Movies You Made: “Little Miss Jihad”
March is Movies You Made month at Go Into The Story where we feature the work of some independent filmmakers.
Today: Little Miss Jihad.
Production notes from writer-director Stephanie Law:
I’m writing to you to submit my darkly comedic short film, “Little Miss Jihad,” for Movies You Made Month. It’s a 13-minute film that I wrote, co-directed and co-produced with my friend, Jessica Wu. It has screened in festivals in Europe, Asia, North America, India, and the Dubai Film Market.
The title makes the film sound much more controversial than it really is; but it is meant to provoke discussion in regards to the questions of identity, representation, and cultural stereotypes. Inspired by my conflicted reaction (as a youth) to the notion of terrorism and the world’s reaction to it post-9/11.
I struggled for a long time over the decision to take the leap and make this film; as well as how far to push the subject matter due to its sensitive nature.
I even lost a friend over it.
However, I want to share this film — not because everybody will love it — but because they won’t. Because as storytellers, we can’t please everyone. And if we try, we will very quickly lose the thread — the very truth behind why we’re telling our story. And this is terrifying.
Despite the doubts, I had to remind myself constantly that at the heart of it, this is a father-daughter story. That is what it means to me. And I had to trust and let that guide the process.
In the end, it takes a village to make a film, and I could not have done it without the support of friends, family, and the good folks below:
WRITER/CO-PRODUCER/CO-DIRECTOR — Stephanie Law
CO-PRODUCER/CO-DIRECTOR — Jessica Wu
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY — Adam Crosby
COMPOSER — Maria Molinari
EDITORS — Stephanie Law & Jessica Wu
Jasmine Chan as SALLY KHAN
Melanie Leon as FARAH KHAN
Rahim Hajee as AGENT FINCH
Davis Ryan as DANIEL McFARLAND
Carol Chen as OLIVIA WONG
Karen Kwong-Chip as NELL WONG
Here is the 13 minute movie Little Miss Jihad:
I asked each of the filmmakers in this month’s series to answer this question: What inspired you about this particular story to make it a movie? Here is Stephanie’s response:
This story was inspired by my memory of where I was when I found out about the attacks on 9/11. We were in the school basement, having our photos taken, when our Principal came on the P.A., telling us that the (first) plane had hit the World Trade Centre. At that age, I couldn’t even fathom what a statement like that even meant. Was it an accident? How could this happen? But when he came on again to announce that the second plane had hit the towers, that’s when we all knew. This was no accident. I think that moment is forever raw and etched in our minds. That day marked a true loss of innocence — a forced coming-of-age. I had no idea what terrorism was before that, but that one act undeniably shaped my worldview growing up. In many ways, the main character Sally’s naivete and struggle to make sense of her world (the fear and hate) reflects this experience. This is a satire that puts the weight of our collective fears onto a little girl — in an effort to encourage us to re-examine our own prejudices.
The movie’s website is here.
Twitter: @sphinxmagic.
Drop by Comments to give some feedback on Little Miss Jihad.
Tomorrow: Another Movie You Made.
Need 2 more movies to round out this month’s series. If you have been involved in the creation of a film and want to participate, please email me with details. Note: Need an embeddable trailer or movie.
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