variety ARABIA I AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2011
P E O P L E
EMERGING
FIRST-TIME FILMMAKER’S
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
mussab ag talks to variety arabia about
his first mystery thriller, “the traveller”, and the ups and downs that came
with it
BAdAr i. sAlem – duBAi
Filmmaking was not an obvious career choice. He studied photography and
music and has been working in the media industry for almost eight years now.
But Mussab Abdel Ghafour, or Mussab AG, 26, was always fascinated with films
and filmmaking. For him, cinema beautifully blends different magical
combinations of sight and sound, creating a world of fantasy and hope.
“I was bitten by the film bug early on and
visuals have always interested me. I always wanted to be able to tell stories
with vivid, colourful, multi- faceted characters using pictures and sound,”
says AG, who is a big fan of English director Ridley Scott and “Lord of the
Rings” director Peter Jackson. “They both have an extraordinary ability to
create worlds and genres in their movies, which always have a profound effect
on me.”
A filmmaker’s first feature film is
usually a project of passion, to which he devotes all his time and energy to
make it the best film of his nascent career. This certainly seems to be the
case for AG. His first mystery-thriller film, “The Traveller”, was selected at
the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner (SFC) – a good start for a
first-time filmmaker. “It was such a rewarding moment when I [found out] my
very first film had been selected at Cannes SFC. It was a great impetus to me
to keep going and I hope it will be
Musab AG’s first mystery-thriller film,
“The Traveller”, was selected at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival Short Film
Corner
to anyone who dreams of becoming a
filmmaker.”
The way AG talks about “The Traveller”
makes you want to watch it. He may be young, but the knowledge he has of human
vulnerabilities, fears, doubts and the uncertainties in our minds and hearts is
pretty striking.
There is only one character in the film;
the other character was created from the main character’s inner voice, his
doubts and fears. Both characters collide in the film. “By showing the conflict
between the main character and his other-self, we were able to show other
emotions, from revenge to love, guilt and doubt. We don’t show all of this in
the film, we just hint at it.
“I won’t say that the main character is
100 per cent good or bad; there is no black and white. The character struggles
between both. I want the audience to decide.”
AG likes to refer to himself as “we,"
as he believes the film is a collective achievement. By “we” he refers to the
scriptwriter Peter Mitchell, the screenwriter Dominic Carver, the lead actor
UAE-based Ibrahim Renno and the cinematographer Jack Elliot, among others.
AG notes that the film script was
originally a three-page story idea from Peter Mitchell. Dominic Carver then
worked extensively on the script, making it longer, more twisted and
mysterious.
“We kept working on the script until the
night of the shoot; all of the team was on the same track when it came to how
we wanted the film to look. They all deserve a big thank you and much credit
for their work on the film.” Despite having a supportive and talented team, AG
had to overcome many challenges while putting the film together.
“Shooting the whole movie, including the
stunt shots, over one night in adverse weather conditions was a big risk,” he
acknowledges. “I had to take care of almost 30 crew members, as well as some
technical issues, and make sure we wrapped the film before dawn. We had to
postpone the shoot three times due to logistical problems. I also had to give
up so many ideas due to time and budget constraints.”
The film, which was shot near Fujairah in
the UAE – “a surreal place with beautiful mountains”, as AG puts it – had a
budget of almost US$13,000 and was self-financed. Regarding the decision to
make his first film in English, AG has one direct answer:
“I wanted to emphasise the story and
emotions and take out the language element. Besides, the screenplay was originally
written in English, and having it in English will help promote it at
international film festivals.”
Asked about what he wants his audiences to
walk away with after watching “The Traveller”, he replies: “I always try to
balance between these two goals – good entertainment and a good concept. I want
the audience to go out with both. The story is like a shape made by dots and I
leave it to the audience to connect them.”
AG is currently
working on a short and a feature film, both of which are in the drama/thriller
genre and being written by UK-based Dominic Carver. For him, the journey into
the wonders of cinema has just started.
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