Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Soukaina, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I was obsessed with storytelling growing up. Narrative is in many ways part of the essence of survival in my culture. When I watched films and shows, it was like immortalizing those stories. As someone who loved the escapism that film and TV provided, I knew this is where I wanted to be.
Knowing what I know now, I wish I had taken more risks, and believed in my dream a bit more. For so long I was holding myself back because I believed in the fallacy of perfection. I had to know every aspect of production before I would be able to participate in it, and I wish I knew that that simply isn’t true. Experience and failure are the best teachers. I wish I had given myself the space and forgiveness to allow myself to do just that.
The most essential skill working in the industry is active listening. Listening allows you to pick up on patterns and details that will help you execute a project effectively. It helps you communicate with your team and all in all, puts you on the right track to creating the best possible production together. If confused, don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you feel like you’ve misconstrued an instruction, don’t hesitate to confirm what needs to be done. In the end, we’re all here to breathe life into a story.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
At an early age, I also recognized the power that narrative had on people. The way it could be used to give hope, and the way it could be weaponized to villanize, oversimplify or make invisible. I wanted to learn to weild that power because my people, Arabs, Muslims, Amazighs, and Africans fell victim to westernized, white-washed narratives. So I watched film after film, show after show, sometimes multiple times, and focused on the things that made me uncomfortable, the things that I loved, how emotive I was, and whether or I could identify the falsehoods and ignorance in the narratives presented to me. When done right, I beamed. When done failingly, heartbroken.
I went to the US to study film, and I kept studying film and narrative through graduate school as well. I started making films and realized I loved piecing stories together.
I have had the privilege of participating in Fury (2024), BZRK (2023), Lapse (2023), Children of Sin (2023), Duplicity (2023), Fix (2022), Where Theater Began (2020), Color of Mandarins (2020), and Amal (2020). Amal (2020) was a Semi-Finalist at the Feminist Border Arts Film Festival, and the Special Jury Prize at the Festival International du Filme Amateur de Kelibia. FIX (2022) won Best Producer at the Oniros Film Festival, Best Short Film at the New York International Film Awards, and Official Selection at The 4theatre Film Awards, The New York Short Film Festival, The Hollywood First-Time Filmmaker Showcase, The Onykos Film Festival, and The IndieFEST Film Awards.
I also happen to be working as a Production Coordinator for Vice Media Group and it’s been amazing being so close to storytelling like that. One of the biggest things I’ve learned at Virtue, the creative agency powered by VICE is that telling stories is all about building the right narrative. Being part of the Virtue family, I’ve had the honor of being a part of commercial shoots with high-profile clients Coca-Cola, Logitech, Chevrolet, Planned Parenthood, STAAR Surgical, and Proctor & Gamble, of which many have won Cannes Lions, Webbys, Clios, Grand Prixs and other notable accolades.
I love working on all kinds of storytelling. I know some people might believe that it’s a cop-out, but I am truly fascinated by the way that different forms of storytelling work. I’ve learned so much for the Ad/Commercial agency about storytelling. They truly master the art of subtext and messaging. This is something I’m definitely eager to start applying to the films I’m making.
Producing, directing, and writing film and TV is definitely a big passion for me. It’s a creative outlet that scares me and makes me uncomfortable but in the best of ways. It keeps me honest, vulnerable, and open to the world. I love that.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Bringing a story to life is really hard. It takes discipline, perseverance, teamwork, focus, organization, and the list goes on. The planning stage is the hardest stage, with the completion of the work coming a close second. There were so many moments where you tell yourself, “Is this project really going to get made, or am I way out of my league here?” And every time when I’m at the finish line, I feel this rush of gratitude. Gratitude for my team, gratitude for my capabilities, and gratitude for the work as it takes life.
One of my films Lapse (2023), endorsed by President of Blumhouse, Couper Samuelson (earning him executive producer credit) is currently in post-production right now, and I really loved the team I worked with. Katie Colwell is an up-and-coming cinematographer with discipline and vision. Rutuja Sawant the gaffer is a beast; commanding light like she’s God. They made a wonderful duo and it was so easy to communicate honestly and work efficiently with them. Huge shoutout to the rest of the Lapse family Anna Stacy Nicole Martinez, Erik Howard, Jordan Skutar,Chris and Stef Choriatis. Larissa Hanna, Shannon Geoffrey, Amanda Tingley, Shania Henderson , Charles Stacy, Lauren Lauder, Joe, Chris, Josh– there really would be no film without them. I really appreciated their trust in me in this project and I can’t wait for you guys to see it when it comes out!
So yeah, I think the most rewarding part for me is bringing a team together to parent a film into adulthood.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Consistency, trust, and results.
When you tell people you’re going to do something, you had to see it through. I try to be consistent and transparent with everyone I work with. I want all of my sets to have open communication, because I strongly believe that if we all put our heads together (no matter how corny and cliche that statement may sound), there isn’t a challenge we can’t face.
One day, people started coming up to me and asking me if I was available to read their script. My name started circulating in the filmmaking community. While my accolades speak for themselves, I pride myself on keeping contact with the people I partner up with creatively. I love fostering community. And the more you achieve for your clients, the more they know you to be reliable, and the more they trust you implicitly. Soon, you start to realize that you have repeat customers and a solid client base.
PS: Don’t underestimate word of mouth. Always be on your best behavior. Always communicate your needs and be transparent about what you can do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saelhassani.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slicksooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soukaina.alaoui.1441/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salaouielhassani/
- Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13032603/
Image Credits
Jordan Skutar