Rami Kodeih & Nora Mariana
December Filmmakers of the Month
RAMI KODEIH is a LA-based writer/director who first fell in love with movies as a child of war visiting a local VHS-stocked bodega. He has since written and directed award-winning narrative shorts and feature documentaries that have screened at the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand, and BFI, among others. His most recent work, ALINA starring Alia Shawkat, screened at nearly 250 festivals worldwide.
NORA MARIANA is an LA-based writer who studied English Literature at Stanford University. Recently, she worked on the Peacock miniseries ANGELYNE, produced by Sam Esmail, and was a 2020 Fellow at the Jewish Film Institute.
Rami and Nora are both staff writers for Apple TV’s LITTLE AMERICA, which explores the lives of immigrants in the US, and are working on an original series with Participant Media, inspired by Rami’s own experiences as an immigrant and displaced child of war. They are alumni of the Sundance Feature Film Program and Berlinale Talents and focus on elevated, dynamic genre stories that explore social themes related to gender, class, and immigration.
Connect with them on social.
Rami Kodeih IG: @rami.kodeih
Nora Mariana IG: @noramarianasalim
FILMMAKER INTERVIEW
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Tell us your backstory. How and why did you get into filmmaking?
Rami: I think it goes back to being a child of war, sometimes displaced and moving around, and relying on my imagination as an escape and as a means of exploration. I loved watching movies like Spielberg’s “Hook” as a kid and would often extend the storyline of the movies I’d watch by playing pretend and concocting improvised “sets” out of furniture and making props with my dad. My passion for filmmaking and directing has its roots in those childhood experiences. Nora: After graduating, we started working in documentaries mostly, as well as ads and corporate films, before transitioning into narrative work. We grew up loving movies and got into filmmaking because we loved the medium and wanted to be able to share our own stories on-screen.
2. What are the specific qualities that, in your opinion, make a film great? Sincerity and having a true cinematic language.
3. What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why? So many storytellers inspire us — several giants in cinema history like Cuaron, Inarritu, Scorsese, and many others.
4. What are the next project or projects you are beginning work on? We are currently working on a show for Apple and are exploring a potential feature version of ALINA. The film has now screened in almost 250 estivals around the world so far…Being able to interact with audiences and festivals, even virtually, has encouraged us to continue exploring the world of these women.
5. If there is one or more thing you think would make the film industry better, what would it be? True diversity. The more diversity we get at all levels — from producers and execs to talent — the richer and more authentic to life our stories will be.
