Academy Award-winning Zoe Saldaña is lending her support to a new project with a powerful story at its heart. The actress has joined the Palestinian short It’s Complicated as an executive producer ahead of the film’s world premiere at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles, taking place from August 13 to August 23. The festival will showcase more than 400 short films from around the world, with It’s Complicated bringing a deeply personal story about Palestinian womanhood to the screen.
A Story of Friendship Across Borders
Written by, produced by, and starring US-Palestinian filmmaker Iman Karram, It’s Complicated follows Yara, a Palestinian-American screenwriter living in Los Angeles. Looking to reconnect with her roots, Yara begins taking online Arabic lessons with Hana, a poet and teacher living in Gaza, played by Jordanian-American actress Dina Shuhaiber.
What starts as language lessons soon grows into a heartfelt friendship built on shared dreams, humor, and sisterhood. But when war tears their worlds apart, Yara is left navigating grief, diasporic guilt, and the responsibility of keeping Hana’s story alive.
Why Zoe Saldaña Joined the Project
Fresh off her 2025 Oscar win for Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña signed on as executive producer, helping champion a film that explores identity, loss, resilience, and the role artists play in preserving the stories of their communities.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Saldaña said:
I was moved by the tenderness of the relationship at the center of the film and by Iman’s commitment to telling a story rooted in Palestinian womanhood with honesty, humor, and heart. I’m proud to support her voice and the team behind It’s Complicated as the film begins its festival journey.
Inspired by a Real-Life Connection
For Iman Karram, the story is deeply personal. The film was inspired by her own experience taking online Arabic lessons, where an unexpected friendship helped her feel connected to a broader Palestinian sisterhood despite being thousands of miles away.
Reflecting on that experience, Karram told The Hollywood Reporter:
It was inspired by a real relationship with my Arabic tutor that profoundly reshaped my understanding of identity and how I want to use my voice as an artist.
By turning that real-life bond into a film, Karram explores the emotional ties that connect Palestinians across borders while highlighting the strength of friendship, culture, and storytelling in the face of loss.
We Said This: Don’t Miss… Meet the Four Egyptian Films Competing in the Casablanca Arab Film Festival
