Nisreen Baker: Bridging the Cultural Gap
Season 1, Episode 7
Nisreen Baker: Bridging the Cultural Gap
Originally from Egypt, she honed her craft in her native country where she got her start in the film and television industry. Nisreen moved to Canada in 2001 and her debut Canadian-produced film was A Day in my Shoes; a film that explores the lives of three Palestinian women living in Canada, and how they managed to raise Canadian children while still holding on to their culture and heritage.
More than a decade and several films later, she dove deeper into Arab culture in Canada with Things Arab Men Say. That documentary brought viewers into the lives of Arab men while gathered in a barber shop on a Saturday afternoon.
Now, she’s working on another documentary that looks into the world of Arab women with a film called Arab women say What?! Nisreen aims to bridge the gap between Arab and Canadian culture through her documentary films.
In this episode:
We hear about Nisreen’s start as a filmmaker in Egypt, Lebanon, and Dubai, the transition into Canada and Canadian film, and the challenge of convincing Canadian executives of her skills and experience. Next, we learn about the production and story behind some of Nisreen’s films, including ‘A Day In My Shoes’, ‘Things Arab Men Say’, and ‘Arab women say What?!’. Nisreen discusses the challenges of living as an Arab woman in a post-9/11 world, fighting against the stigma and lack of knowledge about the Arab community, and the diversity and variety behind the word ‘Arab’. Finally, we hear Nisreen’s three tips for starting out in the industry.
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