Darwish, Ibsen lend soul to give film an identity

Ajman:  The journey of documentary film Identity of the Soul began in 2006, on the 100th anniversary of the death of popular Norwegian poet Henrik Ibsen and his timeless poem Terje Vigen, which has been translated into 19 languages.

Recited in schools as a national song Terje Vigen honours a champion's spirit in Norwegian culture.

Norwegian Director Thomas Hoegh and producer Martine Roed decided to begin the search — for material to make the documentary — as a tribute to Ibsen's masterpiece.

After a restless search, Hoegh discovered exactly what he was looking for in Mahmoud Darwish's A Soldier Dreams of White Lilies' — a marvellous poem published after the 1967 Arab crisis.

He then flew to Ramallah in Palestine to get Darwish's permission to include his poem with Ibsen's, as part of a cinematic plot.

A couple of months passed before Darwish accepted the project, on the condition that he would recite the poem himself.

Project begins

Hoegh appreciated Darwish's generosity and soon began working on the project. "Darwish's reactions on the project had exceeded our expectations," he said.

Identity of the Soul was finally launched in October 2008 in eight Palestinian cities — the screening for which was attended by more than 22,000 viewers.

Additionally, a mini version — specifically designed for colleges and schools due to the important values both poems convey — is being screened for younger audiences too.

An English version of the documentary film recently premiered at the Cambridge Film Festival. while an Arabic version was screened for a day by the Ajman Culture and Information Department, at Ajman City Centre.

While Darwish participated in the making of the project, he never had the opportunity to view the documentary due to his untimely death at the age of 67 on August 9, 2008.

Perfect harmony

Darwish's masterpiece shares harmony with Terje Vigen — a Norwegian poem which dates back to 1862. .

In A Soldier Dreams Of White Lilies, Darwish sees the enemy as a mere human — with just military commands — one who dreams of looking at white lilies instead of bloody corpses.

The soldier's dream, according to Darwish, includes details from his daily life, such as his mother's coffee, and thinking about returning safely to his loved ones.

Terje Vigen, on the other hand, depicts the dramatic saga of Vigen who, in 1809, tried to escape the English blockade of Norway's southern coast in a small rowboat — in a desperate attempt to smuggle food from Denmark back to his starving wife and daughter. However, he was captured and imprisoned.

Released

When he was finally released in 1814 — after the war commenced — he discovered that his entire family had died.

A feeling of revenge possessed Vigen and became the reason for his existence. Years later destiny gave Vigen an opportunity to seek revenge — when he rescued an English Lord who turned out to be the commander of the ship that had captured him and caused the loss of his family.

Vigen had the opportunity to seek revenge by drowning his enemy and his family. He, however, chose to save them for the sake of an innocent child.

Despite the 105 years that separate both poets, the pain of the topic remains. Their poems document it through verses of hope.

Both Terje Vigen and A Soldier Dreams of White Lilies' embody a vision that is mirrored in Identity of the Soul — considered one of the biggest cinematic cultural projects.

A vision which awakens the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation in mankind.