Popular Front

Syrian directors are an interesting breed. While director Omar Amiralay advised Arabs to read books other than the Koran, Hatem Ali is trying to expose the masses to a different, more realistic interpretation of their history. But when you are the most important Arab director – at least when it comes to television drama – you can afford to do that.
Hatem Ali has become a staple of Ramadan TV, and is usually associated with the most important productions every year. Since his award-winning Zeer Salem (2000), the biography of the pre-Islam poet and cult hero, his history-based drama series have earned him more than 12 awards. In 2007, he was chosen to direct the Egyptian series King Farouq – a very significant honour given the number and status of certain Egyptian directors.

The multi-talented Ali is often referred to as a complete artist – he started as an actor, he writes short stories, he wrote scripts for TV and theatre, and in the wake of his huge success in historic TV series, he will be directing three major-production Egyptian films.

NOX: Your latest Ramadan series, Sira’ Ala al-Rimal (A Struggle on the Sand), can be classified under the  “Bedouin” genre… How come these types of series are going through a resurgence?
Hatem Ali: The Bedouin genre never went away in the first place! From the beginning of Arabic TV, this type of drama series has been popular and was an integral part of the variety which TV offers. What gives the impression of “resurgence” is the quality of the production; the Bedouin series was treated as a second-rate production and was not even shown in prime time. The artistic aspects of those productions were miserable, the means of production simple, and the subjects repetitive and naive. New productions are using advanced technology along with new stories to redeem the status of the Bedouin series. As for the target audience, the whole TV drama industry is subjected to the producers’ preferences as a result of the industry being governed by the market and the audience’s taste and demands. And there is a large segment that still enjoys that kind of production – not only in the Gulf but also in Jordan, Palestine and Syria.

NOX: Are the Bedouin series replacing the historical fantasia made-popular by al-Jawareh (1994), which became a staple of Ramadan since then?
HA: Despite the fact that I played a small role in al-Jawareh, I was not very happy with a genre that replaced real history with a fictional one. But these series are attractive from an artistic point of view, which makes them even more dangerous. I can proudly say that I contributed to the demise of the genre through the succession of my work from Zeer Salem, to Salah Eddeen and Molook al-Taowa’eff  by presenting history based on historical facts, rather than reproducing the same tired stories of the old Bedouin series in a fictional historic context.

NOX: Given the fact that a lot of the production money is coming from the Gulf area, how does the funding affect the subjects and even the scripts of the TV series?
HA: Whenever the capital is not “local” there is always going to be suspicion about the influence of it, and those suspicions are not always accurate or justified. The Gulf funding has supported Syrian drama, which lead to important productions – both aesthetical and conceptually, without trying to impose any conditions – politically or ideologically. What matters the most to the capital is a profitable investment in a successful industry.

NOX: You were quoted as saying that historical drama may encourage terrorism in the region. What did you mean?
HA: This quote came in the context that tries to study the relationship between Arab drama and Arab history. Unfortunately, we do not have the courage to judge that history and look at it from a critical perspective. Hence our dramatic interpretation of this history was limited to the choices that highlighted the bright spots while surrounding our history with a sacred aura. Now this selective perspective will result in a comparison between a history that was full of victories and a present whose general identity is defeat. And that’s where drama could develop negative feelings.

NOX: When will we start looking at our problems from a realistic, critical perspective, rather than blaming others?
HA: Look at what we did in the Taghreebeh al-Falastenyyeh (The Palestinian Diaspora), which stayed away from presenting the Palestinian as a superman or a fighter and presented him as a victim – which in my opinion is his true image. Unfortunately, the Arab perspective on the whole Palestinian issue failed to pay attention to the human element, and we made it appear as if it is a conflict over kilometres of land and interpretations of the UN resolutions, forgetting the tragedy of the human being. Many people were disappointed to see the character of Masoud, a pragmatic refugee who is looking for a solution for his problem. When we criticise ourselves, that’s when the others will allow us to criticise them.

NOX: Could the success of the Taghreebeh open the doors for more series about Palestine? What about Iraqis?
HA: We are working on a series called Zaman al-Khyool al-Bayda (The Time of the White Horses), based on Ibrahim Nasrallah’s novel. It also discusses the Palestinian issue. The series is part of celebrating al-Quds as the 2009 Arab culture capital. Those series serve as a reminder that the central issue in the Arab World is Palestine, especially in the wake of new conflict areas like Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan and many other places. As for the Iraqis, it will definitely be a part of the discussion. We were planning a TV series called Saddam for this year, but I backed off and the producers supported my decision because it is still too early, especially since the Iraqi situation is still vague and complicated.

NOX: Why can’t we talk about simple life in the Middle East, like for example the Lebanese film Caramel did, without dealing with political conflicts?
HA: I believe that even Caramel dealt with issues if you read deeper into the plot; it is impossible to separate politics from life. Even a love story in a certain dimension would be related to politics. But I agree that we Arabs tend to “politicise” subjects and even life itself. So the question should be, “Why do we keep looking at life from a political perspective?” The reason is obvious as unfortunately we are burdened by many political problems. Ignoring those issues is a luxury that we cannot afford. The Arab artist would not allow himself to veer away from those serious issues, or else he would feel guilty.

NOX: What about your experience in Egypt’s productions? Why did you take your experience to Egyptian cinema instead of trying to improve Syrian cinema?
HA: Mohammad Ali Pasha is a big production film that we’ve been working on for two years now. Good News Productions (Yacobian Building) is a very ambitious company that has managed to take Egyptian cinema to the next level. Such a big historical production will have some technical requirements that probably won’t be available in Syria. Also, Egyptian cinema has managed to establish a market in the Arab world supported by a local audience. Tradition has made the cinema a social habit in Egypt, which is not the case in many other Arab countries. In Damascus, there are no more than seven theatres, while Ahmad Hilmi’s latest movie is being simultaneously screened in 105 theatres in Egypt! 

NOX: Some people criticise you for casting the same names over and over again. Do you feel more comfortable working with certain people?
HA: While working on different projects, certain groups are formed of people who share the same vision for art and life. Some may refer to these groups negatively as “gangs”, but I look at it positively and call them “partnerships”. Whether it is a writer like Waleed Saif (five or six series), actors (Jamal Slaiman, Tayyem Hassan, etc) or even staff (like Ahmad Ibrahim Ahmad, the photography director who has been working with me for years), I don’t prefer to work with them because they are relatives, but because we share a vision and deal with our work as partners holding equal responsibilities.

NOX: Are you optimistic that the situation in the Arab World could improve soon?
HA: Optimistic… not exactly. Everyday there are new complications – and not only political ones. As a result of cumulating frustrations, Arabs are walking onto a dead end road towards a high, thick wall. And this is putting it diplomatically. The struggles we are witnessing today are not of a purely political nature anymore – we have the sectarian background, which until recently was not even an issue! Arabs have failed to move forward by finding answers to 200-year-old questions. Unfortunately, it looks more like we are moving backwards instead.

For the full version of this article, see NOX 26