Forging Her OwnPathll
Palestinian
women
should be
given the "Aopportunity to really speak their minds,"
says Sawsan Qaoud."This is the most
importance thing that women be able
to truly express themselves."She should know. As a leading
Palestinian television producer and
documentary film-maker, Sawsan
is keenly aware of the importance
of being able to communicate her
ideas and feelings something she
has forged a career doing, after
forming her successful production
house, Smart Frame, in Ramallah
in 1999. Although she works in
a male-dominated profession,
Sawsan does not see that this has
hindered her career at all."On the contrary I feel that I
have been given a special status
to some extent," she explained
from her Ramallah office. "This
sector is made up of a closely-knit
group of people and it can be hard
to penetrate. But, once people
realized what my motivations
were and worked with me, I
managed to gain their respect. I
don't see working with men as achallenge it gives me a sense of
motivation as I want to do well as
a woman."More Palestinian woman are
beginning to work in film and
television an industry that has
been given a boost following
the recent success of Hany Abu
Assad's Golden Globe-winning
and Academy Award-nominated film, "Paradise Now", set in the
West Bank city of Nablus.
"We are all immensely proud
of the film, as it managed to
shed light on the burgeoning
Palestinian film industry and
has given a worldwide audience
a very positive example of
Palestinian film...His success has
inspired us all," she said.
A mother of four, Sawsan
is currently working on a
documentary focusing on
gender issues in the Samaritan
community in the West Bank,
while also maintaining her roles
at Smart Frame and as Deputy-
Director of the Palestinian
Cinema Group. So, how does she manage it all?"It is really important for me
to raise my children, but also
to be able to have professional
fulfillment," Sawsan explained.
"All mothers work full time,
whether they work outside the
house or not. I think we all need
ways of expressing ourselves
and my work is my way of doing
that. I want to be able to continue
to showcase the important issues
that we are facing, particularly as
women, and provide Palestinians
and the rest of the world with an
alternative perspective."
I don't see
working with men
as a challenge - it
gives me a sense
of motivation as I
want to do well as
a woman
