Films
by
FATiMA

Portfolio

Hi, I'm Fatima, a Lebanese-Australian production designer and filmmaker based in Melbourne and Saudi Arabia.I'm passionate about telling heartfelt stories and craftig culturally rich, visually compelling worlds for multicultural cinema.If you like my work, I'd love to hear about your project.

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• DOCUMENTARY

• COMMERCIALS

• MUSIC VIDEOS

Artistic Vision

For Lara, my goal was to create a subdued, naturalistic environment that echoed the emotional restraint and quiet tension between the characters. I chose a palette dominated by grey tones to reflect Emily’s internal conflict and the ambiguity of her future with Ross, muted colours that allowed the emotional weight of each conversation to land more deeply.The home was dressed to feel lived-in but neutral, a space suspended between comfort and pressure, much like the crossroads Emily finds herself at. Subtle contrasts in texture and tone helped distinguish the characters’ emotional worlds while keeping the design grounded in realism. Through simplicity and restraint, the production design supported the film’s intimate exploration of relationships, ambition, and choice.

Synopsis

Melbourne photographer Emily joins her partner Ross for lunch at his pregnant sister Genevieve's home in Lara. As Genevieve observes tension between the couple, she challenges Emily's beliefs and priorities, prompting Emily to confront her ambitions and Ross' hopes for their future. Through heartfelt conversations, Emily begins to reconcile her dreams with the life she envisions.

Creative Team

Writer/Director: Leah Baulch
Producer: Natalia Bornay
Director of Photography: Sarah Jo Fraser
Editor: Dallas Bland
Composer: Larissa Agosti
Production Designer: Fatima El-Hassan

Production Company: Dos Hermanas Productions

Specs

Genre: Drama
Running time: 18 min
Aspect Ratio: 21:9
Year: 2024
Country: Australia

• watch TRAILER

Artistic Vision

For Homesick, my vision was to create a domestic space that quietly captured the ache of separation, love, and displacement. I dressed an empty home from scratch, carefully curating each detail to reflect a life once shared, now marked by absence, uncertainty, and longing.The design relied on soft textures, muted tones, and personal touches that gave emotional weight to the silence between the characters. Every element, from the furniture placement to the choice of everyday objects, was used to evoke memory and the quiet endurance of love.

The contrast between warmth and emptiness served as a visual metaphor for the emotional and physical barriers imposed by Australia’s immigration system.

Synopsis

The endurance of love is tested after a soon-to-be Mother is separated from her partner, an Iranian refugee, by Australia’s Immigration System.

Creative Team

Director and Writer: Matthew Garrand
Producer: Patrick Mantynen
Production Designer: Fatima El-Hassan
Editor: Lily Cowan Benz
Cinematographer: Tyler Mace

Specs

Genre: Drama
Running time: 16 min
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Year: 2021
Country: Australia

• watch TRAILER

Artistic Vision

As the production design assistant and set decorator on Through Fault, my role was to help bring the production designer’s vision to life by dressing the spaces with care, detail, and emotional sensitivity. Set during Australia’s AIDS epidemic, the environments needed to feel authentic to the late 1980s while reflecting the emotional weight of the story.I worked closely with the design team to dress key locations, such as the HIV hotline office, in a way that subtly supported the contrast between innocence, denial, and confronting reality.Through thoughtful placement and attention to texture, tone, and period accuracy, I helped shape a visual world that felt both grounded and intimate.

It was a meaningful experience to contribute to a film that honours untold stories with such humanity.

Synopsis

A naive Catholic woman volunteering as a HIV hotline counsellor receives a call from a dying young man who forces her to confront the realities of Australia’s AIDS epidemic.

Creative Team

Writer & Director: Emily Brown
Producers: Frankie Hopkins & Patrick Mantynen
Director of Photography: Teagan Harris
Editor & Colourist: Lauren Hester
Sound Design: Callum Thomas
Production Designer: Lily Cowan Benz
Original Score: Dylan Knur & Liam Bell
Production Design Assistant: Fatima El-Hassan & Lauren Hester

Specs

Genre: Drama
Running time: 15 min
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Year: 2021
Country: Australia

Awards

Australia Independent Film Festival - Official Selection (Finalist)
Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival - Official Selection
Melbourne Women in Film Festival - Winner: Best Cinematography
9th Pambujan International Film Festival - Official Selection
PRIDE Queer Film Festival - Winner: Best Short Australian Film
Setting Sun Film Festival - Official Selection

• watch TRAILER

Artistic Vision

Teta Ye Teta is a heartfelt coming-of-age story that explores identity, generational love, and the quiet strength of choice. Inspired by real stories within my community, I wanted to portray the complex dynamics between tradition and fear, particularly through the lens of a young girl torn between the influence of her beloved Teta and her protective mother.As the director, writer, and actor, I aimed to bring emotional honesty to every frame, grounding the film in subtle yet powerful moments of connection and conflict. The decision to wear the hijab becomes more than a symbol, it’s about agency, love, and the pressure to belong in two worlds at once. This film is a tribute to all the young women finding their voice within the noise of expectation.

This film is a tribute to all the young women finding their voice within the noise of expectation.

Synopsis

Lebanese-born Yasmina, a newly arrived migrant to Australia, is celebrating her 16th birthday, when she is gifted a scarf from her much loved Teta. Yasmina is inspired to start wearing the hijab, but is opposed by her fearful Muslim mother.

Creative Team

Writer and director: Fatima El-Hassan
Producer: Ana Culanic
DOP: Thomas Broadbent
Editor: Teagan Harris
Production Designer: Billie Eichstadt

Specs

Genre: Drama
Running time: 7 min
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Year: 2019
Country: Australia
Language: Arabic

Awards

Best Film Mix by the Box Hill Institute
Official selection in Melbourne Women's Film Festival
Muslim Film Festival finalist

• watch TRAILER

Artistic Vision

In the Aromatic commercial, the art direction aimed to authentically showcase Saudi and Arab heritage through the lens of a traditional Saudi wedding.Filmed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I was responsible for dressing the bride’s room, creating a luxurious, culturally rich space where Deborah is seen preparing and applying henna.Every element, from the ornate fabrics to the carefully placed aromatic diffusers, was chosen to reflect both elegance and tradition.The setting was designed to evoke intimacy, beauty, and the sensory richness of a real pre-wedding ritual.

Specs

Production Company: Jellyfish
Director: Hussam Hamed

Genre: Commercial
Running time: 1.05 min
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Year: 2024
Country: Saudi Arabia

This project allowed me to contribute meaningfully to a vibrant visual world that celebrated heritage, femininity, and cultural pride.

• NARRATIVE

• DOCUMENTARY

• MUSIC VIDEOS

• NARRATIVE

• COMMERCIALS

• MUSIC VIDEOS

Artistic Vision

Set in the floating village in Cambodia where Dany grew up, the film required adaptability and care to authentically capture the beauty and hardship of her surroundings. I supported the cinematography team with handheld and on-location setups, managed focus pulls, and worked closely with the DOP to respond to shifting natural light and water-based challenges.The goal was to preserve an intimate and respectful visual tone that honoured Dany’s determination to rebuild education in a post-genocide community. Being part of a project that carries such depth and impact was truly meaningful.

Synopsis

The 'floating village' where Dany grew up drives her to become a teacher and inspire a ripple effect. After fire ravaged her home, still reeling from a genocide that wiped out both the educated and the educators, Dany is determined to teach, and to restore education to Cambodia.

Creative team

Director: Ana Culanic
Producers: Kaylene Tyler & Franx Ann
Director of Photography: Teagan Harris
Editor: Akash Vijayakumar
Original Score: Paul Van Nimwagen
Camera Operator: Fatima El-Hassan and Claudine Ocampo

Specs

Country: Cambodia
Year: 2019
Length: 5 minutes
Language: English

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Working on The Ripple Effect as a camera assistant and operator was a powerful experience that combined technical precision with emotional storytelling.

• NARRATIVE

• COMMERCIALS

• documentary

Artistic Vision

Blew Me is a visual reflection on the lingering weight of heartbreak and the illusion of escape. As the writer and director, I wanted to explore how emotional memories can follow us, even in the most peaceful, disconnected places.The forest becomes a character in itself, a space of solitude, beauty, and quiet confrontation. Through soft natural light, minimal dialogue, and the intimacy of a Polaroid camera, the film captures the tension between healing and haunting.

Creative team

Director and Writer: Fatima El-Hassan
Producer: Ethan Mcdonald
DOP: Ana Culanic
Editor: Claudine Ocampo

Synopsis

In Blew Me, a woman escapes into the forest with her Polaroid camera, hoping nature will help her forget a past love. As she immerses herself in solitude and beauty, haunting memories begin to follow, reminding her that some heartbreaks linger, no matter how far she runs. A visual journey of escape, longing, and the inescapable weight of love lost.

Specs

Country: Australia
Year: 2019
Length: 4 minutes

Artistic Vision

As the production design assistant on Heaven Only Knows, I helped transform an empty studio into a series of dreamlike, emotionally layered environments that reflect the artist’s journey from her current self to her younger self.We created multiple settings within the same space, laying down fake sand to evoke a surreal landscape, building clouds from cotton for an ethereal atmosphere, and constructing a soft, intimate bedroom space that grounded the narrative.Every element was designed to support the transitions in memory, time, and emotion throughout the music video. My role was to help bring these visual metaphors to life through hands-on set dressing, working closely with the production designer to ensure each moment felt immersive and meaningful.It was a creatively fulfilling experience that blended minimalism with poetic symbolism.

Synopsis

Heaven Only Knows traces the artist’s emotional journey from her present self to her younger self. Through dreamlike scenes of sand, clouds, and a bedroom, the video explores memory, healing, and inner transformation.
working closely with the production designer to ensure each moment felt immersive and meaningful.

Creative Team

Director and Producer: Alinta Burton
DOP: Thomas Snowden
Production Designer: Alexandra Galloway
Production Design Assistant: Fatima El-Hassan and Annika Rigg

Specs

Country: Australia
Year: 2021
Length: 4 minutes

about

My name is Fatima El-Hassan (فاطمة الحسن), and I’m a passionate Lebanese filmmaker and production designer based between Melbourne, Australia, and the Middle East. I work across directing, writing, and production design, with a deep commitment to telling stories that reflect identity and cultural heritage.As a production designer, I’ve worked on award-winning short films, commercials, music videos, and documentaries. Notably, I was the production designer on the short film Lady Priest, which received multiple festival awards, and I’ve designed commercial campaigns for brands including Aromatic in Saudi Arabia and Virbac in Australia.My production design work spans a range of formats from narrative and documentary to music and branded content, and I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on projects across Australia, the Middle East, Cambodia, and India. My visual style is detailed, grounded, and deeply expressive, informed by a culturally diverse and global perspective.As a director, I’ve helmed the music video Blew Me by Galdive and wrote and directed my short film Teta Ya Teta. My films have been screened at festivals such as the Melbourne Women’s Film Festival, Sydney Web Fest, Setting Sun Film Festival, and ACMI.I hold a Bachelor of Film and Television (Honours) from Swinburne University of Technology, along with an Advanced Diploma and Diploma of Screen and Media.I’m passionate about empowering more diversity in media and crafting work that is visually rich, emotionally layered, and culturally resonant.

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