Making movies...

Just over 3 years ago a group of keen writers and film aficionados pulled all their skills together to film a chapter of Paulo Coelho's book, The Witch of Portobello.

Nabil Alaihi, a Bedouin living in the desert of Dubai, age unknown, recounts his relationship with the mysterious and enchanting Athena, the Witch of Portobello. We've just made it public for the world to see for the first time since it was shortlisted for the DIFF in 2008.

This is an amateur production...we did it purely through an enthusiasm to create, whilst sharing skills, passion and drive to reach our objective under the artistic visions and directions of Maitha Bin Demithan. No specialist equipment was hired and we operated on a 0 budget with volunteers. The Emirati Film director, Waleed el Shehhi kindly supplied the Sony cameras and the film was edited at the English College, Dubai on minimalist equipment in the College's music room!!!

The film is an attempt to present Nabil Alaihi through the eyes of the people who inhabit the Gulf region. The physical presence of ‘being’ found in a harsh but beautiful desert landscape embraces an element of surrealism and it is the cultural, emotional and spiritual layers found in the respectful and colourful Bedouin lifestyle of the Emirati people, the local inhabitants of Dubai, which are recreated with authenticity.

Through the character of Nabil we have been able to promote Dubai from a local perspective. We wanted to show the world through the visuals, the soundscapes and the meanings they give, that the desert way of life in its simplicity and hardships can stop and make us pause to think and enjoy all that a given culture in its natural environment can provide. Tourists are not often given a chance to see the real Dubai and we feel this is a chance for us, even though small, to convey the message and to show the spirit of the desert from an Arab perspective, from people who live and work here and are part of the region.

Credits

Director: Maitha Bin Demithan

Assistant Director: Rawdha al Shafar

Producer: Buthaina Al Marri

Assistant Producer: Hend Bin Tamin

Screenplay writers: Maitha Bin Demithan, Ania Sikora

Storyboard Artist: Amnah Belhoul, Maitha Bin Demithan, Maryam Lootah

Cinematography: Maitha Bin Demithan

Location Manager: Maryam Al Shafar

Sets/Props Team: Latifa Al Gurg, Mada Al Suwaidi, Elsie Gilmour, Nada Ibrahim, Hessa Tamim

Equipment Manager: Noor Belhoul

Costume/Makeup Artist: Maryam Lootah

Art Advisor: Isabelle Hemphill

Production

Director of Photography: Waleed al Shehhi

Photography: Maitha Bin Demithan, Buthaina al Marri

Lighting: Ahmed Hasan Ahmed, Hend Bin Tamin

Audio: Aasem Abdulrahman, Hend Bin Tamim

Film Editor: Maryam Lootah, Buthaina al Marri, Rawdha al Shafar, Ania Sikora, Paul Sikora

Sound Mixer/Editor: Ania Sikora, Paul Sikora

Equipment Advisor: Dhahi Khalfan, Osama

Cast

Nabil Alaihi: Robert H Edwards

Athena: Elise Bailey

Viorel: Abdulla al Shirawi

Desert Soul: Grainne O’Mahoney

Calligrapher: Salah Sherzad

Sheikh: Ahmed Khaled al Mansouri

Sheikh’s entourage: Abdukraoof Bahadori, Jack Brear,

Omar Harb

Investor: Armelle Mansard Tainsh, Piers Tainsh

German Tourist: Oliver Miocic

Tourists: Gulden Bailey, Megan Cousins, Yolande Cousins, Thalia de Sa, Bryony Gale, Emelie Mard, Magali Moulin, Eddie Smith, Jo Whiteford

Special thanks to:

Dubai Ladies Club

The English College, Dubai

Latifa School for Girls

We know it has its faults, but we embrace them all and move ahead taking with us what we have learnt...



Nabil and Athena in Dubai


Now I want to go and make another movie...Let's start writing...

Sleep

Give unto into the silence
As heads rest and bodies separate
From the soul
A short rest for the mortal
A temporary state of being , elevated
Toward a future that awaits
Stillness is it found
With empty hands we come
With empty hands we leave
With empty hands we go to sleep
But hearts brimming and rivers overflowing
Raining petals that have touched
Moved the mountains, melted peaks
Impervious to wind
Not a flutter, we float
Nothing is hidden, everything is bare
And all touched can be seen
Silence O centre us, grow on us, soften us
Return and lighten mortal hours

Water

What remains of the night sky without its stars
What’s left of water without its oxygen
What’s left of an ocean without its water
Where is the moon without its tide
No night of day, nor day of night
No fire, no energy, no life, a lid
A mountain of salt more than pepper
O night wrap your blanket around me tight
Imprint your stars within my skin
O ocean engulf me whole, take me into your womb
Help me breathe the water of my own existence
Beyond the surface crests

The night of day

Riding a whale into a space
A space of light reflecting
Through an ocean with no sides
Enveloping all around
Never diminishing
Always growing
A connectedness on a journey travelled
By the light of night and the night of day
Cascading an uncluttered sound
Transparency calls
Beating pulses glow
The ocean swells
Spilling over
Gracefully extending into
A quiet energy...

Reflection - a vice?

We say stop, listen, reflect, measure up, act, for if we don’t how can we move forward in a focused and clear way and become better at our craft and living...



But have you found that sometimes our reflections are negative? They stop us in our track, they slow us down; they take our minds away from simple solutions; they distract and can distort our views. We start comparing our craft or ourselves to others and start seeing only our flaws...These moments of doubt or fear on our very being take great courage to overcome. They should provoke us to action, but how many of us get bogged down in our own vanity; our fears rise to the surface, masking our expressive selves. Isn’t it a paradox that at times I feel we value ourselves too highly that it stops us from living our passions, our desires our dreams but in actual fact the vanity manifests itself into a low self-worth breathing giant...I certainly am one of those individuals who needs to stop thinking and jump in to the activities that bring me great enjoyment and satisfaction...i shall keep moving...

Day 4: Drawing metal

Lyn seemed to be pleased with the progress I was making with the beads...she said there wasn't quite enough depth in the shadows, so I used a 7B to add more depth,also when I printed out the picture in black and white I noticed that some forms became more clear with the absence of colour so I was able to go back in and add further detail to some of the shapes. btw i worked with my naked eye...without the interference of a lens or my glasses and felt so much better at being able to see sharply and work at very close proximity to my work...Lyn laughed she said Ania, you have to loosen up, be more confident with your strokes...(a fleeting thought about blind people and how they do it crossed my mind...perhaps my hands could become my eyes as well...) Today she showed me how I could achieve a lustre in graphite work by having sharp edges and blending the pencil markings.

So I drew a second metal bead...there seems to be more contrast in this one.

One of Lyn's art works caught my eye in this Alladin's cave...

It is just gorgeous...It is a conte self-portrait of Lyn holding a Kaiteg rug from Daghestan. The story behind this piece was even more beautiful...These rugs found in two villages are used as swaddling cloths for newborns, to wrap jewellery dowries in and also used at death to cover the face of a person who's died. She asks the question 'Who will cover my face when I die?'

Day 3: Observing Tonal Values

Day 3 and more books to read. I was given The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, a book also recommended by a friend and Art and fear: Observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking to which I straight away identified with! It has taken a lot of courage for me to get this far...

Some journals that are highly recommended include:

American Artist
International Artist

OK so today I was shown how to use Frisket Film. The crisp edges of detailed drawings or ink sketches can be obtained through using this film. After peeling the backing paper and sticking it in my sketchbook, I drew a cut-out design with pencil on it then used a Stanley knife to cut out the shape. When I peeled the cut-out away I was able to use graphite powder and pencil to shade in the area and when I peeled the film off the page I obtained a very neat sharp and crisp outline...the idea would be to go back into it and work at it to achieve the tonal effects required! Another lovely technique!

I started shading today...first Lyn spoke of Wow - white on white...she's asked me to practise drawing a white lace tablecloth on a white surface to show that there are so many values inherent in white and to help me to look for light and shade intensely...

HW to shade in the order she suggests:
1) Wow
2) Black and white photos
3) colour photos
4) Objects

But because I am doing an intense course we have moved straight to a colour object. I fully understand what she is saying and I'm so pleased that she explains the whole process of learning to me so that I am able to fill the gaps in my own time...(I'm going to miss her so much when she leaves!)



And here is the outcome...the middle row I did with Lyn and the other rows I tried myself. I mostly used an HB pencil because I didn't have the full tonal range!(I need to get some!!)