Latest / Stuff Mom Never Told You / Feminists Around the World: Nasreen Alkhateeb

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Feminists Around the World: Nasreen Alkhateeb · Stuff Mom Never Told You

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  Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Never told you Protection of iHeartRadio.
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  Speaker 2: And for today's episode of Feminists around the World, which
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  Speaker 2: a peak behind the curtains. I cannot get the name
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  Speaker 2: straight to save my life. We are struggling here, but
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  Speaker 2: I did it correctly this time. You know, we still
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  Speaker 2: have to let our false be known. We are entering
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  Speaker 2: into Disability Pride Month with a bang, and just to
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  Speaker 2: put a time stamp here, this should be released on
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  Speaker 2: July third, twenty twenty three. I believe even though we
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  Speaker 2: recorded ahead because I am technically out this week.
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  Speaker 1: Aha. Yeah, that's strange podcast.
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  Speaker 2: But we are celebrating the achievements of activists and award
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  Speaker 2: winning filmmaker Nazarene out Fatigue and her work has centered
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  Speaker 2: around intersectional issues and inclusion, and she has worked hard
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  Speaker 2: to collaborate on her projects and she calls these projects
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  Speaker 2: quote cultural shifting. She explained to Forbes magazine quote either
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  Speaker 2: I see a gap in our culture that needs bridging,
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  Speaker 2: or I see momentum in an area that needs amplifying.
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  Speaker 2: That's where I put my energy. And she continues, being
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  Speaker 2: a cinematographer means that the world is seeing the story
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  Speaker 2: through my eyes, through my lens. Starting at a very
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  Speaker 2: young age, I was forced to the outside of many
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  Speaker 2: social circles. Being exposed to the harmful effects of that
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  Speaker 2: exclusivity has given me a unique motivation in my work.
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  Speaker 2: She further explained to pratt dot edu the pursuit of
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  Speaker 2: collaboration in the creation of culture shifting work was developed
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  Speaker 2: as a result of being raised by women's rights grassroots organizer.
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  Speaker 2: I think when you cultivate social justice into art making,
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  Speaker 2: it attracts future collaborators who are motivated by the same yearning.
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  Speaker 2: And on her site Allmedia Storytelling dot com, it describes
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  Speaker 2: her style of filming as quote utilizing a plethora of lenses.
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  Speaker 2: Her ability to motivate audiences is a direct result of
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  Speaker 2: approaching story through multiple identities multi heritage black Iraqi, disabled
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  Speaker 2: through chronic pain and nowdivergent, raised Muslim LGBTQIA plus and
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  Speaker 2: first generation born in Oakland, California. And again. As pratt
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  Speaker 2: edu writes about her work, al Kativ's multi heritage and
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  Speaker 2: multi halfinete identity has shaped the lenses through which she
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  Speaker 2: has developed her body of work over the last decade.
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  Speaker 2: Work that makes space with fierce sense of care for
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  Speaker 2: underheard and under visualized perspectives and experiences.
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  Speaker 1: Pratt dot Edu also interviewed Alkativ in the article, and
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  Speaker 1: when asked how multi perspective storytelling works for her, she replied,
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  Speaker 1: being a person who is intersectional makes it much easier
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  Speaker 1: for me to hold safe space for people who occupy
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  Speaker 1: marginalized identities. When I approach a story, I try to
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  Speaker 1: quiet my programmed brain. There are so many nuanced ways
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  Speaker 1: people are forced to communicate. It takes a practice of
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  Speaker 1: being able to listen to actually hear what they are
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  Speaker 1: trying to convey. Their own message deserves my time, my consideration,
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  Speaker 1: and my ability to amplify their story so people like
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  Speaker 1: them know that they are valued, and so more communities
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  Speaker 1: have the ability to get to know them. If I
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  Speaker 1: am working on a documentary about someone who uses a
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  Speaker 1: mobility device to move around, and the audience watching does
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  Speaker 1: not have anyone in their life who has had that experience,
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  Speaker 1: is my responsibility to amplify their story authentically to the
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  Speaker 1: space carved into the audience is a safe one moving
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  Speaker 1: forward for anyone they come in contact with who uses
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  Speaker 1: a mobility device. And she continues in regard to Kraft,
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  Speaker 1: being someone who comes from multiple intersections and being born
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  Speaker 1: multi hyphenate, not having the power to be anything other
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  Speaker 1: than a multi hyphenant. It definitely informs what I capture.
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  Speaker 1: I see texture, I see color, and I see light
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  Speaker 1: through the lens of someone who embodies these identities, someone
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  Speaker 1: who has lived in another country, someone who has been
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  Speaker 1: marginalized in a colonialist society and patriarchy. So the things
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  Speaker 1: I capture and choose to amplify through my lens of
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  Speaker 1: everything to do with who I am. I didn't choose
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  Speaker 1: those identities. Those identities are embedded in my story.
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  Speaker 2: Right and in her career, Alkatib has worked with organizations
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  Speaker 2: like NASA, Oprah Productions, the Women's March, and for the
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  Speaker 2: Kamala Harris campaign. Studying filmmaking at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn,
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  Speaker 2: New York, she began her career as a camera operator
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  Speaker 2: a year after she graduated, and I believe that was
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  Speaker 2: seven since then. Al Katib was the lead cinematographer for
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  Speaker 2: Harris's VP campaign, working obstacles that taxed her physically, mentally,
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  Speaker 2: and emotionally, but she has says it was an incredible
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  Speaker 2: experience in campaign and telling Forbes that there was this
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  Speaker 2: moment before the debate, and there were multiple moments throughout
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  Speaker 2: the campaign that just gave me such confidence in the
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  Speaker 2: energy propelling her. There was a sob elebratory feeling in
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  Speaker 2: the air around her, and you could tell on everyone's faces.
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  Speaker 2: It was just there was just joy in the air.
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  Speaker 2: It was infectious. I love that story. She also filmed
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  Speaker 2: campaigns for NASA, as well as doing the series with
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  Speaker 2: Oprah productions, including Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, which
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  Speaker 2: earned miny Emmys with that.
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  Speaker 1: In twenty twenty two, the Ford and Mellon Foundations announced
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  Speaker 1: al Kative as one of the recipients of the Disability
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  Speaker 1: Futures Fellows, which awards fifty thousand dollars to disabled artists
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  Speaker 1: in the US that advances the cultural landscape. And though
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  Speaker 1: she has always focused on the marginalized community, in twenty
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  Speaker 1: eighteen A Hit and Run, it pushed al Kativ to
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  Speaker 1: work a bit differently when it came to the disabled community,
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  Speaker 1: She told Forbes magazine, because disability is a dirty word
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  Speaker 1: in our culture. I had to reevaluate why it felt
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  Speaker 1: like a dirty word to identify with. Who taught that
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  Speaker 1: to me? Where did they learn that I had to
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  Speaker 1: unpact the word and then repack it in a healthy way.
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  Speaker 1: The article continued. Becoming disabled made Alkatib realize that she
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  Speaker 1: had to change the way she approached her filmmaking work too.
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  Speaker 1: Filmmaking is a grueling business that often involves long hours
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  Speaker 1: and standing for long periods. It consists of lugging heavy equipment,
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  Speaker 1: traveling long distances, etc. Before al Katif could withstand and
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  Speaker 1: endure fifteen days with barely any break, but now with
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  Speaker 1: an injured foot and chronic pain, that wasn't a viable option.
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  Speaker 1: She had to learn to speak up for herself, and
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  Speaker 1: in the process she began advocating for everyone disabled or
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  Speaker 1: not in hopes of changing the toxic culture of an
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  Speaker 1: industry that doesn't always believe in rest and making it
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  Speaker 1: more inclusive.
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  Speaker 2: And Alkatib explains, I think our culture glorifies putting ourselves
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  Speaker 2: physically through the ringer, staying up at all hours, working
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  Speaker 2: fifteen to twenty hours a day, and using that as
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  Speaker 2: a badge of honor, and it's toxic. The film industry
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  Speaker 2: is built on an ablest and masculine tenants. Most of
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  Speaker 2: the equipment is designed for men, it's not designed with
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  Speaker 2: women in mind. Whether you're disabled or not, everyone has needs,
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  Speaker 2: and for the last few years, I've thought about those
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  Speaker 2: needs more and more in terms of what a production
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  Speaker 2: day should look like, and when we're going to take breaks,
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  Speaker 2: what kind of food we're going to have accessible onset.
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  Speaker 2: All of those things matter, and all those things actually
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  Speaker 2: made a more compelling product at the end of the day.
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  Speaker 2: Right and her work continues to reflect her thoughtfulness and inclusivity,
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  Speaker 2: which has earned her some accolades, including being named a
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  Speaker 2: Fellow of the Disruptors, a Fellow of Sundance's Accessible Futures
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  Speaker 2: Intensive and Alumni of the Respectability Lab, and the Fellow
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  Speaker 2: of the WIF Creative Circle. And when asked biprad Edu
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  Speaker 2: about advice for those who are seeking to tell similar
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  Speaker 2: stories and create space for themselves in the industry, al
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  Speaker 2: Kativ said, the underestimation that you have experienced, use it.
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  Speaker 2: It's fuel. Your instincts will help guide you to tell
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  Speaker 2: the stories that you know are important. In the pursuit
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  Speaker 2: of telling those stories, you will find a community of
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  Speaker 2: people who will help sustain that drive.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, I love so much of this, so again, very
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  Speaker 1: excited to see what algative does check out more of
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  Speaker 1: her work. But yeah, listeners, If you have anybody we
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  Speaker 1: should cover in this segment, please let us know. If
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  Speaker 1: we miss anything, Please let us know. You can email
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  Speaker 1: us a Stephanidammstuff at iHeartMedia dot com. You can find
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  Speaker 1: us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast, or on Instagram
• 8:20
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• 8:30
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  Speaker 1: also on Audible. Thanks as always too, our super producer Christina,
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  Speaker 1: our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you all, yes.
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  Speaker 1: And thanks to you for listening. Stuff I Never Told
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• 8:50
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