Sarah Rezig: "And in Imagination... We Find Love"... A Film with a Heartbeat

Director Sarah Riziq

Director Sarah Rezig: The film offers a cinematic treatment that seamlessly transitions from dream to reality.

Egyptian cinema has witnessed an openness to new experiences in recent years. With each wave of renewal, names emerge who believe that art requires not only talent but also a heart ready for adventure.

 Among these names is director Sarah Rezig, who chose to enter the world of cinema through an unconventional gateway in the Egyptian context: the gateway of imagination, romantic dance, and cinema that blends music with visual storytelling in a single work.

Rezig does not belong to the school of "artistic security." Rather, she follows a personal project that some consider adventurous, while she sees it as the only way to ensure her authenticity. For many years, she has approached cinema as a means of reviving what she loves: dance, music, physical expression, and stories with a beating heart, not just ready-made dramas for repetition.

Recognizing that cinema is a language of emotions before it is an industry, Sarah presents her debut feature film, "And in Our Imagination... Love," a significant step in her career. The film draws inspiration from the aesthetics of the ballet "Coppélia," reinterpreting it with a contemporary Arab spirit—fresh and dreamy, yet realistic in its portrayal of humanity's search for love within a world rife with distortions.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net, Sarah discussed the film's details and her personal vision. The director explained that "And in Our Imagination... Love" came to fruition after years of preparation. The idea originated in 2015, but she only recently felt ready to proceed. She emphasized that the project required, first and foremost, a director who was passionate about cinema.

Sarah noted that the film is inspired by the ballet "Coppélia" because she sees in this classic work a profound sense of innocence and wonder. She added that she has crafted a cinematic treatment that seamlessly blends imagination and life, moving smoothly from dream to reality.

Sarah pointed out that she wasn't afraid to present a romantic musical in Egyptian cinema, which is accustomed to other styles. She believed that the audience is more discerning and capable of receiving diverse works. She emphasized that the film crew was strongly supportive of these choices, and that a large part of the film's energy stemmed from the belief of the young people involved.

She also explained that she underwent a difficult period of artistic review before the film's release, because this type of cinema requires a balance between acting, physical performance, and music. She hinted that the team exerted a great deal of effort to reach the final version, which she sees as a starting point for what she might present in the future.

Sarah stressed the importance of connecting fantasy to life within the story. She explained that the film attempts to present a dream, but it remains linked to real human emotions so that the audience doesn't feel alienated from the work. She added that the kind of cinema she embraces is one that gives the viewer a chance to escape a little, without separating them from themselves.

The director hopes that the film will open a new door to greater diversity within Egyptian cinema, and that the audience will accept it as a work that speaks a slightly different language, a language steeped in love and honesty, which she considers the greatest goal of her work in directing.