“The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages”

–      Virginia Woolf

Who better to quote than Virginia Woolf? Refusing to be imprisoned or caged, Mohammad Mohammad has gone against all odds and done something that many people only dream of; written and directed a film that has made it to the Dallas Mini Film Festival. Refusing to fit into a box, he developed his film further until he was able to create the vision of life outside the box. Already making friends in the industry, his future is as bright as a shining star. Still studying for his undergrad degree, his perseverance got him exactly where he wants to be, in the film industry.

Studying film is somewhat a challenge these days. Never knowing where fate might take him, Mohammad took the risk and is doing what he loves most; making movies. Wacky, witty, and spontaneous, Mohammad does things brilliantly. Experimenting with scripts, and hoping to reach a larger audience, Mohammad premiered his debut film Broken Seconds in Dallas at the Mini Film Festival. His premiere international screening happened in Kuwait at the Kuwait Cinema Club. Moving onto greater endeavors and hopefully more screenings, Mohammad vows to never give up on his passion and to always do what he loves the most.

Mohammad’s next screening after Kuwait would be the Ismalia Film Festival in Egypt where he hopes to reach an even larger audience. His debut film, Broken Seconds, is about the lives of four people and the choices they make. Each choice leads them into an unknown direction with unknown consequences; will they be able to live with that? None of them are happy with their current situations and are desperately trying to change them. Upon meeting the writer for Babel, the idea of Broken Seconds started to develop. When he first met him, he had a cliché idea for a cliché movie. Yes, it was well written, but no, it wasn’t going to intrigue audiences and captivate them.

Taking inspiration from Guillermo Arriaga (Babel’s scriptwriter) who writes in a fragmented sense, Mohammad decided that his story should mimic the reality around us and be fragmented as well. Sticking to four characters, four stories, and four overlapping events that summarize the reality of the world, Broken Seconds had a message that we can all relate to at some level. Reading a lot, and watching a lot of movies helped him develop the idea and the message perfectly. For the years to come, Mohammad won’t give up, and will continue to create more films, write more scripts, and make his dream a reality.

bazaar questionnaire:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A quiet world where I can live away from chaos, I love quietness. I just want a house on a beach to just watch the beach.

What is your greatest fear?

I’m afraid of a lot of things, but what scares me most is failure. I’m terribly afraid of failing and I constantly criticize myself.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I get angry easily, that’s not a good trait for a filmmaker on set. I try to hold it in though.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Nosey people! I can’t stand nosey people. They get in your business and you just want to tell them to back off and give you your space.

Which living person do you most admire?

Besides my parents of course, I really admire Steven Spielberg because he started from nowhere and he’s now the king of Hollywood.

What is your greatest extravagance?

I spent a lot of money on books and movies. I do read a lot, but I have the habit of buying books, setting them aside to read later, and then buying more books.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I use “like” and “um” a lot. I shouldn’t really use those words so much.

When were you happiest?

When I’m with people I really like and when I think that my dream is coming true (like my film premieres).

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would love to be able to sing. I cannot sing. I have the worst voice in the world, but I would love to sing.

What would you consider your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is yet to come. Yes I’m happy with this film, and it’s my greatest achievement for now, but there’s more.

Where would you most like to live?

I would love to live in London! It’s my favorite city in the world and it’s like a giant movie set! I just absolutely love it.