How Maggie Anwer of Magica Is Helping to Make the Entertainment Industry More Diverse and Representative

An Interview With Edward Sylvan

…It’s hard for the filmmakers in America to travel to Europe because of the time or prices. They have the right to celebrate their success and attend their own project screenings. I decided we would make a version of our festival in the USA, so they can attend the live event and meet the filmmakers and have the same experience and chance to go worldwide if they want. Also, presenting the USA culture to other cultures is one of the major targets, especially the independents.

As a part of my series about leaders helping to make the entertainment industry more diverse and representative, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Maggie Anwer.

Maggie Anwer is the power woman founder of several international film festivals, the owner of global award shows in film in many major cities, the publisher of entertainment magazine Mag and the CEO of the influential Magica. Passionate about film, Maggie is always on the go creating industry magic.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Thank you for having me, a pleasure to be with you. The story started when I was a little girl. I used to write letters, sometimes articles but I was a champion, was into sports as I won the bronze medal when I was young in diving till I found myself falling in love with filmmaking, and I want to be part of this industry. In the beginning, I didn’t know if I was talented or not. So I started out by writing reviews for magazine and scripts. I directed and produced a short film and was lucky enough to work with great international
production and distribution companies. To be part of the team. Then I had an accident, resulting in me having mini-strokes, and I couldn’t remember a lot of my work. But during recovery, I decided I want to create an independent film festival to promote artists, filmmakers’ work, and screen it all over the world. I founded my production, distribution company to produce documentaries as I love history. This led me to travel to London, Milan, Nice, Paris, Rome, Cannes, Clermot and lot of European countries. Also to Syria, Khartoum and Saudi Arabia before their revolution. I directed a play, short film, workshop, and I was part of a small festival in programming, along with my work as a producer, director and film distributor. My company became international, and I worked as a consultant for 4 international film festivals in Europe (London, Milan, Nice, and Madrid). I now own my own festivals in London, Paris, beside WICA (New York, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Canada and Australia). “WICA world independent cinema awards founded in 2005. After becoming the President of WICA New York, I now own these festivals and our distributed projects have won almost 200 awards, whilst being screened in prestigious cinema theatres such as Prince Charles Cinema in London, Christine in Paris. Currently, my scripts are in production. Also, I am the founder of Mag magazine and Magica cinematheque. The film magazine Nice chose me as one of the most influential female filmmakers, having become the first woman to be a consultant for these festivals and the recognition for my work.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I have a lot :)) but I can tell you two of them. I wasn’t actually aware that I was achieving anything when I started my career. I just followed my passion for the cinema, and suddenly I received a lot of hateful, abusive messages that had a negative impact on me. I went through depression and I decided I no longer wanted to be a filmmaker anymore. I decided to escape to a new place to start a new life so, i traveled to Montreal in Canada I met several lovely artists who seem to know who I was and my work. That was uplifting
and made me happy, but I made my decision not to fight back against the negative messages I was getting. I was sick of all the hatred, I am a fighter and I’m used to having enemies, but I wasn’t aware it’s because of my young age. Being a girl — Then I decided I don’t want to be a filmmaker, I will be a waitress but I don’t know how to serve so I said maybe be a dancer, but I don’t know actually how to dance so I searched where to apply. I felt very lonely and said to the universe ‘please I need a sign of what to do these days’. I hoped the love for the cinema would fade away but maybe it was my destiny? Anyway, I went to check the dance place using Google maps. I found myself in the right place but I couldn’t find the theatre, so I kept walking. Suddenly I found myself in le Palais de Art. It was the place I wanted to make my festival years before. From that moment I knew filmmaking was my path, and I wouldn’t doubt this anymore. I had a tattoo done “faith” to remind me about this journey.

The last one, you can pick one of these :)) when I traveled to Syria during the war to make a film about the legendary Syrian actor Durid Laham “documentary” no one believed that I will go, it was a great pleasure to work with these talented team, but because of the war they don’t accept visas, I did not know, so when I arrived at the hotel, the lovely manager Jamil said we are happy to have you but we have a problem that we
accept cash only, I said ok I where is the atm, he said, unfortunately, you are a foreigner so we accept dollars and there are no dollars you can have in the country, I was about to cry, I said ok I will fly to Beirut and come back, but the first flight was after week but they found a solution honestly, because my friend the president of Alexandria Iff, Amir Abaza they called the Ministry of Culture, they said I was their guest so I can pay now with their currency. Then during the shooting, the police took the DOP for investigation, there were bombs, etc so we didn’t have a mic as well. We don’t have time; we have to shoot or we will lose making the film, so we did the film, the DOP joined us later, I can tell you it was scary but one of my favourite projects despite a lot of problems with the technicals and after we
finished and celebrated, I took a car to go to Beirut to shoot another film and I get the stamp that I get out of the country and on the borders — Lebanon- they didn’t let me in as I must go through the airport because of the situation so the only solution is to go back to Syria, the Syrian driver was so kind and the borders security as well, but now it’s almost midnight and we are heading back to Syria, then I told the driver omg they will not let me in as I have a stamp that I get out the country, listen if they didn’t leave me here, take
the material of the film, give it to my business partner but I was lucky enough that the border security was the same man, they investigate and they let me in. Lot of stories to tell.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’m still making mistakes as I am learning all the time. But when I started I was driven by making things happen and I didn’t care about having something official to prove my credibility on projects. I wrote a script for a show once and the lady of the show said ‘I love your passion but this script not good enough’. During the event I found her using my script under her name. For a moment I was happy that my script was visible but this was not right and the same thing happened when I started my festival. I didn’t make a contract and they took it from me, but I fought back, and created mine.

Ok thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our discussion. Can you describe how you are helping to make popular culture more representative of the US population?

Artists and filmmakers come together to represent their work, their culture and their history, making it more accessible for everyone. We have films from all over the world; I discovered a lot about the different cultures, American filmmakers show their habits and tradition that is totally different from city to another and i think we need to know more about our differences to respect each other more. Also representing European, Asian, Indian, African, American, Middle Eastern and different cultures. Everyone wants to know more about the other, how they have a lot in common. Many filmmakers from different countries are working together because they met at the festivals. We are a great hub for the industry and most of the filmmakers will be fascinated to know more about each other’s stories. I used to say making films like making families and we have to know and support each other.

Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted by the work you are doing?

I can tell you from the messages I received, most of them are women, little girls who feel if I can do it, they can. Some who have seen me being verbally attacked by others and how I’ve dealt with it by choosing to ignore it. This gives them the courage to be themselves. There are also successful men in the industry who supported me when I was a little girl; I receive great messages from them, they are proud of me, this is hugely rewarding.

As an insider, this might be obvious to you, but I think it’s instructive to articulate this for the public who might not have the same inside knowledge. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why it’s really important to have diversity represented in Entertainment and its potential effects on our culture?

First, we have a lot of American filmmakers who participate in our festivals, and they want to be part of the European industry and want to collaborate with different cultures. For example, I met an American producer who wants to collaborate with Middle Eastern directors, but he needs to meet them and watch their projects. So I made an event in Cannes, and introduced them to each other! Second, we have American script writers who want to collaborate with British and French writers, so through us, they are working on new projects. Third, it’s hard for the filmmakers in America to travel to Europe because of the time or prices. They have the right to celebrate their success and attend their own project screenings. I decided we would make a version of our festival in the USA, so they can attend the live event and meet the filmmakers and have the same experience and chance to go worldwide if they want. Also, presenting the USA culture to other cultures is one of the major targets, especially the independents.

Can you recommend three things the community/society/the industry can do to help address the root of the diversity issues in the entertainment business?

First, the celebrities can be part of this- if they attend one of the screenings and they wrote or said what they liked about the projects. Maybe it would help the filmmakers to get funding for their next project? It will not be an enormous amount of money if funded, or as part of the production of unproduced scripts for the new talented filmmakers “whatever their age or gender”. They could, with a small amount of money, make 3 short films in a collaboration with the film schools or academies. Coproduction and co-distribution are the keys.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?

It means you have a plan for your project; you know how to handle and deal with flexibility within the team. Every member of the project has to feel how important he\she is. Be open to new ideas and give everyone his\her credit. Knows how to deal with the differences and the problems and how to solve them in a wise way. There is no leader without a great team and supportive audience. The leader is the project, not a person.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

To be yourself is a very hard journey to discover who you really are and what you want and to do it, anyway. It’s not easy at all. It’s a very lonely, scary journey that you will be overthinking everything and maybe you will doubt yourself but this is wrong — don’t be hard on yourself. Being lonely isn’t easy because we are human and we need a companion, it is our nature but please don’t accept less than what you deserve. For example; when I started making festivals most of those around me said ‘you are wasting your time, your money and you will achieve nothing from this’. It wasn’t because they are bad people but because they don’t see what I was planning for. It wasn’t usual and everything that they don’t understand means they don’t want it. They want you to be in a safe place or zone, which is way easier. But not my nature, also don’t date a guy who doesn’t believe in you or doesn’t understand what you are doing; cause maybe he will be supportive, but he will let you doubt yourself and this is really dangerous.

Break your heart, but never let anyone touch your pride or dignity. Whoever the person is, even if they are your family, your best friend or your lover, they are good, but not for your journey. Many people will use you. This is a life lesson. As you will know by the time there are a lot of fake people who will use you for your money, connections or anything. I don’t mind coming to them to ask for help or support or collaboration, but don’t use me.

Never let anyone walk away during your hard time, be part of your life again . Forgiveness is good, but never let them in. Do value yourself, respect yourself enough to be surrounded with great, real supportive people. I know it’s rare in this field but as you break your heart for the wrong relationship, do the same with everything and pick the real friends who care for your happiness and as you will give them, they have to be really there for you. You are in an industry. This was another life lesson. I was thinking years ago about why it’s too hard to keep going. I thought it would be easier, and I was studying the Victorian films at that time and I said the filmmakers from the old days enjoyed making films- of course not all of them — but most of them. Then I said to myself ‘Maggie when you started, it was a happy and something you are passionate about, but now you are in the industry and you want to be someone remarkable — so be strong and fight for what you build’

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Choose and create your environment. I believe it’s important to choose the environment that makes you shine, the place you feel you could be yourself without fear or guilt. Those things make people bury themselves in boxes where they don’t belong For example, I am proud of being Egyptian, belonging to the pharaohs, and I tried to be a traditional\Middle Eastern girl. Every time I tried to put myself in a cage I would feel sick, till I decided to be the real me. Not a traditional woman. I am proud of who I am and the
freedom I fought for it. I’ve respected every country’s tradition or law I’ve visited or stayed in. I have traveled a lot to find the place I feel I belong to — I chose London. I now split my time between London and Paris. I am me, even my health and my mind are at peace, because I am in the right environment and there is nothing wrong to feel that you don’t belong, just try to figure out what makes you shine and free and continent as well.
Most people will treat you as if you are crazy or doubt you for not being like them. When I created a special competition for the LGBT films at one festival, a lot of my friends attacked and some of them said ‘don’t do that, you are straight — so why do you care, you will receive more hateful messages’. Really?? What about my real friends, the gays, trans, etc. I owe them to be a good friend. I am not a coward. By choosing the right environment, whatever it is, trust me, you will find the right circle of friends. You will be more creative and don’t let anyone tell you what to say or believe. Just be honest, real. Honesty is your key.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Faith, have faith in yourself, in your journey even if it’s a hard, lonely journey and sometimes takes you to dark places, but don’t doubt yourself. Your power is in your mind. Time is the most precious thing in the world, so don’t waste it, but don’t rush the process of healing, or the process of your steps. Your dignity always comes first.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

That’s so sweet, maybe I can tell you I want to meet the American actor Chris Evans. I respect his morals, the charity work he is doing, and as an actor. I have two projects, he’d be perfect as an actor! One is a TV series; physiological, drama show but I can’t mention the name of the show cause of the production company thing — The second one is ‘The Queen of Egypt Hatshepsut’ sure he will not play Hatshepsut — but the architect who built her the famous temple -and he was her lover. The second person I want to meet is anyone who can fly me to the moon, not Frank Sinatra :)) but I have a dream, and want to fly to the moon to present the first festival on the moon.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Linkedin maggie anwer
Facebook maggie anwer
Insta maggieanwerofficial

This was very meaningful, thank you so much!

I want to thank you for the interview, I enjoyed answering your smart questions and wish you all the best