With A New Day in Old Sana’a, Bader Ben Hirsi goes down in the history of Yemen’s fledgling filmmaking industry. He is Yemen's first feature film director and he braved many an obstacle to finish his film. Rajeev Nair meets him on the sidelines of Diff
Caption: Ahmed Abdali and Bader Ben Hirsi.
A YOUNG Yemeni who grew up in the West, Bader Ben Hirsi thought he had heard the most unfounded rumour about him when he was billed as an agent of CIA. That, however, was only the beginning. A newspaper had an exclusive, a banner headline that screamed: “The secret about Hirsi: He is German.”
Now, arriving in Dubai with the trophy for the Best Arab Film from the Cairo Festival, he looks back on the bitter experiences in the making of A New Day in Old Sana’a with a relaxed humour — having come out of it alive… and kicking.
With the film, he enters the annals of Yemeni filmmaking industry – if ever the country gets to have one. He will be known as the director of the first Yemeni feature film. But more than the thought of going down in history books, Hirsi is encouraged by the fact that the film has brought out positive vibes amongst young Yemeni filmmakers. “I already know of three youngsters who are looking to direct feature films in Yemen,” he says.
For Hirsi and his childhood friend, Ahmed Abdali, who is also the producer of the film, it is time to sit back and savour the moment — the end of an arduous journey. “Yemen didn’t have a film industry. We had to take in equipment and crew from abroad as well as train local Yemenis,” says Abdali.
They had already made documentaries in Yemen. “It is a photogenic country, incredibly beautiful and for us it was a case of doing a low budget film in the UK or getting all out and doing a feature film in Yemen with the same budget,” recalls Hirsi. “It was a nice challenge to do something that makes history. When Yemen will have a film school, our film will be the first one they will teach.”
The two feel that Yemen is grossly under-represented in the film industry. “The people are nice and it is a beautiful country. For us it was a chance to show the different side of Yemen, unlike the stereotypes spread by the media.”
Yet, they were accused of too many awful misdeeds. “They said we were filming pornography, when we weren’t; they said we were agents of CIA; the parliament interfered and stopped filming a couple of times. We were becoming pawns in a game of political chess only because a small portion of the film’s funding was from the government.”
With the screening of the film, Hirsi says, “all apprehensions were allayed. They simply loved the film, and that was the biggest reward in making it.”
Shot over two-and-a-half years, the film about an Italian photographer observing life in Sana’a, behind its walls, through the perspective of his guide, young Tariq, is more of a love story. Yet, it has many layers that will appeal to Western and Arab audiences, says Hirsi. “Every time you see the film, you get something new from it. It will be a classic in its time, and even ahead of its time, for some markets,” says Hirsi.
Shot on a relatively shoe-string budget of $1.2 million, the film proffers character-sketches of Yemen’s people from all walks of the society. From a poor egg-seller to the pampered daughter of a rich man, from gossiping women to expatriate Indian teachers, it touches too many aspects with humour thrown in for good measure.
Hirsi hopes that the film will get a theatrical release in the Middle East. “We have been approached by some agents and distributors, and we feel the film will be a welcome change as it is a breezy entertainment and that is what is lacking in Arab cinema. We are human and we need entertainment; cinema must also bring relief.”
He says there never was an effort to patronise Yemen with the film. “People expected the film to be patronising. They were shocked to see it wasn’t. The film is like a fairy tale; it could happen anywhere and I believe it is a small film that can go way in touching the hearts of people.”
Hirsi would like to see Arab cinema evolving as one entity as against the fragmented labels of Egyptian, Moroccan or Tunisian cinema. “There is a lot of new talent and they approach cinema differently. They have grown up with international cinema, and if we can stand together, we can indeed revive Arab cinema.”
