Representing Identity in Filmmaking

21-year-old Sarah Ghassali is an aspiring filmmaker who migrated from Syria to Australia in her childhood. Sarah spoke to KOS Magazine about how she plans to break down the bias and create a space where migrants can discover their passion for making a difference through filmmaking. 

While much progress has been made regarding inclusion for Syrian migrants and refugees within Australia, we still need more representation for those in the arts and filmmaking industry. Sarah is passionate about social movement and commentary through film, as well as supporting local and emerging musicians through high-quality productions of music videos.  

Sarah aims to remove the bias and create a space where migrants can discover their passion for making a difference through film.

One of her first projects was the SYN Refugees on Air podcast that she co-hosted with her sister Maya, who currently works as a Lead Facilitator at the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria.

Image Courtesy of Sarah Ghassali

“My time spent with my Refugees on Air podcast built upon my personal knowledge and also taught me different ways of exercising my beliefs. I grew a lot as a person and a lot of my beliefs are still there but I guess I go about them a bit differently now.”

“I learnt the importance of authenticity and also acknowledging my own privilege, and I have been able to draw upon personal experience when discussing the treatment of refugees.”

Through her podcast, Sarah has learned that authentic voices are important for certain stories to be told. She encourages the right people to tell their stories with a personal or learnt understanding of particular events, rather than to convey them herself. 

“I have turned down projects where I felt I didn’t have the personal experience to give the narrative justice or whether I think someone else could do a better job than me,” she said. 

Image Courtesy of Sarah Ghassali

Sarah has another short Arabic film in the works that’s quite different from her previous endeavour. She wants to concentrate on diversity and youth advocacy.

“I’m trying to move away from the current Arabic war narrative for this upcoming project. Additionally, I undertake a lot of projects with BIPOC and queer filmmakers and also develop music videos. I have noticed that the sets of these projects are often very supportive for youth to which I try to [encourage]. I was always inspired by the power youth have in advocacy and worked to surround myself with a community of youth advocates. I would describe my interest as a culmination of innate passion meeting opportunities as the main motivator.”

Sarah believes her media and filmmaking work can make more space for youth.

 “I would love to actively reach out to new and upcoming youth filmmakers regardless of experience or screen credits. Further, I recognise the importance of confidence in this industry so giving new film makers that boost will be a priority for me.”

Sarah spends a lot of time reading books and draws a lot of information for her projects from these stories. She also finds creative community forums and the passionate individuals she encounters provide an incredible amount of knowledge and inspiration for her projects, though she credits her grandma as a source of initial inspiration:

“I have very fond memories of visiting my grandma where I would love to watch the over-the-top Turkish soap operas she always had playing. Ultimately, it’s always been a passion of mine and I’ve commonly been marked since my childhood as a movie-buff.”

“Don’t be afraid to take up your space in the industry, but more importantly,
believe that you’re supposed to be here. Have confidence in yourself and your passion.”

Image Courtesy of Sarah Ghassali

Sarah has received positive feedback for her work, which encourages her to continue to be innovative in her filmmaking. 

“My family, community, and viewers have been overwhelmingly supportive regarding my projects, in particular to my 16m film I did last year. The support has been very encouraging for me to break away from the pigeon hole of Arabic films, which can often be sad war-inspired stories. As mentioned earlier, I would love to break away from that format and deliver deep messages through other genres of filmmaking.”

In the next five years, Sarah would like to become an advocate for her community, delivering messages and beliefs through a creative format. Generally, she wants to continue to create music videos and to keep developing authentic stories, which will allow this field to be a more available space for upcoming creators. Her closing declaration to our readers is one of encouragement and belief.  

Sarah is currently studying a Bachelor of Film and Television (Honours) at Swinburne University of Technology. You can find her at sghassali.squarespace.com.

WORDS: DEIDRE NORTHEY
PHOTOGRAPHY: SARAH GHASSALI