by Zainab Javed

Conflating child-like idealism with the brutalities of a war-ravaged state, Murad Abu EishehÔÇÖs gut-wrenching TalaÔÇÖvision explores the veracities of a war zone through the vantage point of its young protagonist, Tala. 

Trapped in a war-ridden reality, 8-year-old Tala finds solace and freedom in a forbidden television. However, the secret TV becomes a matter of life and death.

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to sit down for an interview with writer-director Murad Abu Eisheh, whose short film led him to become the first Jordanian filmmaker to win the Gold Student Academy Award in 2021. Born in 1992, he earned his undergraduate degree in Visual Communications and Design from the German Jordanian University in 2014 and went on to study filmmaking at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany. 

He endeavours to become the voice of his people as he brings stories out of the war-torn Arab countries to the fore. We had a great time talking about his process, his inspirations, and of course our mutual love for film. 

This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity.

During my research, I found that you came across a newspaper article that led to the creation of this film. Is that right? Was that the genesis?

Yes, that is partly correct. I came across a small article in the newspaper but more so than that it was an image of a girl I saw while I was working on the Syrian-Jordanian border in 2015. She was following other refugees into Jordan. She was alone, probably an orphan. Her face just stuck with me. I just wondered what her story could be. This alongside the newspaper article formed the crux of TalaÔÇÖvision.┬á

The thought of the television being taken away from me is unfathomable. I cannot imagine this is the reality for so many young children around the world.

Yes, this idea of how ISIS was banning televisions deeply troubled me. I couldnÔÇÖt imagine someone taking away my television as I would have been a very different person without it. I just kept thinking about the many children living in these conflict zones, under these authoritarian regimes with no window to the world. They have limited access to the internet, and it is just heart-breaking how this is all being repeated in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule. How so many more dreams are being shattered once again. 

It is incredible how your film encapsulates all this. Was being a filmmaker what you always aspired to be? What drew you to it?

It was not like this was never the plan, I just didn’t know what my plan was. It was during the first film class that I ever took during my bachelors that something clicked. I realised how much films played a role in my life. At that moment I knew that I this was the path for me. After that, I was involved in a few projects here and there and people were receptive, which really propelled me to pursue this as a full-time career.

I feel that almost all your films are heavily laden with strong political statements. You constantly question the socio-political structures of the world, particularly the Arab world where youÔÇÖre from. Is that a conscious decision?

It was certainly not a conscious decision at the beginning, but now as I look back at my filmography, I have realised that I am definitely interested in this part of the world. I feel that despite there being many films about the region, there arenÔÇÖt enough films from the region, which is majorly problematic. I want filmmakers from this region to really challenge the limits. While there may not be a lot of direct censorship, there is a lot of fear because of which filmmakers resort to self-censoring themselves, which is ridiculous. I just want to question everything about these hegemonic structures and make films about what matters to me.┬á┬á

As you write most of your films, what is your writing process like?

I usually begin with an idea then I place a target and just hammer on. ItÔÇÖs not always this simple though. TalaÔÇÖvision took about four years. It was a long process, but I was simultaneously working on other projects. I try to distribute my time equally in my projects, always keeping one in writing, one in production, and one in post-production as it takes so many years to make a film.┬á

I know your film has been acclaimed internationally, and it has made all the right noise but what has the reception been like at home?

Everyone was shocked. My parents werenÔÇÖt very supportive initially when I told them that I wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career. My dad didnÔÇÖt believe that IÔÇÖd be able to pay my bills as the film industry in Jordan is barely an industry. It took them a while to come on board but once they saw that things were gradually changing for me, they were completely supportive. Everyone was mind-blown with what this film achieved, including the cast and crew who worked on the film. Although the team who financed the film loved the story, they didn’t think it would reach this far and wide. Even on a local level in Jordan, the film is celebrated as it is the second film ever from Jordan to make it to the Oscars shortlist.┬á

Talking about the film itself now, the title of the film is extremely fascinating. How did you come up with it?

I have always enjoyed a play on words, people who know me can vouch for that. The entire film is depicted through TalaÔÇÖs point of view, it is her vision essentially, and the camera concepts developed in that direction. But there is another angle to it. In Arabic kids – including me when I was little – tend to mispronounce ÔÇÿtelevisionÔÇÖ that way. While I was not entirely convinced of the name initially, by the end the name just endured.┬á

Your lead actor Aesha Balasem is just effortless. How was your experience working with her? Is it easy directing children? 

This was my first experience working with a child actor. Aesha was just seven when we began shooting and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done as a director. Even casting her was a crucial task, we chose her out of two hundred children. This was also her first time facing the camera. Gaining her trust too wasnÔÇÖt exactly that easy. We spent months together prior to shooting as I tried to explain to her what filmmaking was. We would spend hours drawing paintings in a sequence. Connecting each painting with the next, we would try and tell a story. 

Aesha, like Tala in the film, is of Syrian origin and her family fled the country to escape the war. At first, she seems to be like any normal child ÔÇô very happy – but as you get to know her, you realise how deeply she is affected by the war. So, I had to get in touch with several child therapists and psychologists to get a greater sense of her trauma. I just didnÔÇÖt want to let this experience of shooting the film further deteriorate her mental state, which was quite complicated to deal with. But at the end of the day, I can say that it was an extremely wholesome experience. It was life-changing for us in many ways, but especially for Aesha. She saw women in power for the first time, during the making of the film, in leading positions, giving orders. It really changed her personality. She is far more confident, she is opinionated now, which I feel is not that bad.┬á┬á

On the set as well, we tried our best to make her comfortable. We lit the apartment entirely from the outside, so she felt at home. We also had this concept where we would have signs for commands like rolling and action rather than yelling them out as we wanted to capture her in her truest moments of boredom. On the other hand, there were these emotionally charged scenes that I wanted to capture. But it all worked out well, I guess. 

You speak of your set; the apartment really evokes a sense of claustrophobia in the viewer. I could feel the suffocation, the entrapment that most children in war-torn countries face. Was that deliberate?

Yes, that was a huge part of it. I worked with the production designer to create this apartment, which in reality is much larger. So, we had to make several fake walls to make the apartment more claustrophobic and smaller. We also played with the light. Inside it is a lot darker in comparison to the brightness outside. The relationship between enclosed and open spaces was extremely thought through. The camera was really close to her face and the sound design worked to complement that. I really wanted the audience to experience the world through her eyes. Everything that she is feeling, this closure and suffocation that she is living in ÔÇô her entire world ÔÇô is what I wanted the audience to experience.

The focal point in TalaÔÇÖs life is football, which for the longest time is considered a sport for boys. Do you think you wanted to rebel against this sexist notion?

Definitely. It was less about the game itself and how the world perceives it but more about gender roles. Where I come from, girls are only supposed to play with dolls, and I tried to break these gender roles. I donÔÇÖt want dreams to be limited to boys only. I want girls to dream and work towards them, without letting societal norms become a hindrance. I tried to emulate that in the film. 

One last question, if you were to recommend any film from the region that may have influenced you in your formative years, what would that be?

One of the recent films, from the Arab world, which really stayed with me is Nadine LabakiÔÇÖs Capernaum. Watching that film was brutal, I remember watching this film in a cinema in Berlin and I was genuinely crying. People sitting next to me had to pass me tissues because I was not able to control my emotions. It is so beautifully shot, and I highly recommend that to everyone. Another film which affected me, and it is not from the region at all, is Stephen DaldryÔÇÖs Billy Elliot. It was one of my earliest watching experiences and I didnÔÇÖt realise how much this film affected me until I grew up. Again, it is about dreams, and I feel TalaÔÇÖvision definitely has some parallels with it. These two films to me are somehow very important. 

Thank you so much Murad for speaking to me today. IÔÇÖll be looking forward to what you come up with next.