By Anwar Elshamy
With very little dialogue, renowned UK director Peter Webber has captured some great moments from the history of Qatar through his film Jasim that tells the inspirational story of Sheikh Jasim bin Mohamed al-Thani, founder of modern Qatar.
The film, scheduled to be screened as part of National Day celebrations on December 18, had its world premiere yesterday at the Museum of Islamic Art as part of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2009.
The 23-minute movie, shot entirely on location in Qatar with a local cast, is the only all-Qatari movie in the four-day DTFF programme.
It portrays Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed’s epic struggle to maintain Qatar’s independence and thwart invading armies.
Sheikh Jasim, a national hero for Qatar, was depicted as both a statesman and freedom fighter, who repelled invading armies and defended his compatriots.
“It was the most difficult moment in the history of modern Qatar when Sheikh Jasim appeared on the stage of life to fight oppression and injustice to which Qatar was subject,” the documentary narrator said.
The movie, which relied heavily on visual and sound effects rather than dialogue, depicted Sheikh Jasim as the national hero of the moment.
However, this lack of dialogue, was criticised by the audience in a discussion that followed the screening.
Webber said he relished telling stories with little dialogue. He relied on visual and sound effects in Jasim to paint the leader’s iconic character.
“It was a difficult job to find Qataris who can deliver lines, but easier to find thousands who excel in horsemanship.”
To other critical notes about the absence of women in the movie, he said that the movie was an inspirational movie on the life of a national hero and should not be taken as a study of the history of society.
Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa al-Thani, the former UN rapporteur on Those With Special Needs, who attended the screening criticised the movie for ignoring the role of Sheikh Jasim’s wife and sister in his life.
“There was a total absence of women in the film. Why were his wife and sister, who influenced Sheikh Jasim’s life, absent?” Sheikha Hessa asked.
Webber said during the era portrayed women’s issues were not paramount.
The movie concluded with the withdrawal of Ottoman armies and Arab invaders from Qatar.
After the end of war, Sheikh Jasim assumed the role of a statesman to develop his country. |
