DUBAI // An American, an Arab, and an Israeli are trapped in a secret communications base on the Israel-Lebanon border for six hours.
So runs the plot of a film by Ziggy Darwish, a Dubai fitness coach who has just completed production of Bordering on Bad Behaviour, starring Tom Sizemore. The film is due for limited release in January.
The plot tells of how Baz, an Australian-Lebanese soldier, accidentally walks into a secret Israeli communications base on the border of Israel and Lebanon.
He accidentally activates a time lock, which traps the three soldiers in the base for the next six hours, forcing them to talk to each other.
“The message of the movie is, ‘Why can’t we all just get along?’” said Mr Darwish.
“This movie shows that with enough dialogue everyone can find common ground to build on. If you sit down and talk about stuff you can sort it out.
“I wanted to tell a fair story. I was sick of the way Arabs were being depicted in the media after 9/11. I wanted to show the world that Arabs are not terrorists.
“So I want to tell a story with varied perspectives; not all Jews are right, and not all Arabs are right. I also wanted to have a movie that is positive for Arabs all over the world.”
Inspired by the 2009 movie Lebanon by writer-director Samuel Maoz, Mr Darwish, an Arab-Australian, wrote the first draft of his script in just one month. The movie was shot in South Africa in only four weeks.
“I started writing and I just couldn’t stop,” he said. “I put all my experiences in that script. I had so much on my chest to get out.
“I found it was the easiest thing I’ve done in my life, to write the script. I had to rewrite it a number of times, but each time I felt it got much better.”
Mr Darwish said he had been ecstatic to get Hollywood actor Sizemore to play Bob, the CIA agent. “Tom was an absolute legend. He was great to work with, and such a professional.”
Israeli actor Oz Zehavi, who on Monday picked up the Best Supporting Actor award at the International Indie Gathering 2014 in Hudson, Ohio, plays the part of Ari, an Israeli special forces soldier.
Bernard Curry is cast as Baz. The film won Best Feature Length Comedy and the Viewer’s Choice Award.
Mr Darwish is a qualified personal trainer and has been a fitness professional since 2004.
After serving in the Royal Australian Navy for six years, he went on to train with some of the country’s best sports scientists. He then relocated to Dubai where he co-founded Fitness O2, his personal training and fitness company, in February 2007.
“With everything happening in Gaza, now is the right time for this movie to come out,” said Mr Darwish. “I’m proud to be an Arab, and I don’t want to be judged based on stereotypes of my ethnicity. If they get to know us they will like us.
“And that was true when I was in the navy. People had preconceived impressions of me, but soon they got to know me and we became friends. The navy is like a family to me now.
“We need to try to break down barriers, one human being at a time. I don’t believe that the governments of the world will solve the Israeli-Palestinian issue, I think it is the people who will solve it.”
Mr Darwish has another four scripts on which he is working. The success of Bordering on Bad Behaviour will determine if the other scripts will see the light of day.
“I’m searching for a distributor in the region. We have one for South Africa and America, but I really want to see the movie played in the UAE.”
malkhan@thenational.ae
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
MATCH INFO
Who: France v Italy
When: Friday, 11pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
