Director Darin J. Sallam Says She Has No Regrets Over 'Farha' Controversy
The filmmaker, who is currently judging in the UAE, discusses the backlash to her 2021 debut and her upcoming project set in 1938.
By Austin Reed ·
Darin J. Sallam says she has never regretted making her debut feature, 'Farha,' despite the intense backlash that followed its release. The Palestinian-Jordanian filmmaker is currently serving on the narrative features jury at the 13th Sharjah International Festival for Children and Youth in the United Arab Emirates. She told Variety that the effort required to bring the film to life was worth it, and that its impact continues to resonate.
'Farha' centers on a young girl coming of age during the Nakba, the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948. The story was inspired by a refugee narrative passed down to Sallam by her mother. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2021 and was later selected as Jordan's entry for the international feature Oscar. It subsequently became available for streaming on Netflix worldwide.
The Netflix release triggered strong reactions. Israeli officials publicly criticized the film, and Sallam faced harassment and online abuse. The dispute focused heavily on a scene showing Israeli soldiers killing a Palestinian family. Sallam noted that she has been unable to travel to Palestine since the film's release. She admitted she knew the project would be a unique and challenging experience before she even began shooting.
Sallam believes personal stories offer the clearest view of history. She argues that individual lives, emotions, and struggles are often left out of historical records, particularly the experiences of women. By focusing on a single character, she aimed to make the collective memory of the Nakba accessible to audiences. She contends that cinema must emerge from genuine human experience to avoid becoming mere slogans or history lessons.
The director is now developing her second feature, 'Churching of Women.' Set in the Levant in 1938, the film follows Fadia, a female author who loses her parents and is confined to a mental asylum by a cousin who seizes her inheritance. The project won the ArteKino International Award at the Busan International Film Festival's Asian Project Market in 2025. It is currently in advanced development and financing.
Sallam says the experience of 'Farha' has strengthened her resolve to tell difficult stories. She is using lessons from the production and distribution of her first film to guide the new project. The upcoming movie will explore themes of injustice, grief, and colonial power structures through a more complex ensemble of characters.
Her work with young audiences in Sharjah has reinforced her belief that children and adolescents engage deeply with cinema. Sallam described being moved by the curiosity and emotional maturity of younger viewers, noting that they are not spectators to be underestimated because of their age.
