Arab ambition

Does Arab cinema have any chance of becoming international? This was asked in an open seminar attended by producers and directors late one night.

The subject is too complicated to be discussed at 1am, but that did not deter the speakers, who were, incidentally, all Arabs.

For the past few years, Arab cinema has been reconsidering many issues in line with the current requirements. Needless to say, tensions in the region discourage many people from travelling to it, as they consider it a barrel of gunpowder that could explode any minute.

They do not differentiate between a war-torn country, and a peaceful and settled neighbouring country, which affects the potential of an international cinema industry in the region. Even insurance companies raise their premiums when it comes to shooting movies in this part of the world.

But, why do we talk about shooting international movies in the Arab world, when our issue is the Arab cinema's move to being international?

It is true that shooting films in the Arab world does not necessarily activate local cinema, but it subjects filmmakers to new technical, artistic and administrative experiences. They must be exposed to these experiences before aiming for the international arena.

Nowadays, all production companies look for two things while selecting shooting locations — namely, cost and suitability. A shooting location must give the impression of being the actual place where the events in the film took place.

This is why we have seen Morocco become a natural studio where adventure and historic Hollywood films are shot.

The trip from national to international has started for the Arab cinema. First, we had Lebanese, Tunisian, Algerian and Moroccan films seeking European co-finance. There is also Egyptian director Youssuf Shaheen, whose connections secured the financing of all his films.

Last year, Palestinian director Hani Abu Asaad opened a new horizon when his film Paradise Now won a Berlin Festival award, followed by a Golden Globe award, the second most prestigious award in the USA, and an Oscar nomination.
Abu Asaad is now preparing for his first American film. His achievements were an inspiration to others, not just because his Arabic film was the first that attempted to enter such competitions, but simply because it was the first to achieve international status.

This year we have seen two other films follow suit, Bosta, a Lebanese film directed by Philippe Aractenji, and Omarat Yaqoubian, directed by Marwan Hamed. The two films were done in an academic way, and have the chance to be nominated for a Golden Globe or an Academy Award.

Even if that does not happen, the road has become clear. The only thing the Arab cinema has to do is to present a good topic in the right way and with renewing visual methods. The director of this work must be spontaneous and humble, its producer must be patient and farsighted, and everyone must have a strong ambition that does not stumble just because the road is rough.