Meet Salma Amer | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Salma Amer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Salma, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
My favorite quote is by Will Smith from Pursuit of Happiness ” If you want something, go get it. Period. ” This quote means a lot to me. Since I was little girl, my dad used to tell me those words all the time. Whenever I needed something he pushed and motivated me by those words. To be honest it helped me a lot, not just in my career but in my personal life and in general. Anybody can achieve anything they want if they take the time and work on it. It will happen if you put your heart and mind into it.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
What sets me apart is I love directing a period piece. Most directors find it much easier to do a present film, for me it’s more comfortable to direct a period piece. I’m in the process of writing my first feature. Most I’m excited about is the process of writing to preproduction and beyond. I got to where I am professionally by working through the ranks. I’ve networked with every professional on every set I’ve ever worked on. This broadened my network and allowed me to have the foundation. I found that It is not easy to stand out because there are so many people in the industry who are trying to achieve the same goals. When you are working with your own budget, you learn how to work through the stress and pressure, because you are solely responsible for the whole project. You learn how filmmaking is done, A through Z. I want the world to know that I’m an artist and I want people to be entertained by my stories.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well I lived in both coasts, Los Angeles and New York. If my friend is visiting me in the West coast, I would take them to Sequoia or Yosemite national park, rent a cabin in the wood for couple days or go to Joshua Tree and rent a house in the middle of the desert. spend some time on Malibu beach or Laguna beach. Definitely something out in nature. But if in the East Coast, I would take them to some of my favorite coffee shops like La Colombe or Sey. Maybe a walk on the Highline at night is really beautiful. Any one of the museums in New York City.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout will first go to my family for supporting me, I grew up with unconditional support of both of my parents. Having a supportive family made it easy for me to get to where i’m right now. Also to my naysayers, thank you for giving me the drive and determination to achieve what I believed in from the beginning.

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