Draft:Rolla Selbak
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Rolla Selbak | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) United Arab Emirates |
| Nationality | Palestinian-American |
| Alma mater | Self-taught |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, director, writer, podcaster |
| Known for | Three Veils, Choke |
| Website | www |
Rolla Selbak is a Palestinian-American filmmaker, director, podcaster, and writer. She is known for her films and television, most famously for her feature film Three Veils. She contributes to major studios such as 20th Century Fox and Sony. Additionally, she is a Sundance Alumna. Her storytelling focuses on themes of social justice in areas of intersectionality with identity and the immigrant experience.
Early Life
[edit]Rolla Selbak was born in the year 1979 in the United Arab Emirates. Her parents were both from Israel; with her Father’s family descending from Shifa Amr and her Mother’s family from Jerusalem, Israel. She immigrated to the United States of America after the Gulf War in 1991.[1]
During her childhood, Selbak was exposed to cinema at a young age and in a good light. She recalls how she would get sandwiches at a dukkan called Al Kamal, where they had binders of bootleg film classics that she would watch on repeat. She was also obsessed with her families VHS camcorder. Rolla Selbak claims she would film every event or humorous activity her household did through the form of skits, music videos, and even commercials.[2]
An important milestone in Rolla Selbak’s younger life was when she came out as queer at twenty five years old in the mid-2000s. Her family harshly rejected her and kicked her out of her house. She then moved to San Francisco alone until she eventually reconciled with her mother.[2]
Education
[edit]In terms of Rolla Selbak’s education, not much is actually documented for schools or university. When it came to filmmaking, she taught herself through reading every book on how to write and direct movies that she was able to. These books would teach her theory, but she would learn by physically making the movies herself through the process.[1]
Career
[edit]Her career began in her twenties when she started working on short films through her self-learned skills of screenwriting and directing. A specific influence on her motivation to start this career was the movie El Mariachi by Robert Rodriguez and the factor that it was considered the time of the golden age of American indie cinema. Rodriguez’s film in particular struck her because he used his own equipment and the relatively minimal budget of 7000 dollars to craft this work.[3] With this inspiration of capabilities and her reading of film books, she notably began her early filmmaking efforts through self-directed film, and she recruited her first film crew through Craigslist, without prior knowledge of production roles until she progressed. After a few short films which got her feet wet in filmmaking, she elevated herself to feature films and even television.[1]
On top of her individual filmmaking, she worked for 20th Century Fox and Sony for many different TV projects.[4] In this way, her range was wide enough to cover multiple formats. Selbak also sits as a board member at Outfest as well as San Francisco Women’s Film Institute where she supports the initiatives of up and coming filmmakers.[4]
She currently works as an instructor of screenwriting at the University of Los Angeles Extension.[5]
Major Works
[edit]Her initial projects included her very first feature film in 2011 when she was about 32 years old, called Three Veils. This film focused on three young Arab American women who go through tough but realistic experiences. It also handles the topic of homosexuality, something rather uncommon in her time period of creation.[6] This work was successful as it gained her international recognition through being played at many film festival.
Selbak's most breakthrough short film was released seven years later in 2018 when she was around 39 years old, titled Choke. In this film about a Syrian refugee who wants to become an MMA fighter, she tackles hard topics that she has personal experience in such as the immigrant experience.[7] This short won many awards and was even later attempted to be developed into a TV pilot.
Another notable short film of hers was American Paradise from the year 2017, where it was recognized at Sundance and eventually evolved into the full length film Last Black Man in San Francisco. This piece revolved around a man who disguised himself as a black man in Trump’s America so that he could get away with robbing a bank, revealing the flaws in the American dream and social inequalities in terms of racial identity.
Her directorial style is impressive and well-recognized through awards and notably always revolves around social justice concepts that stem from her personal experience as a triple minority, as she identifies as a queer woman of color.
Collaborations
[edit]Rolla Selbak has collaborated with a multitude of different people over the course of her career. Ranging from famous actors to editors, producers, composers and other directors, she has highlighted the work of many diverse groups through her projects.
In her movie Finjan, which is a short film about a young Arab woman who wrestles with identity in tradition and culture while living a nomadic lifestyle and getting her fortune read, she works with many different people. Primarily, the short story was not written by Selbak, but instead written originally as poetry by Nizar Qabbani. The film was also brought to life by the group Gemini Twin Productions, showing how it takes a team. Into the different jobs of making the film, Selbak relied on the music from Carla Patulo and the production designs of Tamara Kalo. Concerning cinematography, Tamara Santos worked on this film. And lastly, the film was produced and kept on schedule by co-producer Julie Bersani and executive producer Samar Habib. For this work, all of these players brought experience in indie cinema and in depth emotional story telling to enhance her mission of recreating real experiences of Arab women.[4]
In Choke, Selbak was both the writer and director but she still relied on actresses and industry professionals to bring her vision to life. Rolla Selbak actually reignited her collaboration with a few key people who worked on Finjan in Choke; such as: Tamara Santos (cinematographer), Carla Patullo (music), and Julie Bersani (co-producer). This repeated connection highlights how she wants her work to highlight a certain pattern or overall tone that these artists understand and encapsulate. Furthermore, the short film stars Jessica Damouni and Allison King, who have already made their debut in the film industry and have respect from prior works such as God Friended Me and Baby Driver, respectively. While not all of her films include huge celebrities, her inclusion of well known figures here suggests how Selbak understands that these smaller indie films are necessary for big actors to take to avoid the corporatization of the cinema industry (interview). As for other collaborators on this piece, Selbak took on an assistant director in Ana Menendez, as well as the help of Derek Sakata in production design.[4]
In American Paradise (reference prior description), there is a huge collaboration between Rolla Selbak and Joe Talbot because they co-directed it together and Talbot was the writer of the film. The cooperation they applied to make this movie demonstrates Selbak's’ impressive ability to collaborate fully with others and learn from them and what they bring from their identity.[4]
As for Three Veils (reference prior description), Sheetal Sheth, Angela Zahra, and Mercedes Mason starred as the main protagonists. Notably, this was Angela Zahra’s first big role in movies—demonstrating how Selbak casted based on more than just experience and fame. As for production, Brad Hagen contributed as the executive producer with the help of Jeremy Elliott, Mohannad Malas, Yusuf Yenil, and Ahmad Zahra as other types of producers. Selbak incorporated Vicente Avella as the composer and John Frost as the cinematographer.
Influence and Legacy
[edit]Rolla Selbak’s influence lies in her contributions of complex Muslim representation in cinema. Scholar Jack Shaheen has recognized Selbak’s work, highlighting her efforts to diversify and realistically portray Islam.[8]
Her breakthrough feature film Three Veils (2011) calls out controversial topics such as homophobia, abuse, gender violence, and arranged marriages. Although it brings these topics to light, it does not encourage the racial stereotypes and propaganda that others do. Rather that perpetuating post-9/11 political narratives, she presents characters such as Muslim women as part of the everyday mixing pot america.[9] Her work of giving context to understand Arab families in turn complicates the Western stereotypes such as the obedient wife. From her personal experience, she emphasizes feminist-of-color perspectives and focuses on the intersectionality in film that challenges oppression.[10]
Outside of film, she also has a strong online presence through her podcasts and documentaries. She advocates for social justice issues such as LGBTQ+, feminist, and Muslim. Some examples of this include A Day with a Muslim: Trump Supporters, which is a documentary exposing individual interactions between ethnic communities to challenge prejudice.[11]. Another is her podcast Grrl’s Guide to Filmmaking, where she offers offering **filmmaking advice for women** in a male-dominated industry.[12] Finally, she has also created a web series known as Kiss Her I’m Famous, in which she delves into LGBTQ+ themes.
Awards and Recognition
[edit]Major Awards
[edit]- Three Veils (2011)
- Jury Award - Best Women's Feature at Long Island Gay and Lesbian Festival
- Audience Choice Award - Feature Narrative at Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival
- FilmOut Programming Award - Outstanding Artistic Achievement at FilmOut San Diego
- Festival Award - Rainbow Award at Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival
- Jury Award - Best Film at AFFMA
- Jury Award - Best Female Feature at Long Island LGBT International Film Festival
- Best Screenplay - San Diego LGBT International Film Festival
- Outstanding Artistic Achievement - San Diego LGBT International Film Festival
- Jury Award - Best Film at San Francisco Women's International Film Festival
- Choke (2018)
- Festival Award - Best LGBT Film at Northern Virginia International Film and Music Festival (2019)
- Award of Merit - September Selection at Global Shorts, Los Angeles (2018)
Industry Recognition
[edit]- Sundance Alumna - Recognized for her work as a filmmaker and producer, for her involvement in American Paradise .[4]
- Winner of The Black List (Muslim List) - For her Pilot Choke', based on her short film with the same name [4]
Complete Filmography
[edit]Feature Films
[edit]- 2011: Three Veils (Writer, Director, Producer)
Short Films
[edit]- 2005: Making Maya (Writer, Director)
- 2017: American Paradise (Co-Producer)
- 2018: Choke (Writer, Director, Producer)
- 2021: Finjan (Writer, Director)
Television
[edit]- Ya Bint (Co-Creator)
- Trump Supporters Spend a Day with a Muslim (Director)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Palestinian You Should Know: Rolla Selbak". Palestine in America. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
- ^ a b Khordoc, Michel (2014). "Interview with Filmmaker Rolla Selbak". Lesbian News. 40 (4): 1–3.
- ^ Raphael-Hernandez, Heike (2022). "The 'New' Hollywood and Beyond: Women, Migration, and Cultural". Women and Migration (s) II. p. 171.
- ^ a b c d e f g "PROJECTS". Rolla Selbak.
- ^ "Rolla Selbak – Instructor | UCLA Extension". www.uclaextension.edu.
- ^ Carbajal, Alberto Fernández (2019). "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?: Unveiling American Muslim Women in Rolla Selbak's Three Veils (2011)". Queer Muslim Diasporas in Contemporary Literature and Film. Manchester University Press. pp. 155–78.
- ^ Khordoc, Michel (2018). "CHOKE BRINGS IMMIGRATION ISSUE FRONT AND CENTER: Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker Rolla Selbak". Lesbian News. 44 (1): 19–22.
- ^ Ramji (2016). Islam in Hollywood. p. 8.
- ^ Carbajal (2019). Queer Muslim Diasporas in Contemporary Literature and Film. pp. 176–178.
- ^ Carbajal (2019). Queer Muslim Diasporas in Contemporary Literature and Film. p. 176.
- ^ "A Day with a Muslim". Selbak Official Site.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Grrl's Guide to Filmmaking". Selbak Official Site.
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External Links
[edit]- Carbajal, Alberto Fernández (2019). "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?: Unveiling American Muslim Women in Rolla Selbak's Three Veils (2011)". Queer Muslim Diasporas in Contemporary Literature and Film. Manchester University Press. pp. 155–78.
- Carbajal, Alberto Fernández (2019). "Conclusion: Thinking Across". Queer Muslim Diasporas in Contemporary Literature and Film. Manchester University Press. pp. 250–57.
- Official website
- Raphael-Hernandez, Heike (2022). "The 'New' Hollywood and Beyond: Women, Migration, and Cultural". Women and Migration (s) II. p. 171.
- Khordoc, Michel (2014). "Interview with Filmmaker Rolla Selbak". Lesbian News. 40 (4): 1–3.
- Khordoc, Michel (2018). "CHOKE BRINGS IMMIGRATION ISSUE FRONT AND CENTER: Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker Rolla Selbak". Lesbian News. 44 (1): 19–22.
- "Palestinian You Should Know: Rolla Selbak". Palestine in America. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
- [Rolla Selbak – UCLA Extension Instructor](https://www.uclaextension.edu/instructors/rolla-selbak)
- [Rolla Selbak – IMDb Awards](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1672060/awards/?ref_=nm_awd)
- [Rolla Selbak – IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1672060/?ref_=nmawd_ov_bk)