The story of Doaa Al Zamel is almost beyond belief. The Syrian refugee, just 19 at the time, was fleeing Egypt by boat when a shipwreck cast her adrift with the rest of the crew. Two drowning refugees thrust their small children into Al Zamel’s arms, and with only an inflatable life ring for support, Al Zamel survived for days in the open water holding the children, singing to them, praying for them and waiting for rescue among the bodies.
It’s an incredible true tale, so it makes sense that Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams are on to produce the movie. The writer they’ve tapped? Isn’t it obvious? Girls and Camping creator Lena Dunham.
Dunham is a controversial figure in popular culture, and invites a lot of criticism for her politics and frankness. Girls was well-received by critics until it wasn’t, and Camping didn’t exactly come out of the gate to rapturous applause this month. Nonetheless, Dunham is a gifted writer, so we’ll say we’re at least “interested” in what she’ll bring to this story, even if it it strikes us wildly against type.
You can see Dunham next in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, a movie starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio about the Manson family. (h/t Variety)
