Layan Damanhouri Abd al-latif Salazar, born Ovidio Salazar, grew up in Santa Monica, California. Growing up surrounded by family and friends of actors, he thought he knew what he wanted to do in his life. During his teenage years in the 1960s, he spent his time between acting lessons and surfing in the West coast beaches. At the ripe age of 17 he felt lost and misplaced. A feeling usually common at that age, he decided to go on a journey to search for answers. After packing his bags and saying goodbye to his family and his surfboard, he set out to France. Up in the mountainous region of the Alps and Pyrenees, he invited friends to his search and started reading numerous books intensively. There he also met his wife. Salazar spent his youth travelling and reading spiritual philosophy. Roaming countries like France and Jerusalem, his last destination of his nomadic quest was Turkey. Little did he know that this place would mark a turning point in his life. After familiarizing himself with Islam and acquainting with Muslims, he began to toss and turn the idea of converting. It was there that he finally decided to declare the Shahada and become a Muslim. He then shaped a clear vision of his new life. His love of cinema and travel didn't fade but served as a powerful tool for his second journey. He went on to making documentaries about Islamic subjects while travelling around the world. He worked as a freelance director for the BBC, Al-Jazeera, Arte, and more. His works include Creatures Fantastic, Hajj: The Journey of a Lifetime and the docu-drama Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of Happiness. The recurrent theme in his passionate movies is the quest for self-discovery, serving as a hidden autobiography as well as narrating the script. His movies received recognition worldwide and were presented in several international film festivals. An excerpt of the interview: You were a surfer. Do you still surf? (Laughs) Yes I do. Your parents were actors in Hollywood? Yes and I grew up in Hollywood with actors and film industry. My early life in Hollywood inspired me to work in the film industry. I also studied acting before going into film-making. What made you think about Islam? Mysticism led me to learn about Islam. At 17 I started reading about mysticism. I spent that time reading and travelling a lot. I went to France in the Alps and Pyrenees. I travelled to France, Jerusalem, and Turkey. Then when I went to Turkey I finally became a Muslim. What is it exactly that you're drawn to? The inner dimension of Islam. How it affects the heart and thought. It's directly the beauty of Islam. What is your goal in life? And what steps have you been taking to achieve this goal? I think there's a universal question that everyone asks themselves. It's: Where are we going? Everyone has the same question. My self-discovery is still going on since I was 17. My movies help me achieve my goal. Can you tell me about the theme of the journey you often use in your movies? It's the quest, the self-discovery. I like to translate my own experience through images, sounds, and feelings. Through my movies I reflect the knowledge that I acquired through my journey. My movies are not merely entertaining and let you lose yourself. It makes viewers think. What were your family and friends' reaction when you converted to Islam? I left my family when I was just 17 to travel. I wanted to go find myself. They were bemused when they found out. They were mystified really. But I didn't alienate myself. They were accepting. Where are you living now? What is practicing Islam there like? London, UK. Before it used to be fine and everyone goes about their business. Unfortunately, now it's becoming more difficult because it's becoming politicized. People refer to symbols rather than the spiritual aspect of religion. They forget the worship and instead label it as identity. Can you tell me about the Islamic philosophers you're interested in? Ghazali and Jalaluldin Rumi. The latter inspired me in one of his poems when he said, “If I had stayed in this forest I would have been chopped down.” I think this is what would have happened if I had stayed in Hollywood…Ghazali is a quintessential figure, he had a thirst for knowledge and making sense of the world while fitting it in an Islamic framework. What are your future plans? I'm working on a feature film about Rumi. It's going to be a full-blown blockbuster feature rather than a documentary. I'm working on the script right now. I chose him because it's a universal story. It can be both commercially successful and meaningful.
