AANON SIDDIQUA

“It is the very first time I am working on a screenplay. Leesa is an award-winning, published writer but I, on the other hand, have never even published or submitted my work anywhere before. When she was discussing the original story with us, I was sharing my thoughts in the script. Later, we realized that by the end of it, we had already written five scenes. Then, by the end of the day, when we noticed the progress we had made, Leesa asked me to work with her. I told her that I was not a screenwriter, but she insisted, convincing me that we had indeed come very far working together already. If she had not encouraged me, I do not think I would ever take up such a big project. I am very grateful for this project. I feel out of all the creative collaborations I have worked on before it is the first time I have felt so engaged with the characters, and the story resonated within me so much. It is also pleasant to see a film with the main characters and the creator being women. Not just in the film industry, but I think generally, we see a lack of women in prominent positions. We see this especially in Southeast Asian societies, where women have to put in even more effort to stand out and earn respect in their respective industries. In the film industry, for example, screenwriters, including women, are often not given enough freedom or financial incentives to portray their characters the way they want. That makes it even harder for us to achieve recognition. The films are also often created in ways to cater to the male gaze, while female characters are written by men. These portrayals become so deeply ingrained in both men and women that they make their way into screenplays unintentionally, and it limits the number of roles a woman can play in films.”