Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad confirmed his welcome to pay the price for defending the Palestinian cause in his works and cinematic projects, considering that what he pays is a small price compared to what the Palestinians offer on the ground.
During the dialogue seminar hosted by the seventh edition of the “El Gouna Film Festival” on Saturday, the Palestinian director who has presented many experiences in Hollywood, confirmed that being a person with a cause that he defends and fights for, exposes him to obstacles in his various artistic works, including preventing him from appearing in the media and restricting the distribution of the films he directs, and other matters that he accepts with an open heart, according to him.
The symposium, moderated by Egyptian critic Ahmed Shawky, head of the International Federation of Critics, saw Abu Asaad talk about his continued involvement in his homeland, Palestine, even while living abroad. He said, “I am keen to travel and reside in Palestine for periods that sometimes reach two years and for long months, while maintaining communication between me and my fellow countrymen from different groups and at several levels, starting from the camp communities and reaching the officials in the authority.” He added, “This continuous presence gives me the ability to present different cinematic stories and topics due to the life experience that I am well aware of, and the realism with which I write the various works that I present about Palestine.”
Hani Abu Asaad described himself as “a soldier who fights to confront the project of destroying the Arab identity,” noting that he seeks to struggle with art through the various works that he presents and that address the Palestinian cause.
He touched on the difficulties facing marketing Palestinian films in international festivals and forums, stressing that “the alliances of distribution companies against promoting the Palestinian narrative in works are a major obstacle, although these films are welcomed and have actually succeeded in making an impact in Western societies at the peoples’ level.”
The symposium was attended by a large number of artists, including Yousra Al-Lozi, Tara Emad, Karim Kassem, Ahmed Hatem, Rania Youssef, director Mohamed Shaker Khudair, and director Hani Khalifa.
The Palestinian director spoke about an incomplete experience with a series with the “Netflix” network, after he agreed to present a work whose events take place in 6 episodes, about an imaginary kingdom with an internal conflict over the future, which is a project that the network was enthusiastic about, and he worked on it for a period before they asked to delete the political conflict from the events and suffice with social conflicts.
He explained that he rejected “Netflix’s” conditions despite the enthusiasm they initially showed for the idea and their admiration for it and the start of preparations for filming, noting that “their request to delete the political conflict occurred one month before filming.”
Regarding his experience working with new faces and international stars, Hany Abu Assad confirmed his preference for working with new faces that he chooses through casting during preparation, especially since he is accustomed to writing a first version of the dialogue when preparing for a new film, and writing the final version after choosing the actors, in order to add an aspect related to them in the events to the script, according to him.
He added that “dealing with international actors differs from one actor to another, and their dealings differ from one director to another. There are directors who do not direct the actors, and actors who have a way of working that is different from the director’s ideas,” describing his experience in dealing with international actor Idris Elba as “very difficult.”
Hany Abu Assad directed the film “The Mountain Between Us”, which starred Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, and was based on the novel by American writer Charles Martin and was released in 2017.
published oct 26, 2024.
