Arab cinema is making headway in the global film industry with actors gaining glamour and success. However, for the cast of Mawlana (The Preacher) — which had its world premiere at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival — cinema is about much more than that.
The full cast attended a press conference about the film on December 10 to discuss the social issues the film explores.
Most people who have seen the trailer may have assumed that the movie is about the traditional religious rhetoric that may not relate to everybody. However, viewers will be surprised to know that this is a one-of-a kind film will trigger their curiosity about fundamentalist views influenced by society.
Having watched The Preacher, I believe it is a marvellous mix of four character-based stories woven together. The film follows the journey of a pious man, Shaikh Hatem (Amr Sa’ad) who maintains a low-profile image in Egypt, and leads prayers at a government mosque. However, things change when he becomes a TV celebrity who issues fatwas and amasses millions of fanatics.
While plunging into the world of fame and publicity, he does not realise that he has trapped himself against a backdrop of darkness, webbed in the climate of hypocrisy and fear where power struggles rage.
The Preacher director Magdy Ahmad Ali, known for his first film Ya Dunya Ya Gharami (1996), and writer and journalist Ebrahim Eissa have created a cinematic wonder by pushing the narration of the political drama filled with a light touch of humour, action and a strong message.
Ahmad Ali said that since Egypt is a conservative region, he tried to create a balance between the visual aesthetics and the narration of sensitive events, which can lead the public to raise diverse questions.
“Ebrahim and I wanted to highlight the fact that there is a wrong reading and interpretation of the dangerous phenomenon based on religious fundamentalism,” said Ahmad Ali.
Lead actor Sa’ad said that this has been his most important role and that everyone should experience the movie to understand the situation.
“I believe in the scenario and I think that each actor relies on a certain level of inspiration — the way I got inspired when I read the script and spoke to my director Magdy,” said Sa’ad.
Egyptian actress Dora described her character as “beautiful” because she got closest to the preacher, thus seeing him at his most vulnerable.
Overall, the film aims to raise awareness about social issues, focusing mainly on the impact of religious fundamentalism and how it should not be used to divide Muslims of different sects.
— The Young Journalist Award (YJA) at Diff is a training programme for high school students who are aspiring writers and reporters. Eight students are competing at the festival this year between December 7-14. One winner will secure a month-long internship with Gulf News.
