palestine – Page 2 – The Queer Arabs

Rolla Selbak is a Palestinian-American filmmaker, writer, and director whose work has pushed boundaries of representation for Arab, Muslim, and queer characters. We were so excited to have her back to catch up since her first episode, right at the beginning of the pandemic.

Rolla’s recent projects include the short film “Finjan” (which you can watch online now) and “Ya Bint”, a dramedy TV series co-created with Dina Shihabi (currently in the works).

Rolla discussed the new experience of writing for a producer’s studio after working in the indie scene and adapting to expectations about what mainstream audiences might want to see. We also talked about Rolla’s recent wedding, ad targeting and censorship on social media, how we watch forms of art that we work in, Carol Baskin and more!

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1672060/

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This week, Alia, Nadia, and Ellie joined to catch up with Armenian-Palestinian-American Artivist Aram Ronaldo, who you might remember from the “Land Back episode.” This time, we focused on Aram’s work in theater, from the MENA-focused Golden Thread Productions in the Bay Area, to the wonderfully queer “Camp Morning Wood: A Very Naked Musical” in New York. We discussed the logistics of theater reopening (naked or not), how alternative companies may be more adaptable to safe practices, and what aspects of virtual/hybrid performance are here to stay.

Aram also talked about the challenges of shifting deep-seated beliefs from anti-vaxing to Zionism, and their zine project focused on Palestinian futurism. We also discussed the ways in which the conversation on Palestine in the US has shifted (and not), how the Black Lives Matter movement has primed the public to overhaul their beliefs, and the distinction between institutional and social change.