Today we’d like to introduce you to Joud AlAmri.
Joud, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Filmmaking has always been something I wanted to pursue but as a woman from a Saudi Arabian family, getting my parents onboard was no easy task. Luckily, I was able to experiment with the film during my undergrad in Dubai. I was studying multimedia design and explored various platforms of creating time-based media, but it was clear that storytelling was my way of truly expressing myself to the world.
With that revelation, I packed up my life back in the middle east and moved to Los Angeles with the hopes of becoming a better writer and director. I, of course, have gained so much more since then and have managed to be part of the growing and ever-changing indie filmmaking industry.
I am now a freelancing filmmaker based in LA, I write, direct, and work as a First Assistant Director. I started making films with the intention of bridging the gap between East & West, years later and my intentions remain the same.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has never been easy; born and raised in a country (Saudi Arabia) where your best bet at seeing a movie is buying a pirated DVD from your local shop-owner with a side-hustle, you can imagine how hard it was for people around me to wrap their head around my goal of becoming a film director.
At the time this was unheard of, especially not for women, but I persisted knowing full well that it was my passion and I wasn’t going to give up so easily. On the other hand, coming from the middle east and setting up a life in LA had its own line of hurdles, but thankfully through hard work and a lot of patience, I am so glad to call LA home.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a freelance filmmaker. I write, direct, and produce. I am known for working as a first assistant director on both shorts and features.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would’ve moved to LA sooner.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jalamri.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jalamri/
