Interview with Jawad Rhalib, the director and screenwriter of "Amal", interviewer Malaika Bova.
"Belgian-Moroccan filmmaker Jawad Rhalib sheds light on conflicts in society.
His film ""Amal,"" premiering at PÖFF, is no exception. In the film, he questions the freedom of expression for teachers and students. The director takes the audience to a general education school in Brussels, where the conflict between Arab and Western norms unfolds.
„Amal, as myself, we don’t want to shut up, we don’t want to close our eyes of what is happening“-Jawad Rhalib
Rhalib, who began his career as a journalist, initially intended to address the issue as a documentary film. However, the fear of people associated with the problem to reveal their names and faces led the director to choose the narrative film format.
During the writing of the film's screenplay in 2020, a schoolteacher in France was murdered, accused of insulting Islamic culture. Rhalib, of Islamic heritage himself, felt that teachers were abandoned in such situations, especially by politicians who deliberately ignored the problem. Being of Islamic origin, Rhalib understands both sides of the conflict and raises the question - is speech truly free?
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