“As the great Ousmane Sembène once said, “Europe is not my center.” Sembène meant of course that his cinema wasn’t made with the sensibilities, context or cultural memes of Europe in mind.”- Filmmaker Jude Chehab

Jude Chehab's award winning feature debut, "Q", is a powerful familial love story that only she could tell. In this special learning session, Jude takes us through the arduous journey to complete her first feature-length documentary on her terms, and shares insights for those creating counternarratives.

About the Filmmaker: 

Jude Chehab is a multi-award winning DP and feature filmmaker based between New York and Beirut.

Jude's cinematic interests have led her to explore the esoteric, the spiritual, and the unspoken. She developed a richly layered visual and intimate personal shooting style under the mentorship of Abbas Kiarostami's final student group. Jude has been credited in collaborations with the BBC, Refinery29, Oxfam GB, and Doctors Without Borders.

She has worked as a Director of Photography internationally, contributing to films in Somalia, Sudan, and Pakistan. Most recently, she served as an Associate Producer on Sesame Street's newest show for Syrian refugees.

Jude's work has garnered fellowships from organizations such as CAAM, NeXtDoc, Points North Institute, Firelight Media, and Close-Up. "Q" is her first feature documentary and has received support from IDA, ITVS, TFI, Sundance. She was also awarded First Prize in the Docs in Progress program at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival.

In 2021, Filmmaker Magazine recognized her as one of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film.