‘Salma’s Home’ : The story of three women unexpectedly brought together

salma
(Photos: Handouts from Hanadi Elyan)
Women empower and support each other, no matter what obstacles they face. In “Salma’s Home”, Hanadi Elyan presents a delightful drama that brings together three generations of women to inspire and amuse us.اضافة اعلان

Salma (played by Juliet Awad) is an independent woman with a strong work ethic and cold temperament. She operates a struggling baking business from home and is visited daily by her daughter Farah (played by Sameera Asir), who is an emotional mess with marital problems.

Their daily life is disrupted by the death of Salma’s ex-husband, and his new wife Lamia (played by Rania Kurdi) enters their life desperate for money.



All Lamia has inherited is her husband’s share of Salma’s house, and they are forced to share one roof when she moves in with Salma.

Farah’s marital problems come to a head and force her to move back in with her mother, too. The plot thickens when Lamia blackmails Salma into selling her house by threatening to expose the fact Farah is adopted. By finding common ground and making some changes to their lives, however, they find a way to become a family, albeit an unusual and non-traditional one.

Wandering the old neighborhoods of Amman, Elyan captures the soul of the city; the warm nostalgia of rooftop views that make one feel secure and at peace.



By focusing solely on the all-female cast, the film presents the women’s world, how they heal, bond, support, and empower each other. It explores how women deal with their struggles, insecurities, and fears, and how they depend on themselves — how they become independent and live without men’s help.

Supporting Arab women filmmakers
Salma’s Home, which won the Jordan Film Fund 2019 for post-production, is also being screened on Netflix. The streaming service has been emphasizing the work of Arab women filmmakers and the beautiful, complex, and nuanced stories they have to tell — stories Arab women have been telling for decades.

According to a Neflix press statement, the film is part of a catalog of 21 films by female filmmakers across a variety of genres including documentaries, dramas, and more.

The collection includes the works of critically acclaimed directors from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Tunisia, and celebrates the creativity of the Arab world’s greatest female storytellers. While these stories are distinctly and authentically Arab, the themes will resonate with women across the world, uniting women from all walks of life through beautiful and poignant series and films.



Cinematic masterpieces like “Let’s Talk” by Marianne Khoury dive into the life of legendary Egyptian Director Youssef Chahine, Nariss Nejjar’s “Stateless” reflects on North African history from a female perspective, Suha Arraf’s “Villa Touma”, Leyla Bouzid’s “A Tale of Love and Desire”, Fatma Zamoun’s multi-character drama “Parkour” and Suzannah Mirghani’s “Al-Sit” all bring fresh, unique, and underrepresented narratives to life with the female perspective front and center, the statement said.

By featuring films that amplify the work of Arab women behind the camera, Neflix said it hoped to amplify underrepresented voices and give more people a chance to see their lives reflected on screen.



Alongside the carefully selected music throughout the film, Souad Bushnaq brings a distinguished and clever accompanying musical composition.

Salma’s Home, is one of those films that makes you laugh, cry, and learn — how to love and cherish family, and count your blessings.




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