It’s no secret that Dubai is brimming with talent. From MUAs to filmmakers, athletes and actors, there is no shortage of youth ready to take on the world. Grazia ME had the opportunity of sitting down with Salma Azzam, an exceptionally talented director and filmmaker, and Eva Petersson, the 11-year-old actress playing lucy – to talk all things, Where is Lucy?
Where is Lucy? follows the story of a young girl being tormented by her own thoughts in a magical realm, and as we follow young Eva on her journey, prepare to be in awe by the extraordinary acting, unique production design and everlasting storyline.
When thinking back to the beginning of her filmmaking career, Azzam reflects on how its changed her life drastically, revealing, “I give filmmaking a lot of my gratitude because it made me who I am. I was this naive girl that had no idea what’s going on in the world. I was a brat, and I turned into this; I’m still a child, but it just changed the whole perspective and gave me so much power and strength. It gave me so much creativity to craft my own thoughts and own ideas onto one piece of paper.”
When it came to Eva’s role as Lucy, the actress shared how finding her role was literal fate – seeing as the original character of Lucy was written for an older actress, still, despite all odds – she was the right girl for the job. After an exceptional audition that resulted in Salma tweaking the character for Eva, she stepped into the role with so much grace that Salma would often change the script based on Eva’s opinions. “Eva already understood the character. Sometimes I would come up to her and ask, ‘There’s a scene, what do you think Lucy would do?’ and she’d be like, ‘Okay, I think we should try something different,” shares Salma. “And I’d be like, ‘Okay, let’s see it.’ and she would show me, and I’d change it right there on the spot. That’s something that has added up to a lot to Where’s Lucy?“
According to Salma, around 70% of her team were females, and while it wasn’t entirely intentional, it was a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to work on a set with a lot of females. I’ve worked on sets with a lot of males, so it was only my right to want to be on a female-dominant scene,” she says. From the art director to the producer and Salma’s personal assistant to Eva, women dominated the set, and it was a sight to be seen.
“I’m most excited for people to just watch the movie,” shares Eva. “I want people to see what Salma has done with very little time. I want everyone to see what the [whole] team has done. The whole team has made this one 20-minute movie. And I want everyone who’s watching that to see how much time and passion and talent and work went into that.”
On the other hand, Salma is excited to showcase the movie and prove to the world that you can make a movie regardless of where you’re at in life, even if it’s smack in the middle of a global pandemic. She’s also excited for people to see Ava’s acting because it’s a one-lead movie and puts a lot of responsibility on Eva’s acting skills. Salma is confident she has delivered beautifully.
Now, we don’t know about you, but we’re on the edge of our seats waiting for this film to drop. We know it’s going to be captivating, beautiful and moving. Here’s to supporting more women on their journeys to success!