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Photo Courtesy: Tony Elieh
Art movies are made from personal experiences, without any commercial back-up. But they are usually very artistic and don’t make any compromises in the way they are made.
the art of movies By Sindhu Nair
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September 2010
H
ania Mroue, the new Programme Coordinator at Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), is soft-spoken and shy. Not what you would expect considering she is from the world of showbiz. Talk about Arab movies and you can see the change. A sparkle lights her eyes as she talks animatedly with gestures interspersing her answers. Like how she holds both her hands on her heart before she talks about art movies. Her love for the movies doesn’t have any inspiring stories behind it. “It was a gradual process,” she says. “After the civil war in Lebanon, a few film festivals were being held and I started seeing movies that were not commercial hits. I was intrigued with this kind of movie.” As she was drawn to the ‘parallel cinema’, she also started noticing the absence of Arab movies in the
area. And that was soon to become her focus. “I started thinking, European movies are great, their art movies are fantastic, but there is this huge disparity in the quality and quantity of Arab movies. I wanted to do something to improve our movie culture.” This passion gave way to the formation of a club of like-minded people. “Eleven years ago, with a group of friends we started a small association in Beirut and organised an Arab film festival.”
Parallel movies Thus was formed Beirut Cinema Days, the first Arab independent film festival in the region, of which Hania is Director. Beirut CD also established the website, arabcinemadirectory.com, the first online database for
Arab cinema. “Movies that didn’t see the light of the day, small movies that were not screened at any cinemas, all had an opportunity for an opening at this film festival.” It started a movement of sorts that heralded more interest and thus more cinema of this genre. “A network of Arab cinema makers was formed and the more one networked, the more like-minded talented movie makers were brought into the loop.” “We wanted to produce films that talk about us and our society,” she says, “the kind of films you don’t see on TV, on screen, because there are no arthouse cinemas and no distributors promoting them. Yet this cinema is important because it’s a mirror of our society and can question our system and our taboos.” And then it becomes like an addiction, admits Hania, and thus she was hooked to this world of parallel cinema. The film festival, though successful in itself, raised new parameters. Now the movie-addicts couldn’t wait a year to see the next screening. “We needed to create a movement around these movies. Awareness for these kinds of movies was slowly seeping in, and the long intervals would trim down the effect these movies had on the audience.” This began Metropolis, the arthouse cinema – in the historical commercial district of Hamra – that took years, and great risks, to get off the ground. But was an effort ’that paid back in more ways than one’. It also put Hania’s name among prominent art enthusiasts in the world and the very reason that she is now part of DTFF. “We work a lot with schools, younger generations. Our audience is young. We encouraged talks after screening and there is a lot of interaction.” Metropolis also has its name written in history books with the commercial release of documentaries, which, says Hania, “was never done before, at least in the Arab world.” Funding, she says, was the most difficult part. “There is no public fund to support independent/ art films. We depend a lot on European funds, which were quite unreliable.” But what is the essential difference between the two forms of movie making, the commercial and the art/independent movie? “Art movies are made from personal experiences, without any commercial back-up. But they are usually very artistic and don’t make any compromises in the way they are made. Commercial movies have a formula to follow, one that might appeal to the masses.” What about small-budget movies which appeal to
the masses? Do they not succeed? Bollywood and local Indian films that don’t follow the strict ‘commercial formula’, yet are commercial hits, and are examples of this genre. Hania agrees completely, “Indian film is a different model. We don’t have a film industry as such. For us, it is either American movies or nothing at all. There might be a single local commercial release or some European movies that are shown in the region. We have a limitation. Caramel was the first feature film by a Lebanese director that was a huge success. I wish we had more films like that.” Though Egypt does produce ‘good’ films, Hania says that they don’t play in the local theatres in Lebanon as these theatres are owned by huge American film distribution companies, who are not prepared to take any risks in screening ‘fresh’ efforts. This was another reason behind the formation of Metropolis, she says, “Metropolis has became a platform, and now since it has became a success of sorts, people have become aware of the art of telling stories the different way and efforts are on to keep encouraging this movement.”
The story so far... Was the course of Hania’s life charted early on, did she know she would be leading a life of movie appreciation, from her young days? “No,” she says, laughing. “It wasn’t that simple, there were not many movies to be seen in my childhood. The civil war was raging in Lebanon and we never had the chance to see any movies then.” But considering all that was happening around her, in her country, she did have a “very normal childhood”. “I wanted to be a pianist in the beginning,” she says, “But after my graduation I danced with a profes-
“There is no public fund to support independent/art films. We depend a lot on European funds, which were quite unreliable.”
sional dance company for around 13 years.” That explains her elegant gestures, which on reflection is the trademark of a talented dancer. Though, Hania wasn’t sure of the form of arts that she would pursue as a career, there was one thing she was sure of, “that I would always do something that was related to the creative arts.”
Role in DFI On her role in Doha Film Institute and the much awaited DTFF, she says, “I have a commitment to the Arab film makers, to the industry. I have to tell people about the film festival, give them a chance, to bring their talent to Doha.” She doesn’t stop at that, her passion to promote the Arab movie industry, is evident. “DTFF brings the best of Arab cinema. I want all of my contacts, to make use of the educational tools in DFI, promote their movies through the festival, form collaborations between DFI and these talents; generate a lot of interest in their movies through the festival, get distributors...build something for the future of Arab cinema. The potential is immense and I want them to explore all of it.” For DTFF, she will be trying to bring the best of Arab cinema, she promises. Arab cinema has a great potential, she predicts, with the advent of new technology of filmmaking to make movies with diminutive budgets. “We do have very good cinemas but they need a chance. The festivals help because then the distributors hear more of the movie and their risk factor reduces.“ Metropolis had a hand in the success of one such movie, The One Man Village, which was first screened at the Metropolis and later on gained much acclaim at all international festivals were it was screened. “We organised a press event around this movie. Opened it to the public and we were stunned with the reaction. The film was released in Germany. We also released the DVD. The filmmaker is going to make his second movie, all of this was because of our effort to publicise the movie. “ This movie was a huge boost to the sagging morale of Arab filmmakers, she says and now there is hope for them. So how does Metropolis work, what are its funds? “We get some support from private donors. All of us do it for the love of movies and we struggle a lot...” And does she see herself directing her own alternative movie? “No. After seeing such talents, I am frightened to do something on my own...I am happy promoting them.” 2010 September
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