The making of Sweet Land was marked by passion and a whole lot of confusion. It was my first pilgrimage into the shrine of narrative storytelling. In the school of hard knocks, I quickly learned there is the story you write, the story you shoot, the spoils and debris put in the can by a first-time director, the countless lengthy and nonsensical edits, and finally the film you share with audiences. Jim had the vision (and patience) to stay with me all the way through. If he hadn’t, the film would never have existed. And yet, that Spirit Award is mine all mine. 

Ali Selim, Director

Sweet Land