Interlochen Center for the Arts Academy Graduate Sara Nimeh Invited to Austin Film Society Artist Intensive

Tuesday November 3rd - Interlochen Center for the Arts Academy Graduate Sara Nimeh invited to a coveted Artist Intensive by the Austin Film Society.Access to the AFS Artist Intensive was awarded for her feature screenplay entitled "JEDO." She not only wrote the script, but she will also direct the eventual film.

Set against the backdrop of rural America in the wake of 9/11 the screenplay meditates on loss and perseverance from the perspective of a child. Its main character, a young Lebanese girl Aya, wild and struggling with change, is suspended from school. She and her autistic brother Bobby are forced to stay with their grandfather, Jedo. Initially resentful, Aya becomes drawn to his rituals, a mysterious white cat, and her family's rich layered history.

The multi-day invitational AFS Artist Intensive happens annually during the fall. This year's retreat spanned October 12-18. The daily schedule consists of work, focus, and mentorship through various meetings, screenplay readings, and rehearsals with a cast of guest actors. The Artist Intensive traditionally provides invitees with invaluable creative feedback, resources, and momentum from selected creative and producing mentors.

Its participants are writer-directors entrenched within the development phase of original projects. Entrants are selected from the applicant pool for the previous year's AFS Grant. Throughout the Artist Intensive, participants are matched with a writer/director creative advisor and a producing mentor. Each script is read in its entirety and workshopped with a cast of professional actors as well.

Interlochen Center for the Arts Director of Film & New Media Michael Mittelstaedt joined the 2026 retreat as a producer. He produced the SXSW Jury Award-winning short Jedo's Dead which premiered at SXSW before embarking on a successful 20 city-festival run including stops in New Orleans, Palm Springs, Atlanta, and more. He also served as Executive Producer for Interlochen's student documentary Grounded. An educator first, he founded the Cinema Collective in 2020 to bridge professional film production with arts education.

About Sarah Nimeh

Sara Nimeh is a 2008 graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. Jedo will mark her feature film debut and is scheduled to shoot in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in late May 2027. Inspired by her Lebanese heritage and her parents' immigrant journey, Jedo honors the resilience of those who endure hardship and dare to dream of a better future for their children. As the project moves toward production, the team welcomes conversations with potential partners and supporters who share its vision. For more information, contact [email protected] .

About Interlochen Center for the Arts

The nonprofit Interlochen Center for the Arts is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the only organization in the world that brings together a 3,000-student summer camp program; a 550-plus-student fine arts boarding high school; a year-round source of expert online arts education for children, teens, and adults; opportunities for adults to engage in fulfilling artistic and creative programs; two 24-hour, listener-supported public radio services (classical music and news); more than 600 arts presentations annually by students, faculty, and world-renowned guest artists; a robust hospitality division that curates on-campus lodging, dining, and transportation services; and a global alumni base spanning nine decades, including leaders in the arts and all other endeavors. For information, visit Interlochen online at www.interlochen.org.

PRESS CONTACT SHORE FIRE MEDIA

Rebecca Shapiro - [email protected]

MC Miskell - [email protected]

Anna Billy - [email protected]