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ID # 38588
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Other
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1
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Release Date |
12-31-69
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| Audition Date |
12-31-69
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Submission Deadline |
12-31-69
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| Shoot Date |
12-31-69
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1
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"There is so much that I want to say "Horror, Baghdad is not Baghdad anymore," Hassan replies Army's final assault on Baghdad
"Gheir Saleh" explores the idea of death through the lives of three friends in the days immediately after Saddam's ouster: Hassan, a movie director; Moataz, a cello player dying of cancer; and Maysoun, a postgraduate archaeology student
The soldier is played by Bassem Hamad, a sculptor whose work â€â€? a shape representing freedom â€â€? replaced the 16-foot bronze statue of Saddam that stood in Sahat Fardous, or Paradise Square, for years before U Iraq Movie in Production
Dec 10, 12:19 PM EST
<EM>Associated Press</EM>
An arts school dropout is directing Iraq's first feature-length movie in more than a decade, shooting it with film he "liberated" from Saddam Hussein's culture ministry during the looting that followed the dictator's fall
The bonds of friendship â€â€? most of the crew and cast belong to an arts group called "Najeen" or "survivors," founded after Saddam's overthrow â€â€? and the level of dedication are being constantly tested
There also is a young Iraqi soldier wounded in the U S
Hamad used paper tissues and glue to give his stomach flesh the appearance of having been chewed by shrapnel Both Hassan and Moataz are in love with Maysoun "We have used six chickens so far," Rasheed enthused "They represent the colors of Baghdad," Rasheed says of the bags "
One way to do that, he concluded, was to get his main characters to speak directly to the camera, sharing their thoughts with viewers
His crew and cast have agreed to work for free, but they are mostly rookies, including the director of photography and some of the actors I want to follow the wise saying 'I recommend accuracy, not clarity' and 'I want to be free, just like a bird
For example, director of photography Nazar al-Turki, a father of four, is using lifetime savings to make ends meet Chickens were slaughtered over his chest and stomach to give his imaginary wound a look as close to reality as possible
"On the set, I treat everyone as a director with 25 motion pictures to his name treat a very experienced crew," Rasheed said at a Tigris riverside cafe darkened by a power outage during a recent moonless night, his face reflecting the glare of his laptop's screen Rasheed has no makeup artists, and his own filmmaking experience does not go beyond the unfinished documentary he shot in February '"
"My film will be outside all commercial prerequisites," he proudly declares
Yet Rasheed remains unfazed, almost cocky â€â€? at times he refers to himself in the third person â€â€? in the face of the challenges, showing ingenuity and artfully bringing out the best of his crew and cast of friends
"What is it like for the city's streets to feel pain under the weight of the tanks?"
The film's title, "Gheir Saleh," or "Under Exposure," was inspired by the fact that the film reels Rasheed and his friends found in the culture ministry's storeroom were past their expiration date, just like the raw film he used to shoot a documentary about the lives of underclass Baghdadis before war broke out March 20 "
In supporting roles are a deranged young man who lives with his mother next door to Hassan's luxurious house, obsessively collecting used nylon bags from the city's streets "There is pain in every meter you walk S It's a time that will forever be associated with the shame felt by many Baghdadis over the looting, mixed with joy and pain from being simultaneously freed and occupied
Rasheed's supply of raw film is limited â€â€? he says it's half what is needed to shoot his 90-minute motion picture â€â€? so he must economize
"We have known each other for 14 years," he said, "and are bound by the experiences of our journey of pain under Saddam Reels containing that unfinished documentary were burnt by looters Rasheed's yells of "let me talk" when on the set are tolerated, although perhaps not appreciated
"The soldier will speak about the war he doesn't understand "Everyone appreciates that we have to economize with film," he explained
"Where is Baghdad in the midst of this real-life nightmare and dream at the same time?" muses the 30-year-old Rasheed in an introductory note to the film's script Marines toppled it in a televised event that symbolized the fall of Baghdad The pain he feels but doesn't understand He asks aloud: 'Why am I hurt? Why am I wearing this uniform?'"
Rasheed claims to be a devout believer in what he calls "author-driven" movies
Rasheed's insistence on repeated rehearsals before a shot is filmed is respected
Odai Rasheed, who began shooting in November, pushed expectations higher when he decided the film would depict those fateful spring days when the Americans invaded and the regime collapsed He is found and cared for by the deranged man and his mother, who seek to heal the soldier's wound with religious rituals The freedom we wanted for years came, but it's mired in blood and dirt So he writes the script at night and works on the set during the day
"What's Baghdad like today?" Moataz asks Hassan in one scene "I don't know," he replies with a confident smile when asked about the film's plot
