Private Project

Tarab

Mena Isaac is a single, successful Lebanese-American lawyer, married to her career. Sarah, her mother, desperately wants grandchildren and even arranges some "dates" (including, unwittingly, one with a gay Lebanese man). But Mena is getting older and Sarah is losing hope. Although, the Isaacs are a modern Lebanese-American family, their conservative cultural roots are not completely left behind.
Mena has been working so hard on her career that she doesn't notice that she has lost something. Her natural spark and light have disappeared. But all of that is about to change when she signs up for belly dance classes. Mena finds she is a natural and soon her teacher asks her to perform at a local restaurant/club. Mena has serious misgivings: No one in her family would dance like this in public. Belly dancers are considered one step up from prostitutes, although ironically, they are often hired to dance at family weddings and events. And what if they find out at her conservative law firm? But, Mena is starting to feel something she thought she'd lost forever, reclaiming some piece of herself, and just maybe that is worth the risk?!
Soon, she's dancing regularly at the restaurant. Her co-workers start to notice something different about her: Does she have a new boyfriend? Extra B12? Mena laughs them off, but how long can she keep up this double life? Inevitably, her secret is revealed in a very public way. Will she lose her job and family's respect? Will she have to give up the one thing that has reconnected her to herself?!
Tarab will have broad appeal to audiences across many demographics. It touches upon universal themes that transcend age, gender, and cultural differences: Secrets long held, dreams deferred and rediscovered later in life, and the conflict between family obligations vs. personal fulfillment.
Tarab is Arabic for musical ecstasy, bliss, or enchantment; an extreme emotional transformation leading to intense feelings of joy, sorrow, or sadness; a concept with no exact English translation. Its timely themes include the societal and cultural pressure upon women to conform to certain norms, acceptance of homosexuality in Arabic culture, and the difficulties women face in owning their sexuality in today's climate.

  • Jennifer Hanley
    Director
  • Maria Michaels
    Writer
  • Maria Michaels
    Producer
  • Jennifer Hanley
    Producer
  • Leila Bicos
    Producer
  • Joyce Lao
    Producer
  • Maria Michaels
    Key Cast
    "Mena Isaac"
    Sex and the City II
  • Karen Lynn Gorney
    Key Cast
    "Sylvie"
    Saturday Night Fever
  • Kathryn Kates
    Key Cast
    "Dalayl Isaac"
    Seinfeld, Orange is the New Black
  • TAMIR
    Key Cast
    "Sarah Isaac"
  • Anton Obeid
    Key Cast
    "Hanna Isaac"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy, Social
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 28 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jennifer Hanley

Jennifer fell in love with filmmaking at a very young age, acting in school plays and directing her friends in homemade movies. From there she worked her way through various departments of Development, Production, and Post Production.
She began interning at Imagine Entertainment at age 17, where she read scripts and sat in on weekly meetings, providing her thoughts and insight on the teenage demographic. After college she briefly interned at Weed Road Pictures where she continued to learn about script development. Looking to further her film education she began working in the camera department of Salvatore Totino. After leaving the camera department, Jennifer began independently producing and directing short films and web content, including working directly with Funny or Die, to produce several of their exclusive videos. Jennifer continued to further her on set knowledge script supervising on several short and feature films, as well as line producing on a feature.
Jennifer has studied acting in Los Angeles, New York, and London. Most recently she was the Post Production Coordinator in Ron Howard's Inferno and was an Associate Producer on the recently released film Decay.

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Director Statement

I was looking to work on a diverse project. One with a story centered around the personal fulfillment of a strong female lead, not based on getting the guy... or even the job. Maria and I strived to bring this diversity to not only the cast, but with our crew as well. Having a female presence both in front of and behind the camera was very important to us and we were lucky enough to bring together a team that supported this vision.

Tarab has a wide array of themes that I was able to explore in the film, from cultural differences and family obligations to sexuality and self discovery. While at it’s core, Tarab is a family driven drama, the script allowed me to find comedic moments and play outside the confines of a typical genre film. It was a privilege to direct and be a part of Tarab.

regards,
Jennifer Hanley