We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ahlaam Yasmin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ahlaam, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I come from a hardworking and ambitious family. My parents worked 9-to-5 and then went to school at night or worked on their business. As a result, I had a regimented childhood. Weekdays ran like boot camp, and we spent weekends preparing for the week ahead. I grew up fast. I missed much of my childhood doing chores at home, watching my siblings, and helping my parents keep track of their to-do lists. As unfortunate as it was, the discomfort of persistence and sacrifice prepared me for the cost of pursuing a dream.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a film director and writer from Sunnyvale, Texas, based in New York City, and made in Chicago. As a third-culture kid, home is ambiguous, and I explore belonging and transformation in my work. I am drawn to stubborn characters and grief processing in my filmmaking practice. One of the most exciting parts of my practice is collaborating with others. Each set I create feels like home.
Last year, I was a showrunner’s assistant on Emperor of Ocean Park and directed 14 short films as part of the Filmmaker’s Mixtape Challenge, created by director Briana Clearly. One of my films, The Last Goodbye, has been screened nationwide and internationally. I am growing my directing and writing practice at Columbia University’s Film MFA in the directing and screenwriting concentration. I am excited to be immersed with other talented artisans and to focus on what I love doing most.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Curiosity, humility, and adaptability.
You learn from doing! Every production job is valuable, and it is crucial to work on one to know what you ask of people as a director, writer, or producer. Aside from working on set, try different jobs. Before I pursued film, I was a STEM kid. I started undergrad thinking I would become a doctor, then transferred to journalism school. Journalism let my curiosity run wild. I loved talking to other artists and learning about their processes; I still do. I changed a lot, and that humbled me. Be open to change and follow your intuition.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes, I want to collaborate with producers to develop and bring projects into production. I have a short film about a young woman returning home to take care of her aging bear father. I am developing two feature ideas: a lesbian western and a horror comedy.
You can email me at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @ahlaamyasmin.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ahlaamyasmin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahlaamyasmin/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahlaam-yasmin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ahlaamyasmin
Image Credits
Personal Photos
1) Cynthia Chang (lylyandj.com)
Additional Photos
1) Photo with red hair credits to Elena Dagan (@e.lin_____)
2) New York Newfest Festival credits to Mettie Ostrowski
3) On set overhead photo to Amber Eswani
4) Gaffing photo credit to Xinyi Gan
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
