Jordanian filmmaker Dalin J. Salam has announced his second feature project, “The Church of Women” in Busan’s Asian Project Market, marking his first Jordanian entry at APM.
Following her debut feature “Farha,” Sallam’s new project tells the story of a pioneering female writer who experienced injustice during a colonial period dominated by masculine power structures.
“It became personal to me when I felt the responsibility to make this film as a woman and as an Arab, and to use it as a tool to do her justice,” Salam said.
It is set in the Levant region in 1938. It covers current Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. The story follows the main character Fadia, who sadly grieves over the loss of his parents and makes a turn to his cousin for comfort. Contrary to her will, Fadia is trapped in exile, her cousin seizes her inheritance, and even takes away her right to grieve.
Salam previously won Jordan’s first Asia-Pacific Screen Award and gained international recognition for “Faha”, which was selected to represent Jordan at the 95th Academy Awards.
For filmmakers, making a film has a lot of weight. “I want to make films that move people, have value and live. To do that, you need to be honest in your work and always be creatively challenging yourself,” she said.
Salam noted that the Levant setting of the 1930s represents a period of geographical and historical neglected geographical and historically neglected. She aims to revive this historical context and explore how colonial existence reshapes the entire region and creates lasting divisions.
“What we all witness and live today is the result of what happened politically and historically at the time, including what is happening today in Gaza and Palestine,” she said.
Producers Deema Azar and Ayah Jardaneh expressed confidence in Salam’s ability to lighten this rarely explored period in Arab cinema.
“The ‘Women’s Church’ aims to give justice to women and their representatives on screen,” they said. “Our enthusiasm for this particular project lies in the new challenges that Darrin wants to take on from a storytelling and directorial perspective.
The project is looking to secure $4 million in funding while finding international co-producers and exploring film locations.
