Growing Up in Jaffa & Getting an Oscar Nomination as a Palestinian Director | Scandar Copti

In this episode of This is Not a Watermelon podcast, we're joined by Oscar-Nominated and award-winning Palestinian filmmaker, Scandar Copti. We dive into his childhood in Jaffa and growing up in a neighborhood with a rich and tumultuous history like Ajami, to his rise as an acclaimed filmmaker. Scandar shares personal anecdotes about the challenges he faced – including at the Oscars – his unique filmmaking process, and the philosophical underpinnings of his films "Ajami" and "Happy Holidays." Join us for a captivating conversation about filmmaking, identity, and resistance.This episode was recorded on March 25, 202500:00 Introduction 01:48 Growing Up in Jaffa02:08 Life in the Ajami Neighborhood04:25 Cultural Identity and Language07:03 Journey to Filmmaking15:00 First Short Film Experience16:09 Reflections on Political Speech and Censorship25:44 Understanding Palestinian Oppression30:43 Misunderstandings and Criticisms of the Film "Ajami"35:41 Reflecting on Filmmaking Journey36:19 The Oscar Nomination 40:06 Power Dynamics in Collaborative Filmmaking41:56 Facing Backlash and Controversy45:51 Anecdotes from the Oscars52:54 Creating "Happy Holidays"55:57 Philosophical Insights on Freedom and Oppression01:02:20 Unique Casting and Filmmaking Techniques01:06:18 Final ReflectionsScandar Copti is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for his distinctive approach to working with non-actors. His debut feature film, Ajami, won the Camera d'Or Special Mention at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards. His second film, Happy Holidays, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2024 and won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay. Copti is also the recipient of the prestigious Sutherland Trophy and the Council of Europe Film Award.Connect with Scandar 👉 https://www.instagram.com/scandemon/Watch The Truth 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1c1EKDbEpUHosted by:Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/?hl=en-gb FOLLOW & RATE THE THIS IS NOT A WATERMELON PODCAST:» Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/this-is-not-a-watermelon-palestinian-history-culture/id1726893137» Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1UWCL1ITtnJIJUExrb6itr?_authfailed=1» Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1047932705THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl40ZRFvo_VVYg6i56flEjSKABOUT AFIKRAafikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.📍 Local events in 40+ locations worldwide http://afikra.com/chapters🎧 New podcasts + videos weekly http://afikra.com/podcasts⚡ Become a member: https://www.afikra.com/membership🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afikra_🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afikra.official🔗 Twitter: https://twitter.com/afikra Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.