Director's Statement.

Melbourne, June 2006.

In 2004 Newspaper Headlines were full of references to war, Jihad, terrorists, Asylum Seekers and ‘Information Gathering Techniques’. I was suspicious of the easy dichotomies being drawn between Islam and The West, or more specifically, Muslim Australia and the Rest of Australia. As I observed fear and ignorance dominate public opinion, I started looking for stories in the mainstream media that focused on the shared humanity between Muslims and Westerners, rather than the forces that can divide us. They were hard to find. I wanted to learn more about Islam and to understand its appeal, especially for young women. Then I stumbled across a small article in my local newspaper about Frida and her dream of creating an Islamic Fashion Mecca on Sydney Rd, Coburg.

In the article, Frida claimed to be the great great great granddaughter of Marie Antoinette and listed running a used car yard in Detroit, USA amongst her achievements. I was so intrigued I went to Frida’s shop where she greeted me wearing lipstick and an elegant veil as she caressed a Siamese cat. I was surprised by Frida’s thick Aussie accent as she explained she was making and selling clothes to explode the myth of an homogenous Muslim woman who covers up to become invisible. Feisty, unafraid and armed with the Devil’s wit Frida was clearly a formidable negotiator. Immediately I sensed that she would be an excellent character to act as an intermediary between mainstream Australia and the great ‘Other’ called Islam. With her pale green eyes and captivating stories, I felt sure Frida would be able to shatter the image of the uniformly oppressed Muslim woman in an entertaining way. Frida also obviously sensed her potential as a film heroine because she had already started writing a script for the blockbuster version of her life story, which she obligingly gave me (with Hollywood casting recommendations) in case I was short on ideas.

I have known Frida for over two years now and have watched her transform her business from an Islamic fashion shop, to a catering business, to her most recent incarnation as an importer of glamorous Evening Wear. The high degree of drama with which FRIDA approaches life is exciting and sometimes exhausting to be around. She is an engaging and dynamic storyteller imbued with an innate confidence to get herself in and out of any situation. Like a modern day Sheherazade there is an urgency to the life story that FRIDA is creating for herself. It is the tension that comes from the risks FRIDA takes and the always imminent possibility of spectacular defeat, that has keep me interested and involved in following Frida’s story.

Throughout the making of ‘Veiled Ambition’ both Frida and I have become pregnant, watched as our partners tried to finish building us houses before our babies were born, smiled when deadlines inevitably grew elastic, given birth to a beautiful boy and girl between us and attempted to continue our working lives with new born babies in toe. Frida’s endurance, resilience and sheer determination have inspired me to continue making this film even when the timing was less than ideal.Frida is a complex woman, defying simple categorization and resisting stereotype. Generously Frida has allowed me to film during her great and her not so great moments because she too is excited by the prospect of telling a story about an Islamic woman that does not cast the heroine as a Martyr, Terrorist or Victim. Rather ‘Veiled Ambition’ is a story that celebrates the complexities of life for an aspiring entrepreneur who is balancing work and family while practicing her faith. I thank Frida for trusting me to tell it.

Celeste Geer, June 2006