The status of women has always been a topic of interest. It did not make sense that women in Lebanon are highly educated and professional, yet they are invisible in politics. So I wanted to explore the reasons behind this situation. I was inspired to create Madame Parliamentarian after the Cedar Revolution, and during Lebanon’s 2005 elections, which were the first held without the domination of the Syrian military since 1972, following the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The period was fraught with high emotions and great enthusiasm for hope and change, culminating in a strong desire to move democracy forward.

I am passionate about documentary films, especially those that cover topics about international development, human rights, social justice, history, immigration, identity, health, education and holistic medicine.

Watching documentaries for me is like traveling around the world and entering people’s living rooms and lives while sitting on my sofa. I have a special interest in stories filmed around the globe in different languages that deal with complex identity fusion for people who straddle and belong to different worlds and cultures.

I love supporting and cheerleading other artists and entrepreneurs. I hope to continue using my language fluency in Arabic, French and English in future projects and to get a chance to travel around Africa, Central and South America.

Rouane Itani