This year at El Gouna Film Festival, Egyptian director Mohamed Rashad captivated audiences with The Settlement, a tender yet deeply charged portrait of working-class life that went on to win the Bronze Star for Narrative Film. Rooted in the alleys of Alexandria and shaped through nearly five years of immersive research, the film blurs the line between fiction and lived reality. Rashad works with first-time actors, some of them real workers, to craft an emotional landscape that feels both raw and poetic, telling a story less about social commentary and more about the quiet emotional earthquakes that shape family bonds.
In our conversation, he opens up about the artistic preparation behind the film, the hurdles of working with non-professional performers, and the intimate human truths at the heart of The Settlement.
AM: What was your creative preparation process for the film, including brainstorming and research?
Mohamed Rashad: The reality is that the work on the film, from writing the treatment to its final completion, took about five years. During these five years, I prepared multiple times based on the film's production stages. Initially, I was working on another film that didn't materialize. While researching that film, I got to know a group of young workers in Alexandria, many of whom were factory workers. I visited them in their neighborhood, and when I decided to halt the previous film as I felt it wasn’t the right time, I focused on "The Settlement" and wrote its treatment. I continued visiting these young workers, and their stories and the essence of their neighborhood greatly influenced my film. I aimed to create an authentic yet somewhat poetic representation, capturing their spirit without firmly claiming that the film is purely realistic. Throughout this journey, I prepared myself at every stage.
AM: What were some of the challenges you encountered while filming on set?
Mohamed Rashad: There were many challenges, starting with funding, which took a long time before we could enter the filming phase. The creative aspect was also demanding, as my vision relied on using new actors facing the camera for the first time. I aimed to include actual workers, training them to perform various roles in the film, which proved to be quite time-consuming. Finding and integrating these actors with the workers to achieve my envisioned outcome was a significant challenge. Locating a young actor to play Maro was particularly difficult, as it is a central role. We auditioned nearly 100 children before finding Ziad Islam. Additionally, securing a factory that met my specifications and halting operations for two weeks for filming posed considerable challenges.
AM: What was your experience directing the cast, particularly a young actor like Ziad Islam?
Mohamed Rashad: My approach is to clarify the characters for the actors. I build their backgrounds and explain them, involving the actors in discussions about their character's perceptions. This collaborative approach helps develop a complete understanding of the character's dimensions, making them feel like they embody that character. I used the same method with Ziad who was very intelligent and could grasp his character’s complexities easily. My task was to convey these dimensions to him, adjusting the explanations to suit his age as he is a child.
AM: Given that Hossam and Maro embody the struggles of the current generation in MENA, would you consider this film to be a commentary on society?
Mohamed Rashad: The film has a social dimension, as I want to showcase the societal conditions I live in. However, what intrigues me more are the complex emotions between the characters and the intricate relationship dynamics within a family consisting of a mother and her two sons, one adult and one adolescent. Their expectations of each other, what prevents them from fulfilling each other's needs, their shared past weighing upon them, and their fearful uncertainty about the future—all of this forms the core of the film.