Bedouin drama vying for Oscar nod – Making ‘Theeb’ has been a wild ride for Jordanian fi lmmakers

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AL-SHAKRIYEH, Jordan, Feb 24, (Agencies): A coming-of-age drama set among Bedouin tribesmen roaming the desert is the first Oscar contender produced by Jordan’s nascent film industry.

“Theeb” (Wolf), set in 1916, tells the story of a playful 11-year-old Bedouin boy of the same name who gets caught up in his tribe’s alliance with the British against Ottoman rulers during the era’s Arab Revolt.

Billed as a “Bedouin Western” and an authentic portrayal of Bedouin culture, Theeb is one of five movies nominated for best foreign language film. The decision will be announced at Sunday’s awards ceremony.

For the amateur cast from a Bedouin clan and for two young Jordanians writing and directing their first feature film, making Theeb has already been a wild ride, climaxing in the 2014 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. That marked the first time the actors left Jordan or saw the entire film.

“They got a 10-minute standing ovation,” said director Naji Abu Nowar, who won for best director in the “Orrizonti” (Horizons) category in Venice.

“The Bedouins, it’s a very macho culture, and you never see anyone cry, even the children … and to see tears coming out of some of their eyes (during the premiere) was a really powerful moment,” he said, speaking from the Palm Springs International Film Festival, a last pre-Oscar opportunity to promote foreign films.

Earlier this year, Abu Nowar and producer Rupert Lloyd won an award from the British Academy of Film and Television, or BAFTA, for Theeb for an outstanding debut by a director or producer. Abu Nowar is also British.

Formations

The actors have since resumed their lives in al-Shakriyeh, a small Bedouin village nestled among striking rock formations rising from the desert floor of Wadi Rum, a protected landscape just north of the Red Sea and one of Jordan’s main tourist attractions.

Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, who played Theeb, is now 15, attends 10th grade and has revised his career plans, from police officer to actor. “I’m a celebrity among my friends now,” said Jacir, who has morphed from a boy with a sweet smile into a guarded teen.

His cousin, Hussein Salameh al-Sweilhiyeen, who played Theeb’s brother Hussein, is back to racing camels and working as a tourist guide. Since Theeb, he has appeared in a German TV documentary about Wadi Rum and a Jordanian tourism commercial, and said he would like to do more acting.

Al-Sweilhiyeen said being involved in Theeb made him aware of the need to protect traditions. Bedouin lifestyles in the area have changed dramatically in the last few decades, with nomads settling down, trading their camels for pickup trucks and living off tourists instead of goat herds.

“Sometimes I say the old life was better,” said al-Sweilhiyeen, sitting on the floor of the carpeted family diwan, or traditional reception area for guests. “The desert teaches you how to depend on yourself. Now we have good services, but we need to protect some old customs.”

Jacir’s father, 42-year-old Eid, still remembers the old ways. He was born in a tent and as a boy rode camels over long distances as his family wandered the desert before settling down about 30 years ago. He dropped out of school as a 15-year-old, taught himself English, began guiding tourists and recently sold his last camels, saying he doesn’t have the time and space to care for them properly.

Al-Hwietat became the local point man for the filmmakers, Abu Nowar and Bassel Ghandour, who produced the film and co-wrote the script. The pair lived in al-Shakriyeh for most of 2012, soaking up Bedouin culture, rewriting the script and holding acting workshops for the local cast.

Theeb was filmed over five weeks by veteran Austrian cinematographer Wolfgang Thaler, the most experienced crew member and praised by all involved as the bedrock of the production.

Ghandour said Thaler used super-16mm film in part because it captures the desert’s harsh sun and deep shadows more naturally. Theeb, also released commercially, was “definitely low-budget,” Ghandour said, but wouldn’t reveal how much it cost to make.

Half a century before Theeb, scenes of the Oscar-winning epic “Lawrence of Arabia,” about maverick British army officer T. E. Lawrence, were filmed in Wadi Rum, just minutes from where Jacir and his family live.

Jacir’s grandfather was part of the local support staff for “Lawrence,” also set during the Arab Revolt, and the tradition continues. Jacir’s father, Eid, has worked on international productions, most recently as a location manager for “The Martian,” a 2015 science fiction film starring Matt Damon.

Damon was unpretentious during the shoot, greeting everyone at the start of each day, said al-Hwietat.

Providing locations and crew for foreign films remains an important part of Jordan’s film work, said George David, general manager of the Royal Film Commission. Major films shot in Jordan also include “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989) and “The Hurt Locker” (2008).

At a time of growing conflict in the region, urban centers in Jordan, seen as relatively safe, are standing in for Baghdad or Beirut, he said, adding that “we have also become the go-to location for Mars and the moon.”

Over the past decade, the commission has offered workshops on all aspects of film-making, including an annual screenwriters’ lab in consultation with the Sundance Institute.

However, budget cuts have forced the closure of a film school, and the commission had to reduce training. “If we, as an industry, tackle the funding issue, I think we will be seeing more Theebs,” said David. “Whether it wins or not, we are already very proud of what it has already achieved.”

Jacir and local resident Hassan Mutlaq al-Maraiyeh, who plays the film’s villain, will be attending Sunday’s ceremony, along with the director, producers and cinematographer.

Jacir will be wearing a traditional Bedouin robe on the red carpet, albeit one made by a Jordanian fashion designer, said Ghandour.

“We want the star to get all the attention because he deserves it,” he said of Jacir’s planned attire.

When the top nominees at this year’s Oscars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Matt Damon, open their goodie bags, inside will be a potentially controversial gift.

Israel has offered the 25 nominees for the top five awards, plus Chris Rock who will host Sunday’s ceremony, a personalised tour of the country valued at up to $55,000 including first class flights and luxury hotels.

The trip is part of a traditional gift bag handed out by a marketing firm around the time of the Academy Awards — this year reportedly worth more than $200,000 and including items such as ultra-expensive toilet paper and a “Vampire breast lift”.

The tourism ministry says the tour packages are designed to show the real Israel.

But critics have accused the country of using such promotional campaigns to whitewash alleged abuses against Palestinians, including the blockade of Gaza and occupation of the West Bank.

Plan

Sam Gee, founder of the exploreisrael.com agency that came up with the idea, said it was part of a plan to bring “influencers” to Israel.

“The Oscars is a good shot because there isn’t that many (nominees) and we were able to give a really high-value trip,” he said, comparing it to the Grammy music awards where 150 packages would have to be distributed.

The battle over celebrities in the region is hardly new. Frank Sinatra appeared at a benefit concert calling for support for a Jewish state in the Middle East even before Israel’s creation in 1948.

Yet the success of anti-Israeli campaigners — most prominently the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement — in increasing criticism of Israel’s actions, as well as a fresh wave of Palestinian violence, has put renewed focus on the country’s image.

“People tend to follow the celebrities. They tend to do what they do,” Gee said.

Social media have greatly amplified the reach of celebrity endorsements.

Visit

“Each one of them potentially has millions of followers. Every celebrity that is coming to visit us can put online a selfie somewhere and the value is huge,” tourism ministry director general Amir Halevi told AFP.

When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West visited Israel in 2015, the mayor of Jerusalem reportedly asked them to become ambassadors for the city and to tell people that “everyone is welcome in Jerusalem”.

It is unclear whether the status of east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, was discussed. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as their future capital, while Israel views the entire city as its undivided capital.

Gee said they hoped nominees taking up the package would share their experiences on social media.

“We would definitely hope that if we give them a trip like this they would go ahead and tweet and be on social media that they are having a good time and we would get exposure out of it, but there is no strings attached,” he said.

Asked whether the celebrities would be permitted to visit Palestinian cities such as Ramallah in the occupied West Bank if they wanted, Gee said yes.

But the offer also has the potential to backfire.

Nominees Mark Ruffalo and Mark Rylance have been openly critical of Israel’s practices, including its ongoing blockade of Gaza.

Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, two of Britain’s most famous film directors, have urged the nominees to give their prizes to Palestinian refugees.

“If celebrities were to go on record, either before, during, or after a trip, with negative comments, it could result in a negative impact, rather than the desired positive associations,” said academic Margaret Campbell, who has written about the potential risks of celebrity endorsements.

“Similarly, if a celebrity went on the Israel trip and said something ridiculous or inappropriate, it could backfire.”

Palestinian campaigners say their cultural sector is often limited by Israeli restrictions, with circus performer Mohammed Abu Sakha among those currently detained without charge, for example.

Omar Barghouti, a rights activist and co-founder at BDS, said Israel was increasingly fearful of the growing boycott campaign.

“Since launching the so-called Brand Israel campaign in 2005 to counter BDS, Israel has multiplied its attempts to bribe, intimidate or otherwise coerce celebrities to toe its line,” he told AFP.

Despite the risks, there are reasons why celebrity endorsements are pursued: they often work.

A 2012 study led by a Harvard Business School professor estimated that they led to a four-percent increase in sales for companies.

Ofer Zalzberg, senior analyst for the Middle East with the International Crisis Group think tank, said celebrity endorsements matter for Israel as they show the country is peaceful enough to visit.

A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks since October has damaged the country’s tourism industry. But the celebrities themselves also run risks.

Recently, famous footballer Christiano Ronaldo appeared in an advert for an Israeli Internet company.

He had previously been claimed by many pro-Palestinian activists as a supporter of the cause. When the video was posted on his social media channels, he was criticised by Arab fans.

Barghouti of BDS admitted it was “disappointing” to see Ronaldo supporting an Israeli brand, but stressed that he hoped he would come around.

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