What were the kind of initial sparks of this story?

Actually, I was I was doing research in preproduction.

I'm trying to make a documentary about these fake Iraqi and Afghan villages have been built on military bases in the U.

S.

For training purposes where they create these hyper realistic scenarios.

Sort of built by film and TV people to help soldiers with cultural training and different types of exercises. 00:00:56.940 --> 00:01:6.770 But they're often slightly culturally offensive, and I don't know. 00:01:6.770 --> 00:01:8.180 So I just interviewing lots of people. 00:01:8.180 --> 00:01:20.850 I was interviewing everyone from Iraqi and Kurdish women who were working on the bass playing civilians to special ops guys who had trained there.

Yes, it's kind of a true of interviews on.

Then I got approached by the product foundation toe.

They said, you know, would you like to make a narrative short film?

And I was like, Well, I have one idea.

Yeah, sure.

It's an idea they hadn't heard before.

Um, with the women that you were interviewing, did you speak to any of that women as well.

So the interviews?

No, I shared the story.

The story's did you find for those women that they were, it was there on a projection of what they wanted them to do rather than saying you act out Well, in some cases, they were.

They had been translators in Iraq during the war and come back and we're trying to get citizenship through, like working for the military.

So sometimes that was the reason when other times there were Mexican and Honduran women that were working there, just like wearing burkas, having the time when you wrote this.

Well, did you have in mind yet?

So Very much So.

You are half Iraqis is the best you ever got a plane?

Oh, I see you've met my real life.

Flake. 00:03:0.100 --> 00:03:6.710 My first job, actually, first film I did was this, like David O Russell movie called Three Kings. 00:03:6.720 --> 00:03:17.080 And I played a rocky 100% and I just, like, cried over my mother's dead body in the movie.

And then yeah, then never since then didn't never play it again till this was kind of like a full circle.

My career.

Yeah.

Now I ended here.

Her father, Tony Shock that he came, didn't set any.

Kept turning to me.

It was like, This doesn't look like a rock Like that's kind of a boy.

You're very good at acting, acting.

Thank you.

It's very meta because you you as an actress yourself, Los Angeles.

You know, you're very interested in this. 00:03:55.340 --> 00:04:0.650 Our performance before acting spills out for film into life. 00:04:1.240 --> 00:04:1.780 You know what? 00:04:1.790 --> 00:04:12.520 I'm very interested in circumstances in which people have to play parts, but they're not being filmed or for, you know, perform for theatrical sink.

But when you have to make believe in real life for others, that's it's just it's just strange tone.

And I also really interested in the art of the self tape.

So did it remind you many, uh, do you have this whole ex essential moment sometimes when you're actually kind of look around like you have a majority of the time?

Yeah, the strangeness of the princess.

It only happened once.

Would you recommend I got stoned once on said it was the worst, Like my life was like a glorified extra in this film, and I was like I'm not even gonna see me like I'm gonna get stoned.

And so I did.

And it was just like the words.

Like everyone was like doing their job. 00:04:57.380 --> 00:05:2.260 Like collecting water and stuff, like, What do we owe? 00:05:5.730 --> 00:05:7.260 I was like, This is a job. 00:05:7.270 --> 00:05:8.310 I gotta take it seriously.

Wait, Sport.

Your friend Ana, was it nice to be able to work in that kind of collaborative Precious Always just approached me in a taxi cab ride.

I'm saying, like we were in New York, were taxis are and she was just like, Yeah, I got past, you know, to do this like you short film.

I was like, That's a cool What?

You told me the whole premise and I still wasn't expecting.

I think she was just I thought she was just like, telling me about this cool new thing she's doing.

It was like, God, that's so Brad. 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:0.730 And then she's like, But I want you to be in it. 00:06:1.610 --> 00:06:2.460 I was, like, really flattered. 00:06:2.640 --> 00:06:2.990 Still. 00:06:3.500 --> 00:06:5.240 Yeah, it feels like we're paying.

Yeah, I was so excited and we're talking about really have smooth shooting.

Experience was it was My mom always says, like the fish sticks up ahead, especially when it comes to sets.

So that means you're very fish ahead.

Thanks, Ray Graham.

You're just gonna leave her?

There was a very enjoyable experience and, like we got to work was just such amazing other, you know, department heads and stuff too.

So it was just like, Yeah, it was really possible.

So far, you've been acting well.

Have you noticed that old, you know, is the film industry's been changing? 00:06:53.220 --> 00:07:1.370 There's more opportunities that you be brought out by producing more opportunities for these different kinds of ways of working. 00:07:1.940 --> 00:07:6.180 I'm more collaborative where the role's getting more wish together. 00:07:6.930 --> 00:07:9.140 I mean, yeah, definitely is happening. 00:07:9.290 --> 00:07:11.080 I think then it's like anything.

It's about your perception of the changing, so it is changing.

But I think it's like which one came first?

Not really sure.

It's just like also the perception of being like, now that I've been working more and I get to meet like minded people who are also making things were just like there's nothing.

There's no real excuse to stop us for making things any more.

It's still difficult to get morning.

It always is still difficult to get cast in things that are a bigger budget because they have a very small list of, you know, skinny white girls that make money good for them. 00:07:43.560 --> 00:08:3.750 But, you know, that list is like I e just spit on the paper so well, I think more this frustration of like, I'm never gonna fit in this thing And and now, you know, as you evolve as an artist, it's like we look around the people that we want to work with, people who are just making stuff. 00:08:3.750 --> 00:08:11.320 So we're like, Oh, we get to create these things together And I guess it's kind of more focusing on making the thing instead of looking around to make sure that everyone's following.

That makes sense.

So every night it does feel encouraging.

There's still moments of frustration 100% but I think there's definitely more opportunities.

There's just so much room for like the girls were content in general, you know, and it's definitely a hot topic right now where people are like great makes about that.

Like I've always been pretending I wasn't for a long time.

So you know, and I'm part of it feels a little commercialized degree like that's why, you know.

But at the same time, I'm like, whatever it takes to have the opportunity, just like I just want to be on a set with Haley making stuff.

So whatever it takes to do that talk about on the set, how did you get permission Thio shoot on this Army? 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:1.850 Basically, they know concerned that betrayal. 00:09:1.860 --> 00:09:11.710 My job is not It's actually not well, actually, the reason that I was so interested in trying it's a narrative story in the space.

Is that so difficult to get Profession to shoot on U.

S.

Military bases?

So this was sort of a wayto faker way, but it z Andi, where they concerned about you talking the women, that one.

But I guess it's a basic, secretive place.

Military.

Yeah, I know.

I was not being I don't know.

I mean, there were definitely asked a number of questions that were not answered when I was people, a couple of things that seemed touchy.

I know.

I mean, a couple of people I was asking like, Don't you think it's a little offensive that, like they're spreading Chuy's in the air? 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:5.450 I don't know, like things like, and they were just They didn't really want to go there with me. 00:10:5.940 --> 00:10:9.200 Are there any burning questions in the audience? 00:10:9.350 --> 00:10:12.380 Anyone on the Net?

Haiti.

Rebecca.

I mean, they have a Siri's that they started about years ago.

I think where every year they give to women the opportunity to make a film.

There's sort of no rules.

They just provide the costuming.

Yeah. 00:10:47.100 --> 00:11:8.600 I mean, the the closer in there, I don't know Thio wanted by I don't I guess it's not like fashion sector to me, but they certainly exist. 00:11:8.790 --> 00:11:11.550 I mean, it seems like these projects of actually being quite great things.

I know there's a lot like people he's, you know, been encouraged to direct the first time with different labels.

Really amazing results, like it's a good way, just like pushing some people very confident people that you wouldn't He didn't pushing anyway that has ever given me confidence.

Yeah, I mean, like, you get your money from like, nice ladies make nice clothes or do she men want Tokyo?

There's lots of ways to get money, and they're not a lot of ways Way saying that.

I'm just having addressing it is being so weird fits in so well to remember it like it was gonna feel like putting on.

We're shoving it in. 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:1.910 But they float so well with the actual story. 00:12:2.590 --> 00:12:56.610 And I was like, Nice one Tri City saying And I like the way he manages to shoot The whole thing like that's like, That's a plastic, a self tape trope where they have to scan your body, go brown people play Or actually, why someone who's paying attention? 00:13:3.740 --> 00:13:4.020 Yeah. 00:13:4.030 --> 00:13:6.800 I mean, I feel like a better word. 00:13:6.800 --> 00:13:8.690 I think it's, um it's funny. 00:13:9.320 --> 00:13:18.460 Honestly, you know, it's like I think that my favorite kind of humor comes from the things that are the kind of sickest in a strange way on that mess with identity.

Yeah, I mean, I think the way that Haley approached it was so smart that it has this kind of, you know, went to it and that at the beginning, Remember when we showed it the first time?

And my mom told me afterwards, when she saw the opening scene where I'm like crying, She said she had a promotion was like concerned.

She was like, Oh, this is bad.

She's like this is like cheesy acting, you know what I mean?

And then it just, like, look really fake.

I concerned that your, um I thought that was so funny because it's like way.

It's almost like, you know, not to get too. 00:13:56.090 --> 00:14:1.090 Have you been, like, in the world with the crazier the shit happens, the more we can't just accept it, you know? 00:14:1.090 --> 00:14:3.310 So we'll go watch something if it's told to us. 00:14:3.310 --> 00:14:6.370 That's really were like, Okay, I guess this is our reality. 00:14:6.370 --> 00:14:12.070 Now, instead of being like this is insane like this, absolutely, and saying this is completely inappropriate and you shouldn't do this.

But I think that's where you know, Right?

Great writing and art comes in is that you have to show.

How strange is this how funny it is?

I don't know that.

Answer your question.

Yeah.

I mean, it's incredibly dark, I guess.

I was just so shocked that I knew so little about the existence of them when I started doing research about it.

And it was just so curious to find out, like basically what you're asking, like, how does this feel to people, Andi, Oftentimes that was sort of like the hardest question to get answered when I was doing the interviews, but hopefully I will be able to make a documentary about it soon. 00:14:59.650 --> 00:15:3.040 And you can see it. 00:15:3.830 --> 00:15:5.080 Those questions are answered. 00:15:5.090 --> 00:15:8.950 But yes, it's Ah, it's very extreme environment. 00:15:9.810 --> 00:15:15.950 Such a strange the idea, Like creating this construct so they get sentence of reality.

It's you see, quite paddles.

Are you familiar with a paintball places up land?

I guess it's an Iraqi village.

No.

So I think that that's open public.

And to me, that's really really Because that's just civilians.

Yeah, that was Don't be on team building.

Uh huh.

You with for that?

Anything?

Come with me.

No, I get it right. 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:1.420 Did you are you? 00:16:3.110 --> 00:16:6.990 I made sure you had Eric Crew members. 00:16:9.640 --> 00:16:22.380 Yeah, we So Christian, by who plays, uh, the amputee with he is a two tour Iraqi bed.

The lost both his legs there.

So he was He was, you know, very helpful on that side.

The butcher is a gentleman from Basra who was helping us a lot.

Um e on the crew.

I don't know.

I'm I mean I don't know if we have anyone on the crew.

Oh, Definitely, Definitely.

Absolutely. 00:17:1.440 --> 00:17:2.460 It's a passion for him.

I am so used to having such a small crew of people.

Uh, for the most part, I've been making documentary work, so it was just so wild to show up to have such a large number of people.

So it's sort of exciting and intimidating, but yeah, I hope to do it again.

Oh, there's so much.

And mission.

What?

Baking. 00:18:1.740 --> 00:18:18.810 Yeah, I guess I sort of had to figure out how to make a kind of, like, quotidian story in a really extreme environment in order to condense it because they're so many things that I I was interested in exploring.

Yeah.

I don't know.

It's kind of satisfying to make something release.

Why didn't you have an experience?

A festival recently where quite a director of some renowned was.

He's Yes.

Think about making a feature version.

Wait, I want to show this with a short That was directly when Ramsey, which is really exciting.

She was like, if you don't turn this into a feature gonna stick this knife in your throat, I'm gonna be dead.

Okay.

Clear your schedule. 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:3.880 Um, so I guess I mean, if your background is mostly documentary. 00:19:3.880 --> 00:19:15.060 Was it like one sequence that I really loved was the party sequence, which is just quite stylish in moving and like with a night night vision kind of ominous.

A swell, I thought.

But was it like freeing our fund?

Sort of add different.

I mean, like, I don't know, elements to work with.

Yeah, I guess I kind of think about it like stato masochistic terms of like in Doc.

You're kind of like at the mercy of something that you have to follow and then, in this case, like you have control, which is something I'm not really used to having.

So it was exciting?

Um, yeah, and it was just nice. 00:19:49.490 --> 00:20:1.850 Also to be ableto live moments longer and just have kind of movement suit, visual pleasure about, you know, information. 00:20:2.640 --> 00:20:3.900 Was it'll written? 00:20:3.900 --> 00:20:7.810 Were you kind of taking a little bit from some sort of behind the scenes? 00:20:9.590 --> 00:20:18.680 The only thing that we worked on was the audition scene, which was fun to kind of create were like, which is really romantic comedy like drama with girls like you.

But everything else is every woman is a a act.

Yeah, it's the most fun.

Because in real life, I still can't really tell the difference.

Everyone else is like, It's good.

I like it.

I trust you.

Uh, you know, I really like beautiful.

I don't Yeah, the first song is a beautiful a Iraqi somebody this amazing female singer, Zahhar Hussein, I think on she was she was really glamorous and died quite young.