Friends … Freedom – Al Saeed a raising voice in a Entertainment

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Young Kuwaiti filmmaker Mohammad Al Saeed, is a rising voice in the field of entertainment whose range of work includes fashion films, music videos, and social campaigns. In an interview with the Arab Times, Al Saeed talks about his passion for filmmaking, reveals his cinematic influences, and shares the challenges facing young filmmakers in Kuwait today.

Question: Let’s start at the very beginning. When did you first become interested in filmmaking?

Answer: I have always been interested in filmmaking from a young age. My interests always revolved around art and entertaining people. I like live theatre, films, television shows, radio shows — all of it. I have always wanted to entertain people and give them a spectacle. My earliest memories are that of me shooting with the family video camera. Nobody really used it apart for special events like birthdays. So I would take it every single day and film something.

I would film shows with my cousins, we would do cooking shows, plays, music videos. I would watch musicals and recreate the songs with my cousins and shoot that. I did not know how to edit initially but I learned how to do that eventually. I started grabbing real footage with what I have shot and mixed it together. I think I have been actively engaged in filming and editing videos long before I knew the meaning of the words — editing or cinematography.

Q: When did you decide to pursue filmmaking professionally?

A: I do not have anyone in my family from a media background so I did not understand that this was a professional option. I got my bachelor’s degree in finance because I did not know there was a world of possibilities and I could be what I wanted. But then I quit my job in finance because it did not really motivate me to wake up in the morning. I realized then that I just love entertainment and show business. I feel like this is why I am alive — to create visuals that people will enjoy.

I started taking filmmaking more seriously and got plenty of courses on editing and photography. I eventually landed a job at a television station and learned the workflow and process first hand. I then went on to do my MA in Filmmaking at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and it was not a decision that was widely encouraged by people in my life. However, more people now are aware of how important the arts are in society and that you can have a respectable career in the arts.

Q: Can you tell us about some of your recent projects?

A: I am always collaborating with those who have a similar vision and are looking for the same result as me. I recently collaborated with Weoritu on the We Can Do it campaign and previously on the viral video of Pharell Williams’ song “Happy”. The project was a short motivational film that was released online and featured positive advice from inspiring women from the GCC. The aim of this campaign was to raise awareness about accomplished women in our region and bring the community closer to one another. I have also worked with Athnain Magazine on fashion films recently.

I did not expect to be making fashion films in Kuwait and I was very interested in this collaboration because a fashion film gives me great creative liberties — it is a space where I can release all my energies. We created a fashion film to explore the visual language of the online shopping experience with Thouqi.com and more recently we worked on “Scheherazade — A Fashion Film” that explores the femme fatale archetype in Western cinema juxtaposed with Middle Eastern iconography. We are currently in pre-production for our next film and will start filming this month.

Q: What attracts you to a particular project?

A: My brain is not motivated with too many constraints, it has to be a project where I have creative freedom. Also, who I am collaborating with really interests and attracts me to a project. I am drawn to the element of culture. I love culture and I love the spectacle — to be transported to another world where anything can happen. I am deeply moved by visual. When I listen to music, I see visuals, and when people talk, I picture them in a million different settings, outfits and storylines. So I need a medium to let this all out or I will go crazy.

Hence, I need creative freedom. A recent music video I worked on (Amoot Alaik — Aziz AlNasrallah) was filmed in Kuwait but looks like it was shot in Africa. Our mood board was filled with National Geographic images shot in Africa, we researched Kenya extensively, their costumes, dances. We designed it all ourselves and I am very happy with the end result.

Q: What are your creative influences?

A: I am influenced by so many great filmmakers. My favourites are Barnaby Roper (Fashion Films), Alfred Hitchcock and Baz Luhrmann (Hollywood) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Bollywood). These filmmakers’ films have a very strong imprint in my head. I love the grandness of Bhansali’s films (especially, Devdas which was the topic I chose for my dissertation), the opulence and theatricality of Luhrmann, the cutting edge and high concept visions of Roper and the thrill and suspense of Hitchcock.

Q: How important is collaboration to you?

A: I would not have done most of my projects without collaboration.. The trust between all people involved is powerful. I depend completely on other people and other people depend on me. Film directors are the captains of the ship, you have care for everyone and in turn they have to trust you. It is not a job where you are placed on the top of the pyramid and everybody reports to you. Especially when there is a limited budget involved, they are all doing it because they trust your vision. It is very important to communicate with entire team.

Q: How difficult is it to get people on board for a project?

A: After every project, people trust you more and come forward to be part of the next thing you will work on because they liked what they saw. We were recently approached by actors we did not work with before who now want to work with us. So, it is a snowball effect. You have to earn every person that watches the film by really working for it. You have to earn your team, and your spot.

Q: Do you find language to be a barrier, at all?

A: Not particularly, it depends on your target audience. I love the Kuwaiti culture but I wanted to create something with an international appeal so my work has predominantly been in English. I enjoy writing scripts in both Arabic and English and at the end of the day it does not matter what language the film is in as long as it serves the story.

Q: What are the major constraints you face?

A: I think funding is the primary challenge. Nobody funds short films in Kuwait, but hopefully this will change soon. Another major challenge is finding talent that is willing to work in a film like cinematographers, producers and actors. Also, our culture is extremely conservative so it really limits what you can write about because nobody will want to act in a scene that is controversial in our society because they are afraid of a backlash, even if it’s something as simple as a female actor lighting a fake cigarette.

Q: Is there an environment in Kuwait for successfully crowdfunding movie projects?

A: Yes, I think crowdfunding is a good option in Kuwait. In one of the projects, we needed USD 35,000 and were able to finance it all through crowdfunding. I have not tried this on a narrative short film because they are made for festivals mostly so it is a different calculation.

Q: What are the major trends you have observed in local filmmaking?

A: I feel that a lot of the narratives tends to be one sided. Most of the stories are underpinned by a dominant male voice. If you go to a screening of Kuwaiti shorts, you will find it in most genres, from comedy to drama. I appreciate that perspective but there are so many different people living in the region whose stories are not yet told. But now we have quite a few female filmmakers coming up which is bringing a new much needed voice.

Q: What are your thoughts on the audience in Kuwait? Is there a large enough audience for emerging filmmakers?

A: We do have an audience in Kuwait. We have seen a couple of films hitting the theatres. I go watch them regardless of whether the movie appeals to me. I think support must be given regardless, if they do well, I do well.

Q: Is there a gender divide in the field?

A: In the mainstream, we have very powerful women who are the stars of television shows. But apart from that, a lot of male directors do not have female connections so they do not cast a lot of women. Sometimes they do not even know how to approach them on account of social barriers that exist here. It is harder to get girls to act here because society still looks down on art and cinema and acting, it is not considered a prestigious job. But through what I do, I feel that I have been inclusive. I have written four scripts, they are female driven.

Q: What is your hope for the future?

A: I am very optimistic for Kuwaiti cinema to actually produce more films a year and have a wider audience. I am very optimistic for myself because I can see the creative community growing. For the screening of Scheherazade, which was held recently, people came out to support the film despite the rain and cold. I hope to continue making many more short films, music videos and fashion films and have the opportunity to collaborate, learn and grow with different artists.

Q: How far along are you from your first feature film?

A: Even though it is not a priority I think I would like to have one out in five years. However, regardless if this happens or not, my dream is to entertain people through visuals and art no matter what format it happens to be in.

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For more information on Mohammad Al Saeed and his work, visit Website: http://www.moealsaeed.com Instagram: @moe_alsaeed

By Cinatra Fernandes – Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 4038 times!