for free and paint their bedroom walls yellow, those who took a chance and gave money to the project, and those who simply let us know that they are out there -are ready to support the film at whatever cost. We thank you.

Ka-POW!

The film premiered as the Opening Night film at POW Fest (the Portland International Women’s Festival) on March 9th, 2011, to a full theater. I was happy to open there as that was the first city that gave me a chance through the Faerie Godmother fund, and their support of women filmmakers.

I sat there in the historic Hollywood Theater, observing the first time an audience had ever seen the film. The response was tremendous. Almost all the audience stayed for the Q&A afterwards with Sheetal, Ahmad and myself. And even after the Q&A, the crowds that came up to us were so eager and excited about the film.

As the crowd and festival crew headed towards the after-party, I stayed behind, sitting at the very back-row of the now empty theater. I thought back to writing in the lonely German bar every night for a year. I thought about all the rejection I had faced trying to fund the film. I thought about the boycotted fundraisers, the scares, the pushes and the shoves. Was it all worth it? Yes indeedy.

Are you going to San Francisco?

Next stop, Three Veils will be the Closing Night film at the San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival (tickets are still available!) this year, co-presented by Frameline (San Francisco LGBT International Film Festival) and the Arab-American Film Festival. We can’t wait to share the film with the world, and hope to see you come out and watch a film that has an impact, that means something to me and everyone involved, and hopefully, a film that means something to you as well.

For more information on 3 Veils, visit the official website, the Facebook page, follow the film on Twitter or send an email to the filmmaker.

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