By Amin Matalqa, writer/director of Captain Abu Raed
(from the 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival)
"When I was a boy, I had dreams...", says the old janitor to the kids in his poor neighborhood, and then he drifts off for a moment, reflecting back on his life, before he puts on the captain's hat and allows himself to go back to his childhood dreams through the stories he invents to inspire the kids. Set in contemporary Jordan, Captain Abu Raed is a movie about dreams and people reaching across boundaries to make a difference in each other's lives.
When I was a boy growing up in Jordan, I was captivated by the magic of movies thanks to Superman and Steven Spielberg's ET. I never really thought I would actually end up making movies. It was always a dream. But after immigrating to America with my family when I was 13, and after graduating from Ohio State University's business school and working in the telecom world of corporate America for five years, I decided to move to Los Angeles and follow that childhood dream. Three years, 25 short films and a Directing MFA from AFI later, I would find myself standing on a hilltop back in Amman, Jordan, getting ready to call action on the first shot of my first feature film, Captain Abu Raed. The very first scene we filmed was that moment when Abu Raed looks back at his life, and I realize that, in deciding to pursue my dream to make movies, I had jumped forward 40 years and looked back at my life and only then saw that the pursuit was inevitable. I had to follow my dream.
Looking back at his life, our wonderful leading actor, Nadim Sawalha (Abu Raed) left Jordan for London 50 years ago to pursue a career in performance. He played numerous roles in theater, on BBC television shows, and small parts in movies like the Wind and the Lion, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Syriana. But he was never the lead until one day Abu Raed came along. I had met Nadim when I was a boy, when he came to Jordan to shoot a scene of Son of the Pink Panther. My father was the pilot flying the cast and crew into Jordan. He told Nadim that he had a son who loved movies, and Nadim invited me to visit the set. He gave me a big hug and seated me behind Blake Edwards after introducing me to Roberto Benigni. I never forgot that moment, but never saw him again... until 14 years later, when I called him up and said, "I have a script I've written for you." Nadim was the dream actor to work with. He led the cast and crew with his humility and sense of humor, and delivered a performance that people tear up when they reflect back on after seeing the film.
One of the most exciting things for me was working with a cast of 13-year-old kids who had no acting background. We went to look for them at orphan centers in refugee camps from around the country. I needed to find two boys who could deliver the complex arcs that their characters go through during the film and whose eyes can communicate something abstract and universal that no spoken words could deliver. We found two magical boys whose onscreen charisma, fragility and fortitude any director would only dream of. By the end of the 23-day shoot, Hussein Al-Sous (Murad) and Udey Al-Qiddissi (Tareq), the two boys, had grown such a level of confidence and professionalism that we hardly ever needed to shoot more than three takes before moving on to the next shot. The key to that was getting to know them over the preproduction period and developing a trust and friendship together, so that by the time we were rolling cameras, we had a sense of almost non-verbal communication between each other. One look and they could read my mind. I think that sense of abstract instinctual de-intellectualizing of the material is what makes their performances so captivating.
Sitting in the editing room in Los Angeles, I would watch the magical dynamics between the kids and Abu Raed, and relive a very special and spiritually enriching experience we had in making this film. I believe that magic translates very clearly on the screen and is why the film touches its audience. When we premiered the movie in Jordan in February, we were honored to have Queen Rania Al-Abdullah attend. And when the kids took their pictures with her, it was like the movie had taken on a life beyond the screen. Because of Captain Abu Raed, we will continue to be part of the lives of these very talented boys. And that, for me, brings everything full circle. To live my dream and give a dream to someone new in my life.
Images courtesy of Paper & Pen Films. Captain Abu Raed screens April 28 at the 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival (click for times and ticket information). Festival runs April 24-May 1.
See MPM's movie review. |
