BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

Wouldn’t it have been amazing to meet Spike Lee during his path from creative novice to commercial success? Can you imagine being so passionate and driven about filmmaking that you put everything on the line to follow a dream that is unlikely to pan out? Who goes out and makes a movie? Writes, directs, produces a film AND gets distributed theatrically? Spike Lee is one of the more well-known success stories. He wrote and directed She’s Gotta Have It – maxing out his credit cards – and managed to get it into theatres. And so did Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan. WHO?? Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan are the female Spike Lees of our generation, and you need to know who they are and how you can be a part of their inevitable success.

We met Hanan & Shamim when we moved to London in 1999. Hanan had her own toiletry and hair care line, and Shamim was putting the finishing touches on her first novel, The World Unseen - think The Color Purple meets apartheid South Africa in the 1950s. We went to their flat in Chelsea for our first date. While their 7 month old son, Ethan, was sleeping, we ate a phenomenal Middle-Eastern meal, drank delicious wine and got to know each other. Molokhia has become one of my favourite dishes.

Hanan is Jordanian, Palestinian and Shamim is British and of South African Indian descent. We talked about everything you’re not supposed to discuss on a first date-religion, sex, the Middle East, if a hand shake is more effective than a contract and whether it’s better to use a known donor or a sperm bank to make babies. What? You mean most people don't talk about sperm banks with their friends? Huh. The conversation was lively to say the least. We definitely did not see eye to eye on most things, and we learned quickly that the Middle-Eastern approach to debate is slightly more, um, aggressive than the midwestern, American why-can't-we-all-just-get-along style. By the end of the evening, I was sweating. As we walked out of their building, I turned to Gabriella and said, “I’m still shaking, but I think I like them.” And that was that. Family ever since. Never a dull moment with these amazing women.

We were there when The World Unseen was published. When it won The Pendleton May First Novel Award and then The Betty Trask Award. When Shamim was invited to read at the Edinburgh Book Festival and Hay-on-Wye Book Festival in Wales. When Hanan decided that they should make a movie out of the book having never made a feature film before. When the movie was picked up at the Toronto International Film Festival and at film festivals all over the world. When it premiered at the NewFest Film Festival in New York. When they succeeded where so many others had failed. They did it, and they did it good. Note: I used bad grammar for effect-not because I don’t know no better.

So, our dear friends have made this movie, and it will premiere in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto on November 7.



Hanan and Shamim will be at the New York opening, and so will we. We’d love for you to join us. Share in the excitement and show your support. If The World Unseen is not in your town, it most likely will be IF the movie does well in these initial markets. Spread the word!

The World Unseen is showing at The Quad Cinema located at 34 West 13th Street. Show times on the 7th are 1pm, 2:55pm, 5:25pm, 7:25pm & 9:25pm. You can purchase tickets in advance on the site thru movietickets.com, and you can find information about other show dates and times if you can't make it on that first night.

But wait! There’s more!! While they were at it, they made another movie from Shamim’s screenplay, I Can’t Think Straight, which is based on their relationship. THAT film is going to be at The Quad Cinema starting November 21st. We'll be there, too, of course.


I can't think of anything more amazing things to tell you about Hanan and Shamim. Well, they are also the proud mums of two beautiful boys, Ethan and Luca. And I thought my days were busy! I hope you're able to see the films whether on opening night or at a later date. I thank you on their behalf for supporting them and their films. Hopefully, they'll be able to thank you themselves.

If you have read the book or seen the film or know how inspirational Hanan and Shamim are from personal experience, please comment here so that everyone else who reads this blog doesn't think I'm some sort of pathetic sychophant. Cheers.