New Jordanian Movie Makes History

By Meghan Loftus

Movie enthusiasts lined the aisles at the Goethe-Institut for the Washington premiere of Jordanian film Captain Abu Raed.

The film, Jordan's first in 50 years and its first submission to the Academy Awards, is the account of the life of the fictional Abu Raed, a janitor at the airport in Amman, Jordan. The plot transcends cultural lines, weaving a story of human hope and tragedy. "We want to make movies about people to show the commonality between cultures," said producer David Pritchard.

Pritchard and charismatic writer-director Amin Matalqa were on hand to discuss the film, screened November 1 and 2 as part of the Arabian Sights Film Festival. The festival, now in its 13th year, was sponsored by Filmfest DC, the Washington international film festival, in partnership with the D.C. Commission on the Arts.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

This is Matalqa's first feature film. Born in Jordan, he moved to Ohio when he was 13 but spent summers in his native country. He graduated from Ohio State University and worked in telecommunications for five years, but his heart wasn't in his work. Matalqa decided to pursue his childhood dream: move to Los Angeles to become a movie director.

Matalqa wrote 17 short films before he was accepted to the masters of fine arts program in directing at the American Film Institute, where he met fellow Jordanian Laith Al-Majali. Al-Majali arranged a meeting with Emmy-award winning producer David Pritchard. Pritchard was impressed by the pair and gave them a mission: write an Arab-language film set in Jordan, one in which Charlie Chaplin, one of Matalqa's idols, would want to have a part.

Before production in Amman began, Matalqa had been through 26 drafts. "I kept paring down the script to where there was little or no dialogue but you still feel the emotions," Matalqa said. He wrote six more drafts once on location in Jordan.

The film is dedicated to his grandfather, who provides inspiration for the character of Abu Raed and who died shortly before he started working on the script. The location, the airport, was inspired by Matalqa's brother and father, who are commercial pilots. Matalqa's father makes a cameo appearance in the film.

The film was shot on location in Salt and East Amman in 23 days with a budget of $2 million. A 90-person crew, representing 14 nationalities, worked on the film, combining the talents of Tunisian, Lebanese and Moroccan filmmakers along with Americans and Canadians.

A CHANCE MEETING

Matalqa wrote the script with one person in mind for the lead role: Nadim Sawalha. Matalqa first met Sawalha when he was a teenager. Matalqa's father was a pilot on Sawalha's flight to Jordan, where Sawalha was making Son of Pink Panther. The elder Matalqa told Sawalha how much his son, Amin, wanted to make movies, so Sawalha invited Amin to the set, where he met Roberto Benini and Blake Edwards. "I never forgot that day," Matalqa said.

Flash forward years later, and Matalqa phoned Sawalha to offer him the role of Abu Raed. Initially skeptical about working with a first-time director, Sawalha accepted. Sawalha has won two best-actor awards from the Dubai International Film Festival and the Newport Beach (California) Film Festival.

Sawalha is one of only two professional actors in the movie. The second, Ghandi Saber, who plays Abu Murad, has worked in theater for 15 years. But the film isn't short on famous faces. Jordanian television presenter Rana Sultan stars as Nour, the female pilot whom Abu Raed befriends. And Dina Ra'ad-Yanghman, who plays Um Murad, was the lead vocalist for one of Jordan's first pop bands, Mirage.

The children in the movie are neither famous personalities nor actors by trade. Matalqa and Jordanian producer Nadine Toukan traveled Jordan to cast the right mix of boys and girls, who were selected from summer camps run by charities. Their experience didn't end, however, when shooting wrapped. Three of the boys are enrolled in English instruction. And should the film get selected for an Oscar nod, the children in the movie will be flown to the United States to attend the ceremony. There are also plans in the works for a Captain Abu Raed Foundation.

Among the cadre of fresh faces, the city of Amman is also cast in a starring role. "I wanted to capture the character of the city as one of the characters in the movie," Matalqa said. The sweeping vistas from the Citadel, the ancient Roman ruins where Abu Raed tells his stories, provide a panoramic view of the city. The Royal Commission on Film, which was created in 2003 to stimulate growth in Jordan's film industry, was instrumental in helping production crews secure locations.

Captain Abu Raed has been well-received in film festivals across America, picking up awards at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah and the Seattle International Film Festival as well as international film festivals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Durban, South Africa; Beirut, Lebanon; and Helsinki, Finland. By Matalqa's count, the film will have been screened in 30 countries. "Abu Raed will have gotten to travel the world," he said of the character's desire to visit new places.

For more information on the film, see Captain Abu Raed's Web site ( http://www.captainaburaed.com/ ).

Source: U.S. Department of State

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