It took Qatari director Mohamed Al Ibrahim 15 years to make his first feature film, Sa3ood Wainah? As the title suggests, this is a very unique film that combines elements of thriller, fantasy, and magical realism, all imbued with a strong local flavour.
Billed as Qatar’s first “commercial” film, “Sa3ood Wainah?” – the title translates to “Where is Sa’oud?” – started this week at the inaugural Doha Film Festival, where it was cheered by the local audience. The film is produced by Katara Studios, which is passionate about promoting filmmaking and content creation in the gas-rich Gulf country.
Sa3ood Wainah? Set in a remote farmhouse in Qatar, two brothers, Hamoud and Sawood, entertain their friends one night with magic tricks passed down to them by their late father. This causes Sa3oud to disappear, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.
Katara Studios plans to release the film theatrically in the Gulf region next year.
Al Ibrahim, who studied film production at the University of California, Irvine, began his career at the Doha Film Institute, where he furthered his education by producing numerous short films and commercials. Currently, as Head of Features at Katara Studios, he directed the music video for the 2022 FIFA World Cup song “Arhbo,” which received over 100 million views on YouTube.
Al Ibrahim spoke to Variety in Doha about why it was important for his feature debut to be a “grassroots Qatari film.”
How did you come up with this concept, which is so innovative especially for this region?
I consume a fair amount of genre, and I feel like people here have a huge appetite for genre as well. So it makes sense that as a Qatari or a person from the Gulf region, you would be able to express yourself visually in some way from that perspective. That was the first thing. And my colleague Jassim Abel and I co-wrote this story. I wrote the script and he co-wrote the treatment with me. We were going through a lot of “what ifs”. discussion. For example, how can you make a self-contained film? We were talking about[Sidney Lumet’s courtroom drama]“12 Angry Men,” and other movies set in the same location. We started by asking, “What if?” And what stuck with us was, what if magic tricks weren’t magic? What if it was real?
It sounds like you really wanted to make this movie culturally specific. What elements of Qatari culture did you draw on?
Magic is part of our folklore. It dates back to the time of ancient Egypt. It’s not talked about much, but it exists. So I definitely wanted some of that. When it comes to themes, sometimes I think from a modern perspective we tend to live a double life in our identities. So I wanted to make that part of the movie as well. I also wanted to investigate from our perspective why people lead double lives. We have seen it in many movies from the West and I wanted to interpret it from here.
Since this is a commercial production, they cast all Qatari actors, which is an interesting choice. Have you considered other options?
To be honest, that was the conversation we had in the beginning. We were wondering whether to bring in talent from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. But then we quickly realized that we had to focus on our mission. And its mission is Qatar’s grassroots cinema. Qatari stories told and performed by Qataris. I think it’s really important, not only for me, but also for Katara Studios, to let people know what’s next. we exist. And we want you to see what we’re going to do.
The crowd in Doha certainly seemed to be having fun. What was it like presenting your film at the inaugural Doha Film Festival amidst a flurry of announcements from the just-formed Film Commission on how Qatar is building its film industry?
It makes me feel really good. I feel like I’m being dragged into it. So you’ve spent 15 years making feature films and establishing yourself as a filmmaker. And I feel like I’m here at the right place at the right time. I feel that as a country we are investing a lot in film as a cultural export. We understand the power of storytelling and how it is an extension of our identity and an extension of our diplomacy. The fact that Qatar Film Board is spearheading this effort is proof of this.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Provided by: Katara Studio
