100 Women We Love: Rolla Selbak

Rolla Selbak is a triple-minority in the filmmaking world: she's queer, an Arab-American and a woman. That hasn’t stopped the self-taught auteur from writing, directing and producing films that matter to her. In her 2011 feature, Three Veils, she explored three women's experiences with forced marriages, sexual abuse and budding lesbianism, all within a Muslim context. Her short film, Darkest, stemmed from her own fears, having been born with poor vision and an inoperable cataract. On the much lighter side, Selbak’s newest project is Kiss Her I’m Famous, a web series starring The Real L Word’s Tracy Ryerson. The episodic series follows two best friends who make a fake sex tape, in the hopes it will lead to fame and fortune—a prescient commentary on the cult of personality today. Why does she love making films with lesbian themes? "My work has developed a dynamic and vocal audience who connect with my stories and my characters. That means the most to me," said the San Francisco resident. "Also, that I show women making out." –DN