Three Veils

I saw Three Veils at the San Francisco International Film Festival 2011. The theater was completely packed. There wasn't a seat open and the people waiting out in the street were turned away. It was a great crowd of film viewers and the film did not let us down. Three Veils examined the lives of three very interesting Muslim women trying to navigate the Cultural challenges in their lives. I found it to be an eye opening experience. There were so many moments of lightness and humor. I found this humor interesting because the issues that were being discussed are very much about the dark side of humanity. My congratulations to the filmmakers for creating a rich experience. This film gave me a better understanding of the lives of women in a culture I don't know.

I saw the screening of Three Veil in San Francisco this past Sunday 10th April. It was definitely an eye opener! It was a very powerful movie in a way that made me aware that Muslim women have the same wants, needs and desires as women in any culture. Even though it was a serious movie about women in the Muslim culture, there was humor in it that I thought was wonderful because I didn't think Muslim women were allowed to have a sense of humor or allowed to laugh. The three women in the movie were very different in their own way but what stood out for me is their courage and strength to make the changes they needed for themselves and not for culture or society. I was impressed with how the director kept the stories of the three women light not heavy and too dark with good humor! I am ready to watch it again! The directors, producers and cast were wonderful!

Three Veils a film written and directed by Rolla Selbak is a real delicatessen in the independent film world. The film tells a revealing story of friendship and loyalty of three Muslim women: Nikki (Sheetal Sheth), Amira(Angela Zahra), and Leila (Mercedes MasÖhn). Each woman battles their own fears, insecurities and traumas. The film exquisitely looks closely at the lives of each woman showing their pain and struggles when dealing with social taboos, arranged marriage, and devastating insecurities caused by life-changing events. Love, friendship and trust are all stretched to the limits only to come back stronger than ever. Three Veils delivers a humorous dramatization which has a strong connection with reality itself, making the film powerful yet subtle, entertaining and an all-around eye-opening experience. Now a day it's hard to come around a film so complete; great acting, amazing story, humor, eye-opening reality, culture, music; it is absorbing and informative. I traveled from Colorado to San Francisco to see the film, because I knew that would be the only chance I'd have to see it before it's available to the public. Meeting the cast, the director and the producer, was a life-changing event for me, and every minute of the film was so worth it I will do it all over again.

I recently saw Three Veils at a screening in Alaska and was completely blown away by the film. It is a story about a specific period of time in the lives of three Muslim-American young women who are each dealing with their own struggles such as arranged marriage, lesbianism, substance abuse and who's lives are intertwined through friendship.

The director, Ms. Selbak, did a fantastic job in the way she wrote the film as we see the story told three times from the three different points of view of the three main leads. Leyla, who is dealing with an arranged marriage; Amira, who as a devout Muslim is having lesbian tendencies and Nikki, who is dealing with substance abuse while dealing with family issues.

While all of the above are very dark subject matters, Ms. Selbak interjects humor into the mix as well. I laughed with the film, I cried with the film.

The three lead actresses did a phenomenal job. I was especially taken with the performances of Sheetal Sheth as Nikki and Angela Zahra as Amira, both of which grab you from the beginning of the film and don't let go. It's refreshing to see such strong women characters in film. The supporting cast was also fabulous as well.

I would highly recommend this film to everyone but especially to women everywhere. While these are Muslim-American women in the film, the themes are universal to all women. They are struggles that we all face regardless of our ethnic, religious or societal backgrounds.

Thank you, Ms. Selbak for creating such an amazing film that I certainly connected with.

I had the pleasure of watching Three Veils at the NJ Film Festival at Rutgers University and the movie went beyond my expectations. Each girl's story was handled with sensitivity and all three were woven together seamlessly within the story. The director did a fantastic job showing us all three girls's perspectives and how particular scenarios affected them all differently.

The subject matter is so brave and sends a powerful message, without being preachy or pretentious. The issues the girls deal with in this film are very relevant to what's happening in the world today, and it's sad that people don't want to acknowledge or accept that. Hats off to Rolla Selbak and the brilliant cast for bringing these important issues to the limelight.

Please, please, PLEASE see this film if you have the opportunity. It should be seen by all!