I write scripts. Many of them are dramas, coming of age stories, and feature a lead woman protagonist.  Some I plan to direct or I have directed. Below are synopses for a few that I’ve written or are in development/ writing stages. Check them out. If you you have inquiries about these scripts, or other story ideas, email me at Nijla1@gmail.com.

*All scripts are registered with the Writers Guild of America and/or have a Copyright.

-Features-

Sweet 16

Genre: Drama

Lisa Vaughn is diagnosed with breast cancer on the eve of her daughter’s sixteenth birthday. While she grapples with the diagnosis and possible treatment options, her daughter Nia experiences sudden spurts of womanhood. Spoiling Nia to the point of neglecting herself, Lisa begins to fall for Morris, a quirky man in her cancer support group, all the while wanting life to remain normal. Sweet 16 examines the degeneration and growth of familial bodies, the inevitability of fate, and the extent to which a mother will go to keep it all hidden.

*Recipient of the 2009 Paul Robeson Award for Best Feature Screenplay.

-Salaam-

Genre: Coming-of-age/ Drama

It is 1999. Sabaa, a 13-year old math-loving, black Muslim girl embarks on a journey to become a Teen Dream on her high school’s dance team. Awakened and frustrated by her developing body, teen girl folklore, and newly arrived sensations for classmate Brad, she forges on despite her mother’s disapproval, re-imagining her identity beyond societal and “religious” standards. Salaam builds on the oneness between Islam, the body, and dance, as they exist in Sabaa’s mind and world, and the conflict that arises when categories are broken.

-Shorts-

Two Bodies (short film in post-production)

Pensive and at a major life crossroads, Nadia, 26, returns to her mother’s LA home from New York City. She is armed with a secret (body) that her mother doesn’t want to accept, but is determined to expose.  This story looks at the gray area between familial rejection and acceptance of sexual orientation, and the way a mother desires a daughter to uphold social codes, but not to the extent of breaking the bond of their relationship. The story draws on a rich legacy of dramatic restraint, coupling and subverting ideas of melodrama.

Film Theorist/Author, Ph.D, Jon Wagner commented, “it examines the perverse rituals of the ‘normal’ delivery of daughters into male culture and status quo.”

*trailer coming soon*

Junior Year (Co-written with Alexandra Garcia)

When Sheila, 16, finds herself suddenly ostracized from her friends, an outsider, and dealing with the ramifications of her family’s dysfunction, she confides in Jarrid, a goofy, smooth-talking classmate, leading to a decision that will affect the rest of her life. Stripped of all the pop-culture myths, cliches, and urban legends about “losing your virginity,” Junior Year is a candid, bittersweet glimpse into a distinct moment in a teen girl’s development.

-In Development/Upcoming-

Noor (feature/drama)

Inter-diasporic love story looking at chance encounters between Noor, a black woman, and Hassan, a Palestinian man, in a Brooklyn bodega where he works and she frequents.

Spec Scripts- I will be embarking on the writing of several spec scripts for TV and film this summer. Stay tuned!

Check back for updates!