Writing the Script

Writing the script has been the biggest challenge during the project. I am used to writing, there is no doubt about that. This time I had to write it from not only my perspective, but from the whole expat community’s perspective. I didn’t know where to start.

Before I put the first word down on paper I researched the topic. And the people. I interviewed all my foreign friends living in London, and realised that all of them had a different story. It seemed almost impossible to encapsulate everyone’s experience in a 5-minute short film. So I looked for patterns, for similar features. I started writing the script by taking ideas from everyone’s stories. And it was born, the first script I have ever written. When I handed it to the main actress, Mariam, she said it resonated with her truth so much. It was as if she had lived every word in the script. 

-Sara