Darin J. Sallam Says She Has No Regrets After Backlash to Film 'Farha'

Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker Darin J. Sallam states she has never regretted making her debut feature, "Farha," despite the professional risks and public criticism that followed its release.

Speaking from the United Arab Emirates, where she serves on the narrative features jury at the 13th Sharjah International Festival for Children and Youth, Sallam affirmed her commitment to the project. "I never questioned that decision or regretted it for a moment," she said. She described the work as worth the effort, noting that the film's impact continues to resonate.

The film, inspired by a story passed down from her mother, follows a Palestinian girl coming of age during the 1948 Nakba. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2021 and was later selected as Jordan's entry for the international feature Oscar. Its global distribution on Netflix triggered a wave of backlash, including condemnation from Israeli officials and online harassment for Sallam. Since the release, she has been unable to travel to Palestine.

Sallam explained that she viewed the choice as a unique challenge before production even began. She believes history is best understood through individual lives, arguing that cinema becomes effective only when it emerges from genuine human experience rather than acting as a mere historical lesson. This approach led her to filter the collective trauma of the Nakba through the perspective of a single young girl.

The filmmaker is now developing her second feature, "Churching of Women," set in the Levant in 1938. The story follows Fadia, a female author who is confined to a mental asylum against her will while her cousin seizes her inheritance. The project won the ArteKino International Award at the Busan International Film Festival's Asian Project Market in 2025 and is currently in advanced development.

Sallam noted that the experience of releasing "Farha" has informed her approach to financing and distribution for the new film. However, she said the process has not made her more cautious. "If anything, my experience with 'Farha' has only strengthened my resolve to bring stories to the world through cinema," she added. She is currently working to explore themes of injustice and colonial power structures in her next project.

Her current role in Sharjah has reinforced her belief in the capacity of younger audiences to engage deeply with cinema. Sallam said she is moved by the emotional maturity of children and adolescents, observing that they are not spectators to be underestimated because of their age.