Why I Started SEEN.

And why it matters more than ever.

I’ve spent most of my life trying to be SEEN.

Not looked at. Not accepted. Not admired or applauded. But truly, authentically seen. Valued. Understood. For who I am. Where I come from. What I carry and what I have to say.

As an Arab woman and a Palestinian American in Hollywood (or rather on the periphery of Hollywood), I’ve been told more times than I can count that my stories are too risky, too foreign, too “niche.” Translation: Too scary. Too worthless. Too small. The industry loves a good war film — just not from our part of the world. Unless we’re the villains. If we’re exposing the evils of our own dictators or turning a critical eye towards our own societal ills, Hollywood loves us. Of course they do! We’re leaning into the exact stereotypes they’ve created and perpetuated for nearly a century. If we remotely hint at how Western colonial powers have decimated our countries — from Iraq to Palestine to Lebanon and more — we don’t exist. Hollywood abandons us. When we hold the West accountable, we disappear into irrelevance.

I’ve never been one to compromise — not when it’s this important.

Early on I learned that I can’t wait for Hollywood gatekeepers to open doors for me. I must burst them down or build my own.

I built my own door. And now, I’m building a window too. This newsletter is that window.

What SEEN Is…

SEEN is where I get to speak honestly. Where I get to say what I don’t always feel I can say in real life. Either because I don’t know how quite yet or I don’t think of it in the moment or I self-censor to avoid conflict. Or because I’ve been told to be careful. If you want to sell your film… if you want it to get seen…

It’s a space for essays, dispatches, meditations, and stories behind the stories. It’s personal. It’s political. It’s poetic. And sometimes it will be uncomfortable.

Because telling the truth often is.

It’s a place for behind-the-scenes reflections on the films I make. Cultural critiques and commentaries on our collapsing film industry. Conversations with other artists reclaiming their own narratives. But mostly, this will be a space to think out loud— and to hold space for what’s too often silenced.

Who It’s For…

If you didn’t see yourself onscreen growing up, this is for you.

If you’ve ever been silenced or told that your story doesn’t matter, this is for you.

If you’re a storyteller struggling to get your own stories off the ground and want a glimpse behind the curtain, this is for you.

If you’re tired of misrepresentation or superficial representation that stops at the surface, this is for you.

IF YOU WANT TO BE EMPOWERED AND INSPIRED TO BE BOLDER AND BRAVER IN YOUR YOUR STORYTELLING, THIS IS FOR YOU.

Why Now?

Because the stakes are higher than ever before. Decades of dangerous misrepresentation, dehumanization and erasure have led us to this horrific moment where the world is watching genocide unfold in real time and is still too fearful to speak up.

Because some of us don’t get the luxury of apolitical art.

Because silence is a form of complicity. And story is a form of resistance.

Because for some of us, STORYTELLING IS A MATTER OF SURVIVAL.

SEEN is my attempt to share the triumphs and struggles. To hold media accountable. To change the narrative. To build a community of support around vital storytelling that truly has the potential to change our world.

Join me in building this community to help contain and sustain our true authentic stories.

Thank you for being here and see you in the next scene.

—Cherien

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