Video Interview: Ayten Amin – Souad

Egypt’s official submission for the ‘Best International Feature’ category at the 94th Academy Awards is Ayten Amin‘s Souad, which received the official Cannes 2020 label and premiered in the 2021 Berlinale while also winning Best Actress for its two leads at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. In anticipation of For Your Consideration screenings, I had the opportunity to converse with director Ayten Amin, discussing the process of the project, which originated alongside her screenwriter Mahmoud Ezzat initially as a documentary subject. Amin shares details on her approach to filmmaking, funding issues, festival play and inspirations (including the Dardenne Bros., Abdellatif Kechiche and even Hitchcock).