Hala Matar Revisits Electra Creation in Talkhouse Essay
Filmmaker looks back on indie debut tracing festival milestones and daring creative leaps.
Poulami is an associate editor. She did her MA in English from Miranda House, University of Delhi and has qualified UGC-NET. She also holds a PG diploma in Editing and Publishing from Jadavpur University. Her journey as a content writer began in 2017 and since then, Poulami has garnered diverse interests along the way.
Read full bio of Poulami Nag
Image: Instagram
Hala Matar has taken a fresh look at her directorial debut Electra in a new Talkhouse feature penned by Nick Dawson. In a heartfelt Instagram caption she wrote, “Thank you @talkhouse and @thatnickdawson for sharing my story of the making of Electra! It was fun to revisit the story.” The piece, titled “To Create Something True, You Need to Forget the Rules and Just Leap,” dives deep into Matar’s creative process and the leap of faith that led to her indie drama.
Revisiting Electra’s Journey
Matar’s Talkhouse essay traces her early inspirations and the risky decisions she made on set. She describes casting breakout stars Maria Bakalova and Abbey Cowen and casting industry veteran Jack Farthing alongside actor-filmmaker Daryl Wein. According to Matar, she “had to silence every voice telling her how to do a debut feature” and instead followed her instincts. The article offers anecdotes about last-minute rewrites, shoot locations in London, and even a midnight costume crisis solved by designer Hind Matar.
Bringing Electra To Life
In her Instagram reactions to the Talkhouse feature, Matar highlighted the contributions of her core team. She thanked Michael Alden Lloyd for his “beautiful cinematography,” Hind Matar for costumes that “people can’t stop talking about,” and composer Ali Helnwein for a “breathtaking score.” On Instagram she also shared a celebratory post after early screenings: “Thank you to everyone who came out to support Electra and @collinastrada for the gorgeous dress. I am still pinching myself!” (https://www.instagram.com/p/DJSkKnGSsZj/).
Aside from on-set stories, the essay lifts the curtain on Matar’s collaboration with production designer Alessandro Cicoria, who built the film’s intimate domestic sets, and editor Berardi, whose spirited challenges and creative back-and-forth shaped Electra’s final cut.
From Festival Runs To Streaming Release
Electra premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February, where Matar hosted two sold-out screenings. Subsequent festival stops included Germany’s Oldenburg Film Festival and Italy’s Ischia Film Festival. In a separate Instagram post she gave a special shout-out to The Hollywood Reporter for its coverage of Electra’s German premiere, writing, “Thank you @hollywoodreporter and Lily Ford for this wonderful exclusive on my film ELECTRA having its German premiere at @filmfestoldenburg.”
After its festival circuit, Electra opened in theaters on May 2 and has since become available to rent on major digital platforms. Matar’s Talkhouse article underscores how bypassing traditional rules—leaning into collaboration and creative risk—helped her film find both critical attention and a growing audience.
Despite the challenges of indie-film financing and the pressures of a first feature, Matar’s reflective tone in the Talkhouse piece remains warm and optimistic. She credits the early support of online outlets like Collider, which ran an exclusive Electra poster by Wali Jewski, and the dedication of her cast and crew for helping her leap “from an idea in my head to something true on screen.”
By opening up about the highs and lows of filmmaking, Hala Matar’s new Talkhouse essay offers a candid blueprint for emerging directors ready to take their own creative leaps. She closes the piece by reminding readers that rule-breaking—when driven by authenticity—is often the very engine of artistic breakthroughs.
Read full bio of Poulami Nag
