Film writer and director, Zena Abdelbaky, and actress, Jayda Mansour, were NileFM's guests on "The Big Breakfast" with Rob and Nadine and they told us all about their creative journeys, and the making of the upcoming movie "Meen Ysadak" which will be released in cinemas tomorrow, the 27th of November.&nbsp;
What has inspired you to become a filmmaker? and how did you start in this massive industry?&nbsp;
Zena: There are things that you kind of know growing up, it just made sense to me, it makes sense how to make a film and what goes into it, and I've been doing this since I was a child, I've been doing short films that I wrote and direct, and I was behind the camera and editing, I was doing everything.&nbsp;
Can you explain to us what it means to be a director?&nbsp;
Zena: What a director does is that you get a script, you either get it from someone or you write it yourself, and in this case, I wrote it myself, and you basically transform the script into a visual medium.&nbsp;
You take what's written, you imagine it, and you do everything in your capability to bring it to life. So you do the casting, cinematography, filming, set design, everything.&nbsp;
You're in control of translating words on a page to the screen.&nbsp;
As a young female director, what are the obstacles and challenges that you faced?&nbsp;
Zena: I think any director in general will face obstacles. As a woman it's even more difficult, I studied in the States and it's not easier over there, so it's difficult everywhere is what I'm trying to say.&nbsp;
It's difficult in Egypt in a different kind of way but you have to have a certain personality so you can run your location, and people listen to you and follow your orders.&nbsp;
What inspired you to pursue acting and how did you get started in the industry?&nbsp;
Jayda: I think it all started with my mom, she used to take me to the cinema 3 times a day, and we used to watch 3 movies a day.&nbsp;
As Zena said, it's something I knew I wanted to do since I was young.
I started modeling in ads, and in school, I used to do theatre too, and then I started taking acting and improv workshops, and I was part of an improv troupe, and then I did "Meen Ysadak".&nbsp;
How did your upbringing and cultural background influence your decision to become a director?&nbsp;
Zena:&nbsp;I kind of grew up in the industry, so it was very close to me, a lot of people don't know this because my dad is in the industry, but my mom is actually the one who made me love cinema.&nbsp;
Can you tell us more about the film and what is the story about?
Zena: The film is called "Meen Ysadak" or in English "Who'd Believe It?", it's about Nadine and Bassem, two young kids who are con artists, but they're not particularly good at what they do.&nbsp;
It's them against the world, and there is obviously a love story that goes on between them, and it's exploring themes of childhood neglect and family values, at the same time it's really fun and upbeat where they're looking for a different way to con people out of their money but they're not necessarily good, so a lot of laughter comes from that.
What was the inspiration behind this particular story? is it based on any real-life events or personal experiences?&nbsp;
Zena: The inspiration I guess is that I haven't seen my generation being portrayed in cinema in a very realistic way.&nbsp;
Not that the story I've seen happen in this particular way, but when someone comes to write a script they draw from stories they have heard or seen, so there's a lot of realism in the story but the story is fictional.&nbsp;
Can you tell us more about the character that you play in "Meen Ysadak", and what drew you into this role?
Jayda: She's called Nadine, and she has problems with her family as they don't give her enough attention, they're not there all the time, they don't care about her, and I think she's seeking love and validation, but she's seeking these things in the wrong places.&nbsp;That's why she meets Bassem and falls for him.&nbsp;
I think as an actress, you should relate to the characters you play at least on an emotional level, I don't think me and Nadine are very similar, but on the emotional level of course we are.&nbsp;
How did you choose the cast and crew for this film? Were there any specific qualities you're looking for?&nbsp;
Zena: This is kind of a funny story but I had very specific qualities I was looking for.&nbsp;
Jayda was on a show called "Leh Laa 3", and she had a very small role, which was three scenes or something, but when I heard her and she opened her mouth, and words came out of her mouth, I took a picture of my TV and I sent it to my producer and I said I want this one, I don't know who she is but that's Nadine.
If you could go back to the first day of filming, what advice would you give yourself now that you've been through it all?
Zena: I would tell Zena on the first day to really enjoy what's happening and soak it all in, because I feel like I was pressuring myself so much to give out the best result, and I've had the pressure of everyone relying on me to bring out the best thing, so I'll just tell her to enjoy herself a little bit more.
Jayda: I would say the same thing because I was very anxious, I was very focused on the technicalities and I think I didn't enjoy much the process itself.
What was one of your favorite memories from filming "Meen Ysadak"?&nbsp;
Zena: We were filming for 14 hours a day, and sometimes even 16 hours a day.
The person who did the score, his name is Molotof had a show in the 6th of October, so we finished filming for 16 hours, then I took Jayda and Youssef, and we went to his show.&nbsp;
You just mentioned the music which is a huge part of the movie, so what role does the music and the soundtrack play in this movie and how involved are you in selecting that?&nbsp;
Zena: I love the music in this movie, we have 4 original songs made for the film, and the whole score is done by Molotof.&nbsp;
The music for the film has Abo El Anwar, Perrie, Lella Fadda, Nour, Kareem El-Daba, and a beautiful collection of producers that I respect and love so much.
The music I actually wrote into the film before I finished the script, so part of my process when it comes to thinking of a scene is that I think of what I'm hearing, and if there's a song I can put into the scene, it's something that I write in the script.
I actually chose all the musicians before I cast the film.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Without giving too much away, is there a particular scene or moment in "Meen Ysadak" that you're especially proud of, or excited for the audience to see?&nbsp;
Jayda: For me, it's the scene where we talk about our past, I love this scene, visually, it's very visually pleasing.&nbsp;
Zena: I think the scene I'm most excited for people to see is the last scene in the film, I think it will be a shocking one.&nbsp;&nbsp;
What are your future plans after this movie comes out?&nbsp;
Jayda: I just hope I keep doing what I love, even if I'm going to be acting in short movies or theatre.&nbsp;
Zena: Something I learned from my dad is to always keep working, so the day we finished filming, we celebrated for a day, and then I went back to writing a new script.&nbsp;
What advice would you give to any aspiring female filmmakers especially in Egypt?&nbsp;
Zena: I think we need more female filmmakers in Egypt, I think we need to understand that there's enough success for everyone, and nobody takes away from your own success, so we don't need to be in competition, we need to build an industry of great cinema, of great art that will put Egypt on the map internationally, and that's kind of my goal.&nbsp;
For any female filmmaker, I'll have to tell her that sadly you'll have to have very thick skin, you have to be very strict at work, know yourself, know what you want, know what you don't want, and be very stubborn about that.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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