What's in a Name?

By Mountain Shadow Director,
John Bennison

I had the opportunity to see the U.S. premiere of Amjad Al Rasheed’s Jordanian film, “Inshallah a Boy,” last October, at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The Hamas terrorist attack on Jordan’s neighbor, Israel, had occurred only a week earlier. The escalatory death and destruction that has ensued over the last three months is the latest episode of regional conflict that has been going on the last seventy-five years. But within the backdrop to that sad story is another familiar tale; based on ancient, cultural dynamics about divine providence, and a patriarchal society that represents the human struggle for power, control, greed, over individual freedom and self-determination.

Films often begin with the disclaimer, “based on a true story.” My immediate thought is always that any film worth watching is based on what is true and authentic about the human saga. In this case, Amjad Al Rasheed based his film on a female relative’s personal experience.

The film was completed well before the events of the last few months. But with our daily news cycle depicting images of desperate mothers clutching their terrified children, the depiction of a story coming to a hope-filled resolution could not be more timely or welcome.

Inshallah (Arabic) means “If God wills,” or “God willing,” and conveys more than the hope that the main character will bear a son to provide respite for her in a male-dominated society. The filmmaker masterfully expresses how her hope and struggle will continue in the closing scene left for the viewer to appreciate. jb

Excerpts from Filmmaker Q&A - Conducted by Shane Slater with filmmaker Amjad Al Rasheed

Q: What inspired you to make this film?

A: I have a close relative of mine, who was almost in the same situation of my main character. And when that happened to her I had this question, “What if she says no? What if she decides to fight and what are her options? Is it logical that we are still ruled with the laws that were created 1000 years ago?” All these questions fuelled the idea of Inshallah A Boy.

Q: Your lead actress was phenomenal in this role. How did you know she would be the right actress to play this role? And what was it like working with her to craft this character?

A: Mouna Hawa is a Palestinian actress. She lives in Palestine and I live in Jordan. So I saw some previous work for her new Palestinian films. And I was amazed by her talent. But that was not enough. So I met Mouna two years before we went into pre–production and I wanted to know more about her as a human being. That was very important for me. To understand her personality, her perspective.

Q: What was the writing process like? Did the script change significantly?

A: The core of the story stayed the same. It never changed. It’s about this woman, her struggle, and her fight. Of course, it got developed in four or five years, but I had the final shooting draft 10 days before the pre-production. So I kept changing and worked it out with my producer Rula Nasser. She is a co-writer with me, along with Delphine Agut. So we collaborated on developing this story, and I think the result was good.

Q: Your film premiered at Cannes. What was that experience like for you?

A: The reaction at Cannes was amazingly great. We are getting super good feedback, great reviews and beautiful reactions from people who I’ve felt got really involved with the story and with the characters.

Q: I assume this will eventually be shown in Jordan. What do you anticipate the response would be like? Do you think they’re ready to embrace this film?

A: I hope so. But as you know, everything has two sides. Some people will like it, some people will be against it. But I hope it will open a conversation. I hope it will raise questions or the questions that I want to raise throughout the movie. It will help to open a conversation.

About the Filmmaker

Amjad Al Rasheed, born in 1985, is a Jordanian director and writer who holds an MFA in Cinematic Arts, specializing in Directing and Editing. His debut feature film, “Inshallah a Boy,” had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, as part of the prestigious La Semaine de la Critique. This marked it as the first Jordanian film ever to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival.  Following its Cannes premiere, the film was featured in numerous international film festivals, including the Mill Valley Film Festival last October; where it was Mountain Shadow director’s top pick.