Hollywood Festival Showcases Works of U.A.E. Film Students

Student filmmakers from Sharjah experience Hollywood firsthand

A boy kicks a soccer ball across an endless expanse of desert. The ball bounces forward and he sprints after it. He runs and kicks, runs and kicks, chasing the ball through undulating waves of copper-colored dunes. He arrives at a cliff overlooking the sea and is about to kick the ball into the surf below when he hears the voice of his father calling him. He opens his eyes-sitting in a wheelchair-returns to his daydream and kicks the ball into the sea. He then wheels himself back into the family house.

My World, My Pitch, a short film by Taryam and Khalid Subahi, both students at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), was among a select group of Middle Eastern student films featured in "Through a Different Lens," a festival at the University of Southern California's (USC) prestigious School of Cinema.

In all, 15 students from AUS had their films showcased in the October 2005 festival, and five students traveled to Los Angeles to attend the screenings. The festival and trip, part educational venture, part cultural exchange, were the idea of Michelle Nickelson, a Hollywood film executive who has invested considerable time and attention to nurturing a growing film industry in the United Arab Emirates, most notably by establishing Mirage Studios in the newly formed Dubai Studio City.

CULTURAL DIALOGUE, UNDERSTANDING

Cultural dialogue through cinematic expression was a primary aim of the participants. The students said they were pleased that the films that generated the most interest were not those that mimicked the Hollywood style but those that captured something of the character and flavor of the Middle East.

In Out of Order, by Saman Hamidi, a young man orchestrates an elevator breakdown in order to arrange a meeting with a young woman because cultural barriers prevent him from approaching her more directly. Saman believes that a unique perspective on age-old themes is what Middle Eastern filmmakers can contribute to the movie industry.

"We experience a lot of Western media in this part of the world," said Saman. "We know what life is like in the U.S., its way of thinking. Student life and male-female relationships are nothing new, but we can use these experiences to show our way of life to others. It doesn't get a lot of exposure in the West."

Students should use the subject matter and means of expression they are most comfortable with and not try to mimic other models, said Susan Smith, a film teacher at AUS.

She says AUS students have a lot of unique material to work with. "There are many complexities to customs like arranged marriage that are often overlooked," she said. "In the Arab world there is a different notion of family relationships and expectations. Here in the Gulf region there is also a different take on Islam, and then there are the issues of rapid urbanization, the influx of Westernization, and how people from very different cultures can work together. The theme of Westernization is interesting in itself. People are not accepting everything, but picking and choosing what they think is appropriate for their society."

Cultural differences are a running theme in Smith's own work as a documentary filmmaker. "I start from the point of view that we first need to understand our differences, and then we can get at our similarities," she said.

Smith says, however, that some Middle Eastern students avoid certain culturally relevant topics due to internal censorship. "In Middle Eastern culture, a family's reputation and their standing in society is very important," she said, "and students will often practice self-censorship, not allow themselves to pursue an idea that they are drawn to if it might reflect badly on their family."

POLITICAL CONTROVERSY, SENSITIVE SUBJECTS EXAMINED

The films screened in Los Angeles did not shy away from political controversy, which is almost inescapable in the landscape of today's Middle East. Mother in Palestine, written by Haneen Dajani and directed by Neda Ahmed, explores the human cost of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In it, a Palestinian woman receives urgent news from a friend in the market and rushes home, only to find that her house and family have fallen victim to the strife.

"I wanted to show another point of view on the Palestinian conflict," said Haneen, who also played the bereaved mother in her film. "There is another side to the story, and it isn't just about politics. It's also about the history of a region, economics, society, and religion."

Haneen was pleasantly surprised to find that the American viewers were very receptive to her portrayal. "We had the chance to discuss the Palestinian situation with some producers, and they were much more knowledgeable and understanding than I would have thought," she said.

Neda believes that films dealing with sensitive subjects often have more artistic merit than the more commercial fare, and that there is now greater opportunity for films to address politically charged themes. "The appeal of Vendetta and Munich has shown that audiences are ready to explore issues that would have been difficult just five years ago," she said. "By being rooted in a social or political situation, they already have substance and depth. They are also able to link the audience to what is going on in other parts of the world."

SPECIAL EFFECTS, CRAFTMANSHIP OF AMERICAN FILMS

No matter how engaging the subject matter might be, it still needs technical expertise to bring it to life, so a tour of Hollywood's technical capabilities was on the students' agenda. They visited the production studios of Digital Domain with Joel Hynek, the visual effects supervisor who created the special effects for The Matrix and The Day After Tomorrow, an experience that would leave an impression on any aspiring filmmaker.

Neda has long appreciated the craftsmanship of American films. "In the end, it's a matter of how well you present a situation, and I've always been impressed with American films from a directorial perspective, what they look like visually," she said. "We finally had a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes in the film industry, so it became real, not just an imaginary world that exists only on celluloid."

For the students, the stories that they want to present on the screen are also real, drawn from their experience of a culture and a part of the world that they want to share with others, and that is what inspires them. "This is how we can engage an audience," said Haneen. "These are the stories that we give birth to."

Source: U.S. Department of State

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