Amrou Al-Kadhi is the Writer-Director of Layla, a story that explores the conflict between desire and identity. The film stars actor Bilal Hasna who plays Layla, a London drag queen, and actor Louis Greatorex, who plays Max, the love interest. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins, speaks with Amrou Al-Kadhi, Bilal Hasna, and Louis Greatorex to discuss:
- The six year process of making the film
- What it’s like to watch the film multiple times at Sundance
- Unexpected reactions of the audience
- How making shorts helped Amrou learn to work on a set
- The benefits of working with a director who has acting experience
- Why the best actors hold back in some scenes
- The reason Amrou encourages actors to play against the lines
- Why directors should budget for extra rehearsal time
- The casting process and chemistry read
Memorable Quotes
- “Feeling the audience be shocked was quite fun.” [7:58]
- “Shorts are more like poems, whereas films are more like novels.” [9:05]
- “It’s really hard to get actors to lie on screen.” [14:37]
- “It’s a family you are building. You are not doing it on your own. It can be really hard, so you need to have people around you, you really trust.” [28:30]
Mentioned
Layla
Amrou Al-Kadhi on IG
Bilal Hasna on IG
Louis Greatorex on IG
Find No Film School everywhere:
On the Web
https://nofilmschool.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nofilmschool
Twitter
https://twitter.com/nofilmschool
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/nofilmschool
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/nofilmschool
Send us an email with questions or feedback: [email protected]!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices