Hunger for the big screen
Published: Jul 14, 2010 21:35 Updated: Jul 14, 2010 21:35
He works as an engineer for Saudi Aramco by day and as a filmmaker by night — actually during the weekends and on his 38 days of annual vacations. 33-year-old Abdullah Al-Eyaf is an award-wining Saudi filmmaker based in Alkhobar who has succeeded in creating films in a country were public screenings are banned.
More than your average cinema buff, Al-Eyaf has watched thousands of films from all over the world, with his favorite genres being drama, history and sci-fi.
For five years now, he has directed, written, edited, produced and composed music for his own films and describes himself as a "cinema activist." He said he has always been inspired by human emotions, reactions and thoughts in normal daily life.
"Appreciating life is a fundamental drive for my creative process," he said.
Al-Eyaf's talent, creativity and passion for film are apparent, as he has produced four award-winning short films and documentaries, including "Cinema 500 km" (2006), "Etaar" (Frame) (2007), "Matar" (Rain) (2008) and "Aayesh" (Living) (2010).
Like many other Saudi filmmakers, his films have been shown at various film festivals and competitions worldwide in countries including Saudi Arabia, France, Spain, Russia, India, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, US and UAE.
Al-Eyaf explained that even though there are not many local films to choose from, there is still a demand and hunger for them. Through his films, he portrays regular Saudi people, values, stories and culture.
An inspiration to aspiring filmmakers everywhere, his success is proof that nothing is impossible if you truly love something and work hard at it.
Saudi Arabia may be the only country in the world without movie theaters, but award-winning filmmakers are emerging from it. How is that possible?
It is true. Not having cinema theaters, schools, or an industry did not stop Saudi filmmakers from insanely loving cinema. Actually, this might be the reason they crave learning about filmmaking and cinema history. Other countries have cinema theaters without a real cinema industry. Therefore, cinema theaters are not the issue; it is up to the filmmakers.
What made you join the field of filmmaking?
In 1996, I went to study at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Dahran. Because I was away from my family, I had the whole time to spend on studying and watching movies. Those years gave me the chance to watch a great number of movies — I once watched eight movies in a single day!
Nearly three years later, I discovered a Saudi website — www.movies4arabs.com — where young movie fans can discuss films. This was a huge step in getting me more involved with films. Consequently, I started to watch movies in a new light and wrote about what I liked and didn't like. However, the turning point for me that made decide to become a filmmaker was attending the Emirates Film Competition in Abu Dhabi in 2005. As I watched short films made by other young Gulf filmmakers, I said to myself: "I can do better than some of these films." Therefore, I began making my first film that year.
You mentioned that you never stepped into a movie theater before you were in your twenties. How were you able to learn the techniques of the field (directing and shooting)?
It is true. I was 25 years old when I entered a cinema theater for the first time — it was in Bahrain by the way. Nevertheless, I knew films way before that time. I was watching movies and observing film techniques from distinguished filmmakers. I also watched hundreds of documentaries related to film and cinema. Furthermore, I read many books about filmmaking, cinematography, and cinema history as well as about celebrated directors' experiences.
In one interview, it said that you don't even own your own camera and that you borrowed a couple of video cameras from friends to shoot one of your films. Do you still not own your own?
Still, I do not own the camera I shoot my films with. To clarify, it is not a financial issue but since technology changes rapidly and I only make one film at most every year, I prefer concentrating on the writing phase and dealing with the technical issues later. I do not underestimate the technical aspects of filmmaking, but I would rather be a concept-filmmaker rather than a high-tech one. Furthermore, I believe that a film's artistic value shouldn't be measured by the quality of the tools.
How do Saudi people and authorities react to your work?
Although the reaction to cinema in general is not a pleasant one, I believe that my works and I too were received with great respect.
How do you come up with movie ideas?
I came up with most of my ideas while driving for long trips and listening to podcasts and the radio. All my film ideas were created by asking myself a question. For my latest film, "Aayesh," for example, I asked myself: "Do we all fear death and appreciate life?"
Usually, I have two or three ideas that I would love to see in a film, but I always go with the one that I think people, including myself, would be most interested in. Then, I spend months thinking it over, developing an interesting script.
How long does it take you to complete a film?
The writing phase takes most of the time; all my films took months for the script to be completed. The shooting phase is the shortest and usually takes three to six days in general. "Cinema 500 km" was an exception and took me over five months to complete since it was a documentary and it was shot in another city. Finally, the editing process will take between three days ("Etaar") and four weeks ("Aayesh").
Do you think there will eventually be a cinema industry in Saudi Arabia? Why or why not?
Without a doubt. It might take time, but eventually, cinemas will be open in Saudi Arabia.
And how will that change society?
It won't change society too much since Saudi people are already watching films every day and night on TV, and the country has the biggest video industry in the region. In fact, the Kingdom is a prime market for pay TV and has booming DVD and VHS sales, not to mention the countless movie downloads from the Internet. But, having cinemas will impact the cinema industry in the whole Arab world in terms of revenue.
We have a huge problem in cinema revenues in Arab world: The market is not as big or as good as it is supposed to be. When cinemas open in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, Egyptian and other Arab films will find a huge new market that will encourage production companies to make better and more films so that they would be absorbed by the Saudi market. It is extremely hard to imagine a real cinema industry in the Gulf without the Saudi market.
What obstacles do you face? And, how do you get around them?
Due to the lack of movie theaters, many Saudis, including myself, travel to Bahrain just to watch movies. A personal challenge for me is not having enough time to work on my films.
Furthermore, film festivals are continuously being banned such as the Jeddah Film Festival and the Saudi Film Festival, which was the first official film festival in Saudi history that I helped organize in 2008. We get around that by showing films at home or in auditoriums and literary clubs by advertising them as "educational films" or "visual shows."
Do you feel the film situation is getting better? Why or why not?
Canceling the festivals was a huge step backward. However, seeing Saudis' successes in film festivals outside the country is a great sign that we will continue to make good films. For example, in the 2009 and 2010 Gulf Film Festival editions, Saudis won 10 prizes. Another good sign is the increasing number of filmmakers emerging every year.
I want to encourage Saudi filmmakers to never get discouraged and stop making films because soon, our films will be shown on national Saudi TV as announced by Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja. He told me that he issued a direction to screen some Saudi films made by young Saudis on Al Thagafiya TV — the official new cultural Saudi TV channel — and that filmmakers will be well paid to encourage the young Saudi cinema movement. We are tremendously excited and encouraged by this step and we would like to express our appreciation to him.
What are you currently working on?
I have three ideas for short films and one old idea for my first feature film. I am not sure yet which one I will start. I am also working on establishing my own production company, which will help me and fellow filmmakers make films.
What advice do you give to aspiring Saudi filmmakers?
My advice is to work hard on developing your filmmaking tools by reading, studying and watching materials related to the field. In addition, you must continue aiming higher and make good films that inspire people to be better, and show the world that Saudi filmmakers have talents and things to say.
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STEPHANIE CHAMAS
Oct 12, 2010 21:35
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