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MOVIE buffs from around the world will be attending the premiere of Bahraini film, The Sleeping Tree, on Saturday at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).
The movie aims to highlight the kingdom’s cultural identity while also sharing the emotional journey of a family affected by illness.
Screenwriter and producer, Fareed Ramadan, believes that this film will pull at the heartstrings and shed light on the beauty of Bahrain.
Mr Ramadan said: “The core value of this feature film is that it introduces Bahrain’s rich heritage and culture.
“The Sleeping Tree is more than a film due to its messages which touch the soul. It is a simple story that people can relate to about a family breaking down because of an illness suffered by their second child.
“It depicts a range of emotions such as love, loss, despair and then, when everything seems grim, a glimmer of hope. And while the audience is being moved by the story, they will get the chance to discover Bahrain from the Tree of Life to our bustling city.
“We want to show our culture to others, through the scenery, the music and the life of a Bahraini household. We truly hope that it is well received by everyone. We also hope it will be accepted by the Bahraini community.
“We intend from this experience to establish a promising film industry, not only within the Gulf but at other international festivals in the future.”
Set within a contemporary Bahraini home, the film reveals the struggles a family endures.
Parents Jassim and Noora are at their wits end as they had already lost their first child to illness and now battle coping with their daughter Amina’s cerebral palsy.
Noora stops working to spend her days caring for Amina who is bedridden. Meanwhile, Jassim begins to slowly lose himself and while his eyes may be open, he is not awake to the world.
Eventually, the couple begins to drift apart. However, things start to change after Jassim borrows his brother’s taxi to take tourists around the island. The drive that affected him was into the desert.
It’s at the legendary Tree of Life that Jassim becomes mesmerised by his passengers’ fascination of the tree and he is suddenly overwhelmed by his surroundings, causing him to reflect on his life and his family.
The drama unfolds and takes a series of twists and turns when an intruder enters the family’s home.
Mr Ramadan said: “The taxi ride to the desert is a dramatic moment of realization for Jassim. It’s as though he begins to discover himself, his true feelings and his relationship with his family.
“There are a lot of philosophical aspects depicted in this movie about life. Who is really alive and who is just going through the motions?
“We hope that this film will stir up different emotions. I believe that our producer and director, Mohammed Buali as well as the director of photography Mohammed Maghraoui, both capture every detail and emotion brilliantly on screen. They have a way of bringing words to life.”
This is not Mr Buali and Mr Ramadan’s first collaboration as they have worked together in the past on award-winning short films including Al Bishara and The Good Omen. In addition, each has a string of films and international awards obtained for different ventures in the film industry.
The Sleeping Tree is produced by Bahraini company Nooran Pictures and co-produced by the Information Affairs Authority (IAA), the Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) and the Dubai Film Market Enjaaz.
The film has already captured the attention of the Dubai festival organisers as The Sleeping Tree is one of 15 films competing in the Muhr Feature Awards.
The competition nurtures and rewards filmmakers on their excellence while also raising their profiles on an international stage. The competition is judged by international juries and the winners, who will receive monetary prizes, will be announced at the festival’s closing ceremony on December 17.
Mr Buali said: “I am deeply honoured by this recognition. The DIFF is a leading world festival that actively supports the development of the Arab film industry.
“Last year alone the festival received 3,500 submissions from 143 countries. A competitive arena, it is certainly a strong message of confidence for all the filmmakers who have been chosen by this prestigious award to be showcased to their panel of judges.”
The film is also supported by Moirai Communications and sponsored by GPIC, the Sheraton Bahrain Hotel, The House of Travel, Gulf Air and Al Amin Gardens.
Mr Ramadan, who has written two Bahraini feature films in the past entitled A Bahraini tale in 2006 and Visitor in 2004, is currently overseeing the pre-production stages of a number of other scripts which he developed for directors from Palestine and the UAE.
Meanwhile Mr Buali, an alumnus of the Berlin Talent Campus, was selected in 2012 as one of the 24 most promising Asian directors amongst 233 put forward for participation in the Busan International Film Festival.
He was selected by the British Council as the winner of 2012 Young Creative Entrepreneur Award (YCE).
