All eyes on Obama

Somehow the conversation kept drifting back to Barack Obama when Cameron Bailey, Mohammad Moulessehoul, Yasmina Khadra, Harry Belafonte, Deepa Mehta and Haile Gerima met to discuss film's ability to bring cultures together.

If there's one person who provides constant conversation fodder at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival, then it is US President-elect Barack Obama. He obviously comes up whenever anyone discusses Oliver Stone's controversial political biopic W., but celebrities like Salma Hayek and Laura Linney also pinned their hopes on America's next leader when talking to reporters on the red carpet. Clearly, Obama is fast gaining cult status among the filmmakers, movie lovers and industry experts who have converged in Dubai.

Even the Cultural Bridge panel discussion on Saturday afternoon — attended by noted personalities, including the singer and activist Harry Belafonte and the Toronto-based Indian filmmaker Deepa Mehta, the Ethiopian director Haile Gerima and the Algerian novelist Mohammed Moulessehoul — subscribed to this trend.

The 90-minute discussion, which began with a passionate discourse on whether films can bridge cultures and become a catalyst for change, soon deviated back to the US president elect for a spot of what renowned journalist Cameron Bailey called "B.O. banter."

One of the most vociferous Obama supporters on the panel was Belafonte, who hailed the president elect as a harbinger of global change. "If we are talking about hope and change, then can Barack Obama be far behind?" he asked.

Mehta, however, adopted a more neutral position. "As a filmmaker in Canada, I don't think having Obama as a president [in the US] is going to bring about a remarkable change in my life. Unless, of course, he has a role to play in the federal reserves [securing] funding for independent movie projects. But on an emotional level, I feel a connection with the man. It's not a rational thought process though."

Meanwhile Gerima, who is known for his ceaseless efforts to make films that shatter African stereotypes created by Hollywood, spoke at length about the collective expectations that were riding on Obama's shoulders.

"I feel sorry for the man. If I were him, I would have had a nervous breakdown by now," he quipped.

Then he suggested that a class struggle could emerge within the black community in the US once Obama assumes office.
This possibility was later dismissed when the dimly-lit floor was opened to the public for a question-and-answer session. American actor Jeffrey Wright, who had taken his place in the audience, said he believed that having a leader with international appeal would bring cultures and communities in the US together.

The panelists were ready with anecdotes when asked whether, in their experience, "cinema had won over politics."

Moulessehoul proclaimed that a writer cannot change the world, but can only change peoples mindsets.

Belafonte regaled the audience with his experience of bringing musicians together to make the charity single We Are The World, intended to raise funds for famine relief.

A consensus was reached that culture can bring about change in the most subtle manner.

Mehta's experience of the effigy and theatre-burning episodes that accompanied the release of her controversial film Fire, which deals with alternative sexuality, was a hit with the audience. "When my film Fire was released 12 years back, theatres were shut down. But today, I see a rally on sexuality rights starting from that same point. So yes, cinema can bridge cultures if matters are not politicised."

The discussion ended on an optimistic note, when it was unanimously agreed that festivals such as DIFF are a good starting point to bring people of different cultures together. "Such festivals can in many ways stimulate dialogue among people belonging to different cultures," said Bailey.

Don't miss it!

Teza, an epic story following the life of an Ethiopian exile who returns home to help his people, only to find his dreams dashed, will be screened today at the Mall of the Emirates at 6.15pm and on Wednesday December 17 at the Mall Of The Emirates at noon.