Target reached! Stretch target: £9,000
You can help this project to raise more and reach its stretch target.
Rouhi (My Soul)
Bournemouth, Dorset, United Kingdom
Aim: The daughter of an Egyptian immigrant embarks on a journey to the mythological astral plane to unlock the secrets of her family’s heritage.
Sixteen year old Aya is an average English student, before she becomes increasingly aware of her mixed heritage whilst studying Egypt in her history class. Realising that she has no connection that part of her family and identity, she confronts her father, seeking out some clarity but is instead met with hostility.
Furious with her family, she rummages through a box of her father’s belongings from his upbringing in Egypt. Through a range of activities Aya attempts to feel connected with her family’s culture, yet nothing quenches her thirst for knowledge.
In a final bid before she gives up on her quest, Aya is transported to the mythical Astral Plane where her father’s secrets are finally revealed.
"The primary source of in terms of the story itself came from a story my dad told me. As I never met my grandmother on my Egyptian side, I remain very inquisitive of her character and her relationship to my dad. Recently, he opened up about how when she passed away, his family had chosen to keep it a secret from him incase coming back to Egypt jeopardized his immigration process.
He had not known the severity of her cancer diagnosis and learnt of her passing two months after she had gone, leaving him distraught as he mourned their close relationship. I took elements of his story and blended them with elements of my journey of connecting to my heritage, resulting in the idea for this film." Yasmine (Director).
This story is a hybrid of drama and fantasy, meaning grounded in reality as much as it is in mythology. We aim to make the domestic aspect of the plot feel realistic and grounded as it navigates the intensity of familial relationships. In terms of visual inspiration from family dramas, we have looked at Lady Bird (2017) and the film’s use of setting and performance.
The visual style employed in the initial parts of the film will be starkly contrasted by the sheer scale of the astral plane. We want our audience to feel as if they have been completely transported to a new, magical realm.
Rouhi (My Soul) takes inspiration from Moana (2016) and Coco (2018) as they involve young individuals discovering more about their own cultures as well as uncovering family secrets which have tainted their relationships with those closest to them. The astral plane sequence is heavily inspired by Black Panther (2018) and the lead character T’challa’s relationship with his deceased father. This scene is mystical and larger than life, perfectly capturing the essence of Afro-Arab mythology which we are attempting to create.
The first-born daughter of Nabil and Marie. At school her mixed heritage dawns on her and she finally decided to question her lack of connection to her Middle Eastern roots. Curious and stubborn, she is not one to let go of something once she has gotten started.
In typical youngest child fashion, Zaid upholds humour and sarcasm. He is not bothered nearly as much as his sister at his lack of knowledge about Egypt.
After marrying his wife, he immigrated to England with slight apprehension. A tragedy results in him accidentally denying his children a connection to his heritage. He cares greatly for his family, but has his limits.
Marie feels a sense of guilt for taking her husband away from a life and community he once loved so much. However, she chooses to discreetly intervene, believing her children deserve to know about their culture.
A wise soul, Layal loved her four children greatly and dreamt of the day she would meet her grandchildren. She is as graceful as she is patient and radiates empathy.
The family home elements are to be shot on location in a house in order to immerse our actors in a domestic setting. We will be dressing the set to bring a unique elements that make’s it each character’s home. As they are an inherently British family when our story begins, there will be some trinkets hinting at this in the living room and kitchen. The final room we see is Aya’s. As a teenage girl, she will have her room decorated with posters, CDs and more
The Astral Plane is going to be our biggest challenge throughout production. We will be building a temple courtyard in one of our studios. This will without a doubt take a lot of time and money to get right, but we are more than excited to get started. The courtyard will be surrounded by walls and pillars. A pond is situated in the middle surrounded by a variety of palm trees and shrubbery. It will feel grand and fantastical, much like the many temples of Egypt.
Here is a piece of concept art created by one of our VFX artists. The temple courtyard setting in the astral plane is meant to feel magical and dreamlike. This would be difficult without the talent of our VFX team. In addition to the practical set build, we will be using green screens to extend our temple, making it look bigger than the constraints of our studio size. In addition, the sunset sky will be designed and keyed into the background of the temple. Finally, our characters will be made to look like glowing spirits.
The astral plane will require two outfits, but unlike our other costumes, these will be designed and made by hand. Both Aya and Layal’s dresses will take inspiration from tradition Egyptian fashion through elegant flowing fabric using a traditional abaya as reference, a golden colour scheme and traditional accessories resembling ancient imagery.
This production will require a number of costumes. In the domestic setting we will see our characters in several outfits as our story takes place over several days. This will include school uniforms, business attire and casual homeware. We will be working closely with our costume designer to look at each individual character and decide how they would dress before buying pieces of clothing.
Music is an integral part of filmmaking, it evaluates the visual storytelling and evokes emotion. Creating an original score with a composer for our film is something our crew is set on. The astral plane sequence presents an opportunity to incorporate elements of Arabic music including the oud and darbuka drums to evoke the strong presence of Egyptian culture and mythology. Above are some pieces of score chosen by our director which maintain a tone we would like to see in our final soundtrack composition.
Hi I’m Yasmine, the writer and director of Rouhi (My Soul)! I was born in Calgary, Canada to an English mother and Egyptian father before moving to Dubai at eight years old. Growing up as a third culture kid of mixed heritage was quite a struggle at times when trying to explore my identity. After only visiting a handful of times Egypt was a mystery to me. However, overtime I have slowly uncovered that part of my heritage through fragments of stories shared with me by my dad as well as my love of mythology, and that is what inspired the conception of Rouhi. It is a film which fuses realism and fantasy to tell a family’s story of love, loss, grief and forgiveness. I’m beyond excited to reflect these stories through the film’s protagonist Aya on her journey towards self discovery and I hope that everyone will be able to see an element of themselves and their own loved ones in this film.
Hey!
I'm Kassee, the producer of Rouhi(My Soul)! My interest in film definitely came from my love of story-telling. Being able to bring stories to life through film is an exciting process that requires determination and passion, two qualities I believe I have. Having produced before and already collaborated with Yasmine I know we, along with the rest of the crew, will make an excellent team to execute her vision into something wonderful. Producing Rouhi(My Soul) will allow me to put my skills and knowledge from AUB into practice, this will be challenging as it's the biggest production I've ever produced. Furthermore, it's important we make this film at the best quality possible as it's a story that I believe is both relatable and eye opening, but that can only happen with your help! So please donate, no matter how big or small, we are grateful.
My love of working as a 1st Assistant Director came to light in my second year of University, management and leadership have always been a close part of my life in both jobs and social life. I've always believed in having a good work ethic making sure the objective is always completed, and the team is happy. Being able to further work on these skills for such an ambitious and interesting fiction project makes me excited for the project launch. I look forward to working with Yasmine and the talented crew we have on the journey to making this short film, and hope you'll watch closely as we develop it!
Hello!
My name is Rebecca, and I am the production designer for ‘Rouhi’. Working on this film is going to be a fun experience and a real challenge for me creatively, this project is a complete contrast from any work I have previously done, and it is welcomed with open arms. From the ambitious set design inspired by films such as ‘Black Panther’ (R. Coogler, 2018) to the heart-warming story with themes similar to that of ‘Coco’ (A. Molina, L. Unkrich, 2017) this project is the perfect mix of fantasy and family relationships. I am excited to get going on this project and bring the vision of Aya’s astral plane to life!
Hey, I’m Tristan, the Director of Photography for Rouhi (My Soul). When I first read this story, I was hooked immediately. Straight away I could immerse myself in this fantastical world that took on many interesting themes and concepts from the real world and the mythological world. After working on several projects under the DOP as a gaffer and various other roles within cinematography, I’ve gained a great understanding in telling narratives through the visuals. And that’s what I am aiming for with Rouhi, to capture the essence and heart of this story through the visuals. To dive you, the audience into this reality and mythical world. I believe in great attention to detail, no matter how small it may be. And that’s where we need you. To tell Rouhi in the way we hope through unique and cinematic means, we will need to hire specific pieces of equipment for camera and lighting. With your donations we can achieve this to give you the best film we can possibly make.
Dimi is the gaffer for Rouhi, in charge of the lighting department and the right hand to the Director of Photography. Ever since he started exploring the world of filmmaking he felt a passion for the art of cinematography. Throughout this period, his enthusiasm for telling stories, led him to explore and understand the importance lighting and the way it shapes the pathway of the visual narrative. With his vast experience working on various short and feature films, TV series, music videos and commercials both in the UK film industry and in Bulgaria, where he grew up, as well as on student productions as various HOD positions in the camera and lighting department, he has the ability to quickly adapt to any situation on set and to work with the different departments and crew members in order to ensure that the films narrative will be told in light.
I’m Yoanna, the editor of this amazing production. I’ve been told I’m pretty good at what I do so you can expect great things from my department. I love my work. I love seeing a film come together from the separate video and audio clips, I love how editing gives you the chance to see a film flourish into something beautiful. I sincerely believe that to be the case with this one.
Sound is just as impactful on the cinematic experience and storytelling as picture, and the marriage of the two creates something magical. My interest in sound comes from my love of horror films and the creepy suspense created by the smallest noise and I've since worked on several productions in my three years at AUB film production working on my skills to make films that don't just sound good but to bring everything together and create an experience for everyone. I was attracted to Rouhi by the concepts of discovering yourself and your heritage and getting in touch with your roots, but also the traveling to an astral plane of existence which adds a bit of magic and fantasy to a heavy topic that I feel will allow me to have a lot of fun with sounds and contrasts.
In order to make this film, we need your help! Our budget has been calculated to ensure that, each department receives the entirety of their needs through the production of Rouhi (My Soul). The majority of the budget will go towards Cast Fees and the Art Department, so that both realms created in the story can be brought to life at a high standard. The Director’s vision can only be executed if we have the correct equipment, kits and cast so please donate, not matter how big or small, it still counts!
We understand that not everyone can contribute financially, however you can still support us by following our Facebook and Instagram. Likes and shares on our posts will expose us to a larger audience and provide the exposure our film merits.
We are young and talented filmmakers that want to make our stories a reality so please check out our fantastic rewards and donate! Tell a friend to tell a friend!