Im really happy that theres a document of that and thats something people will be able to experience and learn
from. Im amazed that we were able to do that. You come from a prominent political familyformer state Senator Alan Sieroty is your uncle. How did that influence you to be involved in public service? I think I have to go back to my grandmother [Jean Sieroty]. My grandmother is a very influential person in our family and in my life. She had very, very strongly held political beliefs and I know thats why my uncle is who he is, because of his mother. She definitely inspired me to do what I believed in and to always believe that you can do the impossible and that hard work and persistence is what makes things happen. Im definitely interested in stories about complex, very strong women leaders. My grandmother was an amazing person. She was also a very difficult and complicated person. I like those stories. Not everyone is an angel and I think its easy to paint someone kind of one color and to make them look amazing. Its harder to show all the different sides and show the sides that are really incredible and the, oh, she wasnt that nice a person. I grew up with that, knowing my grandmother is amazing and she is also complicated. Thats something everyone in my family experiences, too. Thats part of the story. What inspired you to become a filmmaker? Its something that I did at the end of my undergraduate years and part of what inspired me to make films is that I was interested in telling stories that we just dont get to see or hear that much about and contributing something, an experience or a world, that generally is not the mainstream story thats told. Did your education in Beverly Hills inspire your career choices? When my brother, my sister and I grew up in Beverly Hills, we went to public school. We had amazing opportunities that I dont know that its the same now. I got to learn a foreign language starting in first grade and I had really great teachers. Im a really strong believer and supporter of public education. That part of my life and all the teachers that I had from K through 12th grade certainly influenced who I am and I feel lucky that I was able to get a really good public education. Tell us which teachers stand out. I had a really great fifth-grade teacher, Karen Elgin [at El Rodeo]. I had a really great eighth-grade science teacher, Mrs. [Rachelle] Marcus. I had a really great Spanish teacher in high school, Mr. [Fred] Dominguez. I swam on the swim team and my swim coach [Dick Douglas] was also my AP American history teacher. He was another influential person in my life. Did studying foreign language from a young age influence you to make this mostly foreign-language film? Definitely. I like learning languages. Arabic is much, much more complicated than Spanish, but the other thing that interested me about this film, which didnt make it into the final
film as much as I intended it to, is that learning the Quran is really deeply about learning the Arabic language, so part of the reason why Arab speakers or even non-Arab speakers memorize the Quran is because it teaches you Arabic. Essentially you learn patterns of speech and you learn verb conjugations, which are really complicated in Arabic. Its a language lesson in addition to being a lesson about the faith. Are you a fluent Arabic speaker? No. I can understand a lot of Arabic and I can get around, but Im not fluent. Did that create challenges during the film? Yeah. I would always have a young Syrian woman working with me. There were two people who worked on the film [as translators]. I generally know whats going on and I can converse in some way but I am not a fluent speaker. In some ways, having a little bit of distance and having a Syrian with you allows you a certain type of entre that, it allows you to be there and observe things in a way that is just different. Its different than if you deeply understand everything, because you really watch peoples interactions much more closely because youre not totally sure whats going on. It makes you engage in a different way. Do you have any local screenings planned? We are definitely going to do something at USC at the end of fall. We dont know what the date is yet. That will be a campus-wide screening that will be sponsored by the film school. Tell us about the response the film is getting so far. We have really great audiences. Weve screened the film at a number of festivals and its going to be broadcast on POV [next week]. Were really, really thrilled that we were selected to be on POV. Their viewership is like 1.7 million viewers so thats amazing that that many people will get to experience this film and learn something about this world. I think generally audiences feel the same way that we do about the film and that is that theyre surprised that this world is kind of different than they thought and that their perceptions of conservative Muslim women are that theyre really limited and that theyre oppressed and that they dont have many choices. I think the film shows something different and thats surprising to people. The Light In Her Eyes is scheduled to air on PBS OC on Fri., July 20 at 9 p.m. and on PBS SoCal on Sun., July 22 at 10:30 p.m. For additional air times and to view the film on demand between July 20 and Aug. 19, visit pbs.org/pov/. The documentary will be presented this Sunday in Long Beach at Long Beach Cinematheque at 737 Pine Ave at 1:30 p.m. The free screening, which is presented by PBS SoCal, will be followed by a Q&A with Meltzer and co-director/producer Laura Nix. To RSVP, visit lightinhereyes.eventbrite.com/. For more information about the film, visit thelightinhereyesmovie.com/.
Beverly Hills may not be ready for pilot bicycle routes
The City Council is expected to continue its discussion of a potential pilot bike-route program later this month, but the possibility was raised at last weeks study session that Beverly Hills may not be ready for such a program. A handful of residents, including Lillian Raffel and Better Bike organizer Mark Elliot, expressed safety concerns about the five Five potential bike routes under consideration potential bike routes. Elliot, who was actively involved in the Traffic and Parking Commissions process of studying potential bike routes, said he doesnt believe the proposal would improve road safety. I would suggest to the council to give direction to go back and take another look holistically and see how we can come up with a bike-route network and individual routes that serve everybodys purpose, keep cyclists safe, keep motorists from unduly endangering cyclists, and of course to protect pedestrians from cyclists and motorists, Elliot said. In the past, Elliot was critical of the proposed program because the City asked consultant Fehr & Peers to identify only potential bike routes that would not require eliminating automobile travel lanes or parking. Councilmember Julian Gold asked Traffic and Parking Commission Vice Chair Alan Grushcow, who attended last weeks study session, if the commission would have recommended moving forward with the pilot bike route program if Elliot had suggested withdrawing the proposal earlier. We thought this particular plan in conjunction with our consultants was a good first step, Grushcow said. Bikes are taking a more prominent position in peoples lives. This particular program is a pilot program. [Its] a good way to try it and pick different size streets in different environments and see how it works. Grushcow and Commissioner Jeff Levine, who were part of the commissions bicycle ad hoc committee, were the only two commissioners to vote to recommend all five routes to the city council. In May, the Traffic and Parking Commission voted in favor of three of the five routes: sharrows on Crescent-Reeves between Sunset and Olympic boulevards, sharrows on Carmelita Avenue from Doheny Drive to Wilshire Boulevard, and a bike lane on Burton Way between Robertson Boulevard and Crescent Drive. Proposed sharrows on Beverly Drive and Charleville Boulevard were not recommended by the commission. Sharrows are painted markings on the roadway indicating it is to be shared by vehicles and bicycles. Bosse said she could not support routes on Carmelita or Charleville due to frequent stop signs, which she said could pose a safety risk since both bicyclists and motorists have been known to not stop at all stop signs on those two streets. I think bicycles [are] definitely a wave of the future, but I dont think were quite there yet, and again I think for Mark Elliot, who I do look to as understanding this probably better than any of us up here, if he says were not ready, I think we still have to go back to the drawing board, Bosse said. Gold and Bosse were the only councilmembers to ask questions and make comments on the bike route presentation before the City Council retired to its closed session meeting. The City Council is expected to continue the discussion July 24. briefs cont. from page 7 sons. Other activities include spa services provided by Le Spa at the Sofitel and digital photos by Brian Kramer Photography. There will be traditional casino-style gaming, an opportunity drawing and over 150 silent auction packages. The live auction features vacation packages with airfare provided by American Airlines and other items and opportunities. The block party will also provide refreshments from more than 50 different restaurants and caterers. Concern Foundation is dedicated to raising and granting funds to support cancer research worldwide. Tickets are now on sale. For more information, visit www.concernfoundation.org or call (310) 360-6100. --Briefs compiled by Melanie Anderson July 12 - July 18, 2012 Page 9
Concern Foundation Block Party this Saturday
The Concern Foundations 38th annual Block Party, which takes place at Paramount Studios this Saturday starting at 6 p.m., will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the birth of rock and roll. The block party will feature the theme, Oh what a night!, and honor Lance Freed and the legacy of his father, DJ Alan Freed, who coined the phrase Rock & Roll. Live performances will take place at four different stages, featuring the Tom Nolan Band, The Wonderelles and DJ Dwayne Brown. The Hula Hoop troupe Hoop it Up! will perform and give Hula Hoop les-
