Festivals - SBIFF 2022 : You Resemble Me – A Q&A with Dina Amer

By Mulder, Santa Barbara, 03 march 2022

You Resemble Me is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama film, directed by Dina Amer in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Amer and Omar Mullick. It stars Lorenza Grimaudo, Ilonna Grimaudo, Mouna Soualem, Sabrina Ouazani, Dina Amer, Alexandre Gonin, Grégoire Colin and Zinedine Soualem. Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed and Alma Har'el serve as executive producers on the film. It had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in the Venice Days section on September 8, 2021.

Dina Amer worked as a reporter for Vice News, and reported on the 2015 Saint-Denis raid, reporting Hasna Aït Boulahcen, as a suicide bomber, which was previously confirmed by police, ending up being false. Boulachen's family was contacted by multiple journalists, but they chose to speak with Amer, who over the course of several years conducting 360 hours of interviews, with family and friends, to write the screenplay and make it as accurate as possible. Amer wanted the film not to excuse Boulahcen's choice, but to explore radicalization and how she got there and prevent others from falling into the same traps. Amer walked away from a major studio deal in order to maintain her vision, as financiers preferred for the film to be a documentary.

The film has been well received in international film festivals. It won the Audience Award at the Red Sea Festival. It also won an unprecedented four awards at REC Tarragona, including the CineClub Jury Prize, the Young Jury Prize, and the Audience Award.

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Synopsis : 
Cultural and intergenerational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris. After the siblings are torn apart, the elder of the two struggles to find her identity, leading to a choice that shocks the world. Director Dina Amer takes on one of the darkest issues of our time and deconstructs it in an intimate story about family, love, sisterhood, and belonging.

You Resemble Me
Directed by Dina Amer
Written by Dina Amer, Omar Mullick
Produced by Elizabeth Woodward, Dina Amer, Karim Amer
Executive Producers Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed, Alma Har’el
Starring  Lorenza Grimaudo, Ilonna Grimaudo, Mouna Soualem, Sabrina Ouazani, Dina Amer, Alexandre Gonin, Grégoire Colin, Zinedine Soualem
Cinematography : Omar Mullick
Edited by Keiko Deguchi, Jake Roberts
Music by Danny Bensi, Saunder Jurriaans
Production companies : The Othrs, Vice Studios, RYOT, D'Artaganan, Level Forward, Quiet, Hameda's Stories, Artemis Rising
Release date : September 8, 2021 (Venice)
Running time : 90 minutes

Video : Floriane Andersen