Across the Arabian Peninsula, there are few bonds more powerful or enduring than that between man and camel. That relationship is the focus of Hajjan, an upcoming film produced by the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture, also known as Ithra, just in time for 2024 – designated by the UN as the International Year of Camelids.
To this day, camel races, beauty competitions and auctions are among the most popular cultural phenomenons in the region – and yet, to this day, no film has ever truly honed in on what makes the species so special, says the film's producer and head of performing arts and cinema at Ithra, Majed Z Samman.
"We wanted to show what camels are, to show what they signify to us and how respected they are in our region," Samman says. "It's not just a giant animal. They're smarter than dogs or horses."
Centred on a young Hajjan (camel racer) called Matar (Omar Alatawi), the film spans a wide array of themes, including love and loss, masculinity, honour and the crucial, often overlooked, role of women in the Arab World.
That formula has already made an impression on audiences, with viewers at one private screening attended by The National leaping out of their seats, cheering, clapping and screaming – as if they were at a camel race.
Samman tells The National the project started back in December 2020. After watching the final cut, he was struck by how "pure" the film is. "The project is made with love," he adds. "It's simple. We tried to make everybody heal. Even the bad guy."
Samman joined forces with acclaimed Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy's Film Clinic to help give the production a "human" and "real" appearance. "It's very organic and raw," he says.
The team also enlisted Saudi Arabian Mufarrij Almajfel and Egyptian Omar Shama to write the screenplay, with visual effects by Syrian-French filmmaker Chadi Abo and music by French composer Amine Bouhafa.
Hefzy, who has more than 40 credits to his name, says: "We knew we wanted to shoot in Saudi Arabia and with Saudi actors."
He describes the film as a "coming-of-age story" about a teenage boy who undergoes a transformation, from tragedy to hope. "It's a film about good vs evil, resilience, and more – all ingrained in the Bedouin and Saudi culture and camel racing."
Hefzy reserves particular praise for the film's young star Alatawi: "It was really exciting to work with these actors who bring this level of authenticity to the screen."
Director Abu Bakr Shawky, who previously worked with Hefzy on Yomeddine, which received rave reviews at Cannes Film Festival in 2018, says he wanted to bring stories usually told around the fireplace to the big screen. "It was an intriguing proposition, because even though we knew about the world of camel racing, there was no distinct story about it.
"If you get the freedom to write a story around that it gives you great liberties. I have always wanted to do a desert epic that tackles the stories of Arabic folklore and fairy tales, and the narratives and stories of the desert."
The film was shot in the north-west of the kingdom in the second half of last year.
"That area is pretty interesting because a lot of it is untouched," says Shawky. "I don't think there are film crews in specific areas and ... the mountain ranges and that neighbourhood is really intense and interesting.
"Historically, I think, millions of years ago it was all on the water," he says.
While tapping into the striking landscapes, Shawky also took inspiration from some unexpected influences.
"I grew up watching a lot of American Westerns, where somebody rides into a lawless town on a horse and tries to restore order. That was a theme that I really like to explore, especially in the desert, because I feel that's almost like our story – while also maintaining that Arabic folklore," he says.
Hajjan will have its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and releases worldwide early next year
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The view from The National
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Specs
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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