LINA TALIB

LINA TALIB

FILMMAKER

Sydney, NSW, Australia

The first time I sat down to talk to Lina Talib we had a heated discussion about feminism. And after a bit of a ping pong of opinions I thought: gosh, it’s nice to disagree with Lina. And that’s a rare take from an argument… I usually get into a vicious circle of self talk, replaying in my head how I should have explained my ideas in a more articulate way, often feeling that I was lacking wit in the heat of the moment. But you see, Lina doesn’t make you feel that way. She gives space to your opinions and in the end we find a sweet spot where we agree. I liked it a lot… Read More

A few photos I took on set…

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In the photos above: Director Lina Talib, Cinematographer Kevin Nguyen, a lady who came to inquire about the shoot.

Since then, every time I see Lina I enjoy hearing what she has to say about the world. It always comes from a place of generosity, fairness and compassion. Even if we rarely disagree, when our paths or ideas differ, it’s always an opportunity for learning.

Lina has just finished her Master’s of Arts Screen - Documentary at AFTRS (the Australian national film school), a year after I finished mine. Passionate about social change and the richness of human stories, she’s about to launch her third film into the whirlwind of festival applications. The film retraces the story of the Wagga Wagga cop who brought restorative justice to Australia. It’s a hot subject right now. A French fiction film made the buzz about it this year. It’s called All Your Faces. I saw it in Paris in July and it touched me profoundly. Restorative justice’s goal is to bring together victims and perpetrators of an offence or a crime in an attempt to heal collectively and heal society in the process. It’s proven to have incredible results to prevent more harm done in the aftermath of a wrongdoing.

The photos above are glimpses of the film set. When the film is out, I will share more behind the scenes of the incredible story. In the meantime, please have a read of Lina’s interview and learn the crazy story about her name…

Connect with Lina

@linataleeb23

INTERVIEW

Ahhh - this is a weird one. My name is Lina. My parents are Iraqi communists. They named me after Russian Revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin (born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov). Lenin, got his political name from the Lena River of Siberia. Clearly, my parents misspelt my name.
I was born in Kirkuk, Iraq. We were refugees that were granted asylum in Australia. I now live in North Sydney, one of the wealthier parts of Sydney. The difference in economic class is night and day.
My first language was Arabic. As a child I made an effort to forget the language as I found it embarrassing in Australia. I've been re-learning it since. I can also understand, Kurdish, the official language of the North of Iraq, Kurdistan.
It's complicated. I sometimes work in Film/Television and documentaries.
The Departed by Martin Scorsese. That's an artwork, right? It made me see film as art, and potentially, a career.
Yes, I knew what industry I wanted to be in (film/tv). I remember saying at age 12 that I was going to be a director. I lean more towards producing, but generally, I knew the world I wanted to spend my adult life in.
Move to the UK for a boy. Stupid, stupid.
Watching stand-up comedy.
I don't know if I've had it yet. I've had a lot of little breaks. The first short-documentary I made was successful in a film festival. I won an internship from it and that developed my skills tremendously.
Grief. Death of my mother.
Yes.
Kindness, respect, loyalty.
No. I was a hoarder as a child and it was a serious, space-taking problem for many years. Over the past few years I've made an attempt to throw out everything that doesn't "spark joy." I now make an effort not to collect anything. I only keep it if it's very special and dear to my heart and history.
Probably childhood photos as they contain records of my mother. And the silver claddagh ring we bought together when I was 12. I'm 30 and I still wear it everyday.
Hard to say. Many things Iraqi my father and granma cook, like Kooba, dolma or bamya. But also, a slice of lasagne that I make. I just love food. Making it is my love language. I can't pick one thing. Also homemade cookies.
I can't recall. I've just gotten back into reading. I'm currently reading Women Vs. Hollywood. An important read and i'm enjoying it.
The Leftovers. I finished it last night and am still emotional.
Can't recall, maybe Promising Young Woman or documentary Gaza Fights for Freedom. The latter because it uncovers a necessary insider's perspective of the palestinian plite living in an open-air prison (Gaza.)
Quiet.
London. I lived there for nearly 3 years until the bastards kicked me out!
I'm finishing an old project about a Little Old Lady in Bathurst.
Yes, I'd like a co-producer for Little Old Lady, my 29-minute short doc. Feminists welcome.