Darine Hotait is an American film director and writer of Lebanese descent.[1][2] She is best known for her short films, I Say Dust, Like Salt, Tallahassee, and Sherman.[3][4]
Darine Hotait | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Nationality | American-Lebanese |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2008 – present |
Early life and education
editDarine Hotait was born in Beirut, Lebanon. At an early age, her family emigrated to the United States of America.[5] She graduated with an MFA in screenwriting and film directing from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California.[6] In 2010, she founded Cinephilia Productions, a New York-based film incubator and production company.[7]
Career
editHotait's short film, I Say Dust, starring Hala Alyan and Mounia Akl, which premiered at Outfest in 2015.[8] The film was banned from screening in some Arab countries for portraying a kiss between two women on screen.[3] In 2018, her short film, Like Salt, starring Jessica Damouni and Ben Williams, received the Best Film Award at the Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Festival.[9] In 2019, she received the New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Award.[10]
In 2021, Hotait released her film, Tallahassee starring Cherien Dabis, Hala Alyan, and Samia Halaby, premiered at the 10th Blackstar Film Festival and was released exclusively by The New Yorker in January 2022.[11][4] She directed the music video of Grammy-nominated album 'ONA' by singer Thana Alexa, premiered on Forbes.[12] In 2022, She released her film Sherman, starring Zainab Jah, premiered at the 30th Pan African Film Festival.[13]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Far Side of Laughter | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2009 | Command or Truth | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2011 | Beirut... Hide & Seek | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2013 | Ash | Yes | ||
| 2015 | I Say Dust | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Like Salt | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Tallahassee | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Sherman | Yes |
Music video
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ONA | Yes | Yes |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Nominated | Outfest | Outstanding Narrative Short Film | I Say Dust | [8] |
| 2018 | Nominated | Marfa Film Festival | Best Short Film | Like Salt | |
| Nominated | Carthage Film Festival | Narrative Short Film | [14] | ||
| 2021 | Nominated | Woodstock Film Festival | Best Short Film | Tallahassee | [4] |
| Nominated | El Gouna Film Festival | Short Films Competition | [15] | ||
| Won | Boston Palestine Film Festival | Best Narrative Short | [16] | ||
| Won | Mizna | Best Narrative Short | [17] |
References
edit- ^ "BlackStar Film Fest 2021 Interview: Darine Hotait on Being Able to Step Outside Oneself in "Tallahassee"". moveablefest.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Interview: Darine Hotait, Award-winning Writer & Film Director". femmerevamp.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Q&A: Egyptian and Lebanese film festivals censor 'I Say Dust' because of a same-sex kiss". latimes.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ a b c "'Tallahassee' Tackles Mental Health Stigma in Arab-American Communities". egyptianstreets.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "The Arab-American identity in a diaspora context". spraggettonchess.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Cinephilia: A one-woman attempt to improve the region's screenwriting". madamasr.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Buro 24/7 Interview: Darine Hotait, founder of Cinephilia". buro247.me. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ a b "Outfest 2016 film guide" (PDF). outfest.org. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Sharjah Art Foundation's Film Festival, Sharjah Film Platform 3, Opens this Weekend". sharjahart.org. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "New York Foundation for the Arts". nysca.org. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Grappling with Mental Illness in Secret, in "Tallahassee"". newyorker.com. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Meet The Grammy-Nominated Croatian-American Jazz Vocalist Singing The Stories Of Women Everywhere". forbes.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Sherman". paff.eventive.org. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "The Six: What to watch at the Carthage Film Festival". arabnews.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Tallahassee (2021)". elgounafilmfestival.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Boston Palestine Film Festival 2021". americantowns.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ "Mizna Film Series Fall 2021: Best Of The Fest". mizna.org. Retrieved April 7, 2022.