The Hijab of Dena

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Erika Rydell
PRODUCER: Erika Rydell
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Erika Rydell
EDITOR: Erika Rydell
PRIMARY CAST:
     - Dena Al-Atassi as herself
TOTAL RUN TIME: 7:00
DATE OF COMPLETION: 4/2007

"I first became interested in making this documentary as a history minor sitting in two of my Middle Eastern Islamic courses. There was this fiery young woman in the class who knew everything and anything about Islam. She had energy, and she wasn't afraid to argue with our professor about what she believed in. I thought to myself, 'I want to know more about her.' When I saw that a film class had found her in the New York Times on the front page, featured about how she was denied a job due to her hijab (headscarf), I knew this was it; she was going to be the main character of my documentary workshop documentary.

So, I began talking with her, and we actually became really good friends. She told me how she'd suffered memory loss due to an accident she felt was pre-meditated to kill her because she was such an Islamic activist in the area. And, not only is she an activist, but she also stems from a royal family line in Syria and her great grandfather was President of Syria at one time.

What I found so interesting was that she has been the victim of so many tragedies because of her activism and her hijab. I also found that the hijab is something she respects immensely and loves to wear to show her faith. She's one of the nicest persons I've ever met, and so many people have misconceptions about Muslim women. So, in the documentary, I decided to delve into why she wears the hijab, how she feels about wearing the hijab, and what has happened to her post-911 because she chooses to wear it. Whether or not her claim for the intent behind the accident is true or not, she still believes it is, and this stress is seen clearly in the film, showing what racism can do to people."

- Director Erika Rydell

SYNOPSIS

SHOOTING FORMAT

CONTACT
rgrula@mail.ucf.edu

STUDENT STATUS