I started out as a war reporter and then became a director. What enriched me the most were my trips to the Middle East. This experience deepened my understanding of the situations I was dealing with. As a result, I became independent and able to do what I wanted, find my own style and voice, which I protected as much as possible when I didn’t have to make a living. I have been in many dangerous situations, but I have always tried to stand by and fight for what I believed in, to show and analyse a constantly changing Middle East, which fascinated me… In 1973, I made Les Femmes palestiniennes for the French channel Antenne 2. I wanted to show images of these Palestinian women fighters in Syria, which were very rare at the time. It was just before Sadat’s visit to Israel, and the situation was very tense. While I was editing the film at Antenne 2, Paul Nahon, then head of foreign correspondence, grabbed me by the collar and pulled me out of the editing room. Les Femmes palestiniennes was shelved and never televised.

Jocelyne Saab, interviewed by Nicole Brenez, 20 December 2015