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BIG PITCH The Alexandria Killings will be produced under the Yalla Yalla banner, with globally renowned writers Terry George and Mariam Naoum co-writing the film. But before it took this fascinating turn, it had another journey with Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja. Nishtha Singh learns more from Al Khaja about the story and the current phase in her journey as a filmmaker Earlier this year, Front Row Film Entertainment–Rocket Science joint venture Yalla Yalla signed Oscar-winning writer/ director Terry George and Egyptian writer Mariam Naoum to co-write the Arabic series The Alexandria Killings. The story, based on true events, is about the first women in the Arab world to receive capital punishment for murder. The show will be the first instalment of a MENA-based true-crime anthology series set in various periods and locations in the Arab world. It will be shot predominantly in Arabic, with English to reflect British rule, exploring the complexities of life on the fringes of a male-dominated society. Interestingly, the idea to bring this particular story to the big screen originated with Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja, who initially pitched the idea to Front Row. “I had been obsessing over this story for years,” she says, “and had initially called it The Stinger Sisters. I had always
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thought that one day, I will bring this story to life.” The story is set in 1920 Alexandria when Egypt was under British rule, and revolves around two Egyptian sisters, Raya and Sakina Hammam, who came from a poor Alexandria neighbourhood and rose to build a thriving empire on the back of their brothel. It attracted a powerful and influential clientele including Egyptian and British officers, informants and statesmen. At its zenith, the Hammams’ operation became a hive of secrets, intelligence sharing and criminal conspiracies among the top echelons of the Alexandria underworld. The fall of their empire found the sisters relying more and more on petty theft, leading to the murder of 17 women in crimes of opportunity. They were eventually put on trial and became the first women in the Arab world to be sentenced to death, causing a massive social outcry. Public perception of the women varied from cold-blooded criminal masterminds to victims.
