Out of the Ordinary is not a film about supernatural powers — it is a universal message that every human being is extraordinary, Egyptian director Daoud Abdul Sayed said of his new film, which screened for the first time at the Dubai International Film Festival on Sunday.
Everyone has an extraordinary power, whether it is the ability to sing or even understand and love one another, Abdul Sayed said at a press conference at the festival on Sunday.
“Nowadays with the situation in Egypt, it has become a supernatural power to coexist or even to have a set of legal protected rights,” the director added.
Speaking about preparing for his role as Yehya, Egyptian actor Khalid Abol Naga said Abdul Sayed’s films were “a world of their own and the best research you can do for a role is to sit with him and talk about the character.”
Abdul Sayed lets the actors “sail smoothly” into the character and trusts them to convey his message to the public, added Egyptian actress Naglaa Badr, making her feature film debut and fulfilling a dream to work with the director. It was a “saturating experience,” she said.
Out of the Ordinary tells the story of Yehya (Khalid Abol Naga) a researcher who takes a vacation and settles into a seaside guest house that is occupied with extraordinary people. As the film progresses Yehya grows intimate with the owner Hayat (Badr) and close to her daughter Farida (Mariam Tamer).
Abdul Sayed said he has always admired Badr’s talent and tried to convince her to work with him several times before, and as for Abol Naga he worked with him on a previous project 14 years ago. Regarding the role of Farida he was looking for a little girl between the age of six and seven. “I felt Mariam was a smart and talented girl and a perfect fit for the role,” Abdul Sayed said.
Abol Naga said it was important for an actor to have done at least one film with Abdul Sayed: “I was lucky enough to have done two films with him,” he said.
“The real language of cinema is human emotions and I believe if we did our job then this charge of emotions will be conveyed no matter what language the film is in,” Abol Naga said.
“The important thing in making films is that they must interest me and most importantly interest the audience,” Abdul Sayed said.
