Why the Syrian filmmaker risked his life for his Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Of Fathers and Sons’

Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki. (Supplied)
Updated 26 February 2019
Follow

Why the Syrian filmmaker risked his life for his Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Of Fathers and Sons’

  • 'Of Fathers and Sons' is the only non-American film that was nominated for Best Documentary at the 91st Academy Awards
  • Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” is stunning

DUBAI: Of all the achievements of Arab filmmakers in recent times, Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Sons” may be the most stunning. The only non-American film nominated for Best Documentary at the 91st Academy Awards, which take place this Sunday, “Of Fathers and Sons” is the kind of film one might imagine making, but never believe could actually be made. It’s a story that Derki risked his life to tell.

For two and a half years, the Syrian filmmaker lived in northern Syria with Abu Osama, a member of the Al-Nusra Front (also known as Al-Qaeda in the Levant), and his family. There, he pretended to be sympathetic to their cause so that he could film them in an attempt to learn, first-hand, how young men become radicalized. Focusing on a father and his sons, the film lays bare in terrifying detail how young boys with kindness in their hearts find themselves in an Al-Qaeda training camp at a tender young age, all to gain the approval of their beloved patriarch.

“The idea started with my previous film,” Derki tells Arab News. “After the siege of Homs in my last film, ‘Return to Homs,’ after all the massacres, a lot of people on the ground moved to be more radical. It’s a war, but I started wondering how this movement managed to brainwash and bring all these people (over) to their side, and how they gained their trust. I saw a lot of kids with their fathers involved in fights. All these things put questions in my mind. I’m not a part of this, but I also have to understand.”

Derki didn’t want to make a film about the Syrian war or about violence. He wanted to examine life behind closed doors, focusing on the generation of young Syrian men raised in wartime. To do so, he had to go deep undercover.

After starting research for the film at the end of 2013, Derki used many ‘fixers’ to help him work his way into this close-knit community, gain people’s trust, and identify his subjects. He settled on Abu Osama and his sons. He convinced them that he was on their side, and was given intimate access to their lives in return — all the time aware that he could not let them know what kind of film he was actually making.

“Abu Osama wasn’t well known. He’s not the leader. What attracted me to him is how strongly he believed in what he was doing, in the ideology. When you look at him, he looks like a normal father, a lovely father,” says Derki. “This paradox between these two faces — between a lovely father and the father who is ready to sacrifice his kids in order to (realize) his ideology — this is part of my cinematic vision. If I went to a regular cliché jihadist, people would not watch the film. People would leave the cinema after five minutes, believe me.”

Though Derki managed to gain the trust of the family and the Al-Nusra Front, he was always conscious that no matter how friendly they were with him, he was never really creating a true connection with anyone he was filming. And he was powerless to create positive change while he was there.

“I was undercover as a sympathizer,” he says. “This is how they know me. I couldn’t be more than an observer. Sometimes, if I could, I would act as a merciful guy with the kids so they would not get punishment. I played that role. But in a big-topic issue, you couldn’t do anything but make your own film out of this chaos.

“I was connected to them only as a filmmaker, because, at the end of the day, if they knew I had a different purpose than what they thought, I would lose my life,” he continues. “When I had a good moment to film, I was satisfied and happy. As time passed, I had to accept all these things — all these ideas, all this behavior — without any (question). My mission there was to make a film.”

“Of Fathers and Sons” is purely observational. Derki keeps himself out of the story as much as possible, zooming in on a father and his son in everyday moments, in order to see how they interact, the love and trust they build, and the ways that a son’s dedication to his father is twisted to dark ends.

“The knowledge I got from this experience is about the roots of violence — the circle of violence — and the eternal relationship between the dictatorial father and his son; the masculine power that destroys our society,” Derki explains. “All of these things gave me more understanding that it all starts from childhood. Why does someone like me decide not to carry a weapon? If you grow up in a society in which your father, your teacher, are harming you, and punishing you by hitting you, and you’re used to receiving violence, then when you grow up you are very capable of carrying weapons and killing someone for any idea you start to believe in.”

By the second half of the film, the eldest son of Abu Osama is participating in an Al-Qaeda training camp. In one harrowing scene, the young boys are told to lie still on the ground while bullets are shot next to their heads and feet in order to teach them to lose their fear. Even now, years on from filming, Derki thinks about Abu Osama’s young children, hoping they can escape from the fate that already killed their father, who Derki says died at the end of 2018.

“Emotionally, I feel sad for the kids. They are still around 12 years old, it’s still possible to take them out of this and start a new life. Even in the moment when I was there, it was still possible,” he says. “They appreciate life. (But) in this ideology, they appreciate death. Death is their request — not life. Not humanity.”

Derki is speaking to Arab News from Los Angeles, ahead of Sunday’s Oscars ceremony. While there, Derki has had the chance to celebrate with the other Arab nominees, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek and Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki.

“It was great to meet them and to have some conversation — to be three nominees from the Arab world at the biggest global celebration. It’s very intense,” he says. “I hope that, in the upcoming year, this will bring more success for Arab filmmakers.

“Nadine said she liked it so much. And I liked her film,” Derki continues. “I really want to work with Rami in the future, he’s a very talented actor.”

Whatever happens at the Oscars, Derki hopes the attention his film has received will ultimately be a force for good in the Arab world.

“It’s about how we can protect the new generation in the other Muslim countries,” he explains. “What can we do to build a generation without violence, to focus more on life, love, and communicating with other cultures, instead of building walls around us?”


Sotheby’s to stage first live auction in Saudi Arabia in February 2025

Updated 07 November 2024
Follow

Sotheby’s to stage first live auction in Saudi Arabia in February 2025

  • The inaugural auction and public exhibition will take place in the Saudi heritage site of Diriyah

DUBAI: Sotheby’s has announced it will stage the first ever live auction in Saudi Arabia in February 2025. Taking place in the historic town of Diriyah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of the Saudi state, located northwest of Riyadh, the auction will offer modern and contemporary artworks, Islamic objects, jewelry, watches, cars, sports memorabilia and handbags, among other items. 

Titled “Origins,” the live auction will take place on Feb. 8, 2025, presenting global offerings and fine art by both home-grown Saudi artists and leading names in international art history.

Ahmed Mater, Untitled (Diptych from The Illumination Series), Offset lithograph and gold leaf on paper with tea and pomegranate toning, 174 by 225cm, 2012. (Courtesy Sotheby's)

The auction will take place as a two-part evening auction and will be preceded by an exhibition of the contents of “Origins,” that will be showcased in a free, public exhibition, open from Feb. 1 – 8.

“This auction - and indeed our incorporation - is the culmination of many years of supporting cultural initiatives in the Kingdom, and a natural evolution of our business,” Edward Gibbs, chairman of Sotheby’s Middle East & India, told Arab News. 

“We have been travelling to Saudi for a number of years, working with clients who are based there, as well as meeting new collectors in the region, and have been supporting the Ministry of Culture’s exciting endeavors –not least with all of the editions of the biennale, where we have provided an educational component, with specialist talks and tours,” he added.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sotheby's (@sothebys)

Increasingly, said Gibbs, Sotheby’s saw that Saudi Arabia was a space rife for a growing art market and live auctions, proven by its fast paced development, young demographic, growing collector base and the increasing presence of the regional and international art community.

“The auction comes hand in hand with our opening of an office in Riyadh, so marks a new chapter in our activities in Saudi — a phase that we are entering with great optimism and ambition,” Sebastian Fahey, managing director of Sotheby’s Global Fine Arts, told Arab News. “Alongside the inaugural sale, our activities will also continue to include educational offerings around art, luxury and collecting, as this is something we strongly believe in.”

The auction and exhibition will be staged in the historic Diriyah, the ancestral heart of the nation, where the
First Saudi State was inaugurated just under two decades before Sotheby’s was established in 1744. (Supplied)

“The art market has never been quite so international, and this opening complements our global network, particularly in the Middle East, which has long been a region we have believed in and invested in,” stressed Fahey.

Diriyah is a significant place to stage Saudi Arabia’s first-ever live auction. In the historic town, now developing as one of the Kingdom’s gigaprojects, the First Saudi State was inaugurated just under two decades before Sotheby’s was established in 1744. 

At present, Diriyah is transforming into a local and global hub for art, culture and high profile events in the Kingdom, connecting its past and present through heritage and creativity.


Dubai Design Week returns with brand new fair: Dubai Editions

Updated 06 November 2024
Follow

Dubai Design Week returns with brand new fair: Dubai Editions

  • As large-scale architectural and design installations take over the Gulf metropolis, the inaugural Dubai Editions is set to offer a mix of art, design and prints to appeal to the city’s changing demographics

DUBAI: Until Nov. 10, visitors to Dubai Design District can relish in riveting large-scale design installations, exhibitions and fairs dedicated to high-end and collectible design objects from the Gulf, wider Middle East and international markets.

The annual event, now in its 10th year, will present over 500 designers, professionals and brands from various creative industries, transforming the bustling UAE metropolis into a global hub for design and art.

Numerous returning elements include Abwab, an annual commission showcasing talents from across Southwest Asia and North Africa, dedicated this year to the theme of vernacular architecture and regenerative design processes through the utilization of local materials, climate-responsive techniques and community-centered designs.

Abwab this year will feature three regional practices that will present their work in pavilions across the Dubai Design District. These include “Present/Absent Mudhif” by Ola Saad Znad from Iraq, portraying the Marsh Arabs’ architectural heritage in Iraq using reeds and ancient Sumerian techniques; “ReRoot” by Jordanian-Palestinian Dima Al Srouri, Andy Cartier from France, Rosa Hamalainen from Finland and Palestinian-Lebanese Dahlia Hamati exploring emergency housing solutions through an ecological lens using palm waste and mycelium; and “Material Witnesses and Narrating Lifeforms” by Miriam Hillawi Abraham from Ethiopia, which draws inspiration from coral stone found in early settlements on the East African coast.

Other notable returning platforms include workshops in the Maker’s Space and the weekend Marketplace, offering one-of-a-kind handcrafted objects and cuisine.

In a dedicated section within the 10th edition of Downtown Design will be the new fair titled Dubai Editions. Featured are over 50 galleries, design studios and collectives from the region and internationally presenting editioned artworks, collectible design objects and furniture and editioned prints.

The new fair reflects the changing demographic of Dubai, Pablo del Val, artistic director of Art Dubai, told Arab News.

“The fair is extremely exciting because it represents the shifts taking place in the city,” said Del Val. “There are many new generations of people that have recently moved to Dubai that have different collecting needs.

“People are beginning to buy properties that are arranged in new ways with different needs,” he added.

Participants include Dubai and New York-based Leila Heller; renowned Lebanese carpetmaker Iwan Maktabi, which opened its new flagship showroom in Dubai’s Jumeirah 3 featuring the first-ever global shop-in-shop for Italian contemporary rug company, cc tapis; Dastan from Tehran; Comptoir de Mines Galerie from Marrakech; Studio Bazazo and Fadi Basbous Studio from Lebanon; and spaces from Dubai, including Gulf Photo Plus, The Urbanist, Meem Gallery and Zawyeh Gallery.

“The fair offers a great concept of presenting works that are less expensive by our artists,” Leila Heller told Arab News. “Our artists became so inspired to create new prints and sculptures that are available in editions. The fair also offers works on paper, so our artists have created smaller works in paper as well.”

Heller will present works by artists such as Farideh Lashai, Reza Aramesh, Keith Haring, Darvish Fakhr, Azza Al Qubaisi and Stephany Sanossian.

Iwan Maktabi is showing a carpet designed by acclaimed Emirati artist Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim. CEO Mohamed Maktabi said they switched their booth from Downtown Design to Dubai Editions and are launching what he calls “Iwan Maktabi: Artist Edition,” presenting the brand’s special carpet collaborations with artists.

While Dubai Design Week will offer much to see and experience, it represents a shift and growth in Dubai’s recent population that has sought out the Gulf city as a new place to call home.

As Del Val put it: “Everything starts to change when you belong to a community where you expect to live for a much longer period of time.

“This (fair) could be an incubator for things to come.”


Exploring innovation at ‘Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft’ exhibition in Saudi Arabia

Updated 05 November 2024
Follow

Exploring innovation at ‘Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft’ exhibition in Saudi Arabia

  • Step backstage to experience the creative processes of 10 renowned design studios, where failure fuels creativity

DHAHRAN: As a part of the annual Tanween conference at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, the “Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft” exhibition stands out as a captivating exploration of creativity, resilience and innovation in the world of design.

The exhibition, aligned with the Tanween 2024 theme “Fail Forward,” invites visitors to embrace the beauty of setbacks as vital stepping stones in the creative process.

The exhibition, aligned with the Tanween 2024 theme “Fail Forward,” invites visitors to embrace the beauty of setbacks as vital stepping stones in the creative process.
(Courtesy of Ithra Studios)

Curated and designed in collaboration with Isola Studio, the exhibition showcases the works of 10 internationally acclaimed studios specializing in crafts, circular design and material research, and is on until Nov. 6.

“The idea of staging the exhibition led us to the name ‘Behind the Curtains’ because we want to show what’s behind what you see, through a theater approach,” Gabriele Cavallaro, co-founder of Isola Studio, told Arab News.

“We asked studios to display their latest projects, not just the final results, but also the process, including failures, trials, and broken pieces. This highlights that reaching successful design involves going through mistakes and challenges.”

Curated and designed in collaboration with Isola Studio, the exhibition showcases the works of 10 internationally acclaimed studios specializing in crafts, circular design and material research.
(Courtesy of Ithra Studios)

Each studio provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their artistic processes, sharing inspirations, prototypes, and materials that did not make the final cut. This transparency highlighted the essential nature of experimentation in design.

At the heart of the exhibition lies an interactive workshop area, where visitors can partake in hands-on activities including sketching, molding, and experimenting with various materials, allowing them to experience the creative process firsthand. 

This interactive component emphasizes that creativity is often a non-linear journey filled with exploration and discovery.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Ithra | (@ithra)

 

The “Fail Forward” theme runs throughout the exhibition, encouraging visitors to see failures as essential learning experiences. By sharing their struggles and lessons, the design studios inspire visitors to embrace their own creative challenges. 

Cavallaro expressed his hopes for visitors, stating: “I want them to understand the importance of taking risks in life to achieve success.”


Hia Hub session highlights vital role of pharmacies in Saudi Arabia’s growing skincare market

Updated 06 November 2024
Follow

Hia Hub session highlights vital role of pharmacies in Saudi Arabia’s growing skincare market

RIYADH: Industry leaders discussed the evolving role of pharmacies in skincare during a session at Hia Hub, Saudi Arabia’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle conference, held in Riyadh’s JAX District from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.

The session, titled “Re-Defining the Pharmacy Channels in Skincare,” brought together prominent figures, including Charlotte Devaux, general manager of wellness and masstige, Pierre Juhen, group president of Patyka, Mahmoud Mamdouh, CEO of Whites Pharmacy, and Cynthia Kattar, editorial director of Hia Magazine.

Mamdouh emphasized the pivotal role of trust in pharmacy skincare. He said: “When discussing pharmacies and skincare, the main concept is trust.” 

(AN/ Huda Bashatah)

Over the past 15 years, pharmacies have cultivated strong relationships with customers, who often turn to pharmacists for personalized skincare consultations, he said. 

Devaux added to the discussion by highlighting social media’s impact on consumer behavior.

(AN/ Huda Bashatah)

She said that while platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offered abundant information, consumers still preferred advice from trusted pharmacists. “Wellness has become a priority for consumers, driving the growth of skincare,” she said. “This reliance on pharmacies as credible sources of information and products is crucial in a marketplace filled with conflicting messages.”

Juhen elaborated on the expansive reach of pharmacies. In Saudi Arabia, there are about 6,000 pharmacy locations, compared to 20,000 in France, he said. 

(AN/ Huda Bashatah)

He said that this dynamic retail channel had shown resilience, even during challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where the pharmacy segment in France experienced growth of 4 percent. 

Juhen highlighted the universal appeal of pharmacies and said: “Everyone visits pharmacies, regardless of age or socioeconomic status,” making them essential points of contact in the community.

The session concluded with a consensus among the speakers on the importance of pharmacies in the skincare sector. As trusted providers of personalized advice and quality products, pharmacies were well-positioned to lead the growth of skincare, they said.


Displaced Gazan artists’ work on display in ‘Under Fire’  

Updated 01 November 2024
Follow

Displaced Gazan artists’ work on display in ‘Under Fire’  

  • An exhibition in Amman shows works smuggled out of Gaza during the ongoing Israeli assault 

DUBAI: A couple tenderly embracing each other; a family gathering; a flowering cactus; and a sunset colored in pink, yellow and orange. Such imagery represents some of the delicate drawings produced by four displaced Gazan artists, whose works are currently being showcased at Darat Al-Funun, an art center in Amman.  

Other images on display make for less comfortable viewing: exhausted people with missing limbs; men kneeling blindfolded in their underwear; women and children whose eyes are wide with terror. 

“Under Fire,” which runs until the end of the year, consists of around 80 artworks by Palestinian artists Basel Al-Maqousi, Majed Shala, Raed Issa and Sohail Salem. All four have been forced from their homes due to the ongoing Israeli assault on the Gaza strip, which began in October 2023.  

A piece by Basel Al-Maqousi from the series 'I Draw with Love, not with War.' (Supplied)

For the exhibition’s curator, Mohammad Shaqdih, receiving the artists’ highly-charged artworks proved to be a cathartic experience. “I was following their work on social media, but when (the pieces) reached Amman and I held them in my hands, I cried at first, to be honest,” Shaqdih tells Arab News. “I was in a state of sadness and I don’t know why. While I was looking through them, I would take a drawing and then quickly put it away. There’s so much death, sadness and blood in these works. At the same time, they embody a form of resilience and resistance. They have life.”  

Organizing any art exhibition comes with its own set of challenges, but planning “Under Fire” was exceptionally difficult.  According to Shaqdih, communicating with the artists through messaging applications and having their works transported across the border were the main issues faced by the curatorial team.  

Raed Issa, 'Friends.' (Supplied)

In May and June 2024, around 100 artworks were taken from Gaza to Egypt. In early October, the works reached Jordan. “These works were passing through some conditions that were dangerous. Some of works were damaged or torn apart,” explains Shaqdih. “It was an adventure taking these works out of Gaza, but, thank God, they reached us.”  

The surviving artworks — predominantly sketches and line drawings — were created, by necessity, using the most basic of materials. Raed Issa, for instance, created his figurative images on medical aid packages using tea as a coloring base. Sohail Salem drew intensely-lined pen drawings in school notebooks provided by the UN Relief and Works Agency.  

Al-Maqousi is showcasing a series of drawings of daily life in crowded camps. “He said: ‘These works are not paintings or works of art for people to see or buy. They are a part of our bodies,’” Shaqdih says.   

Sohail Salem, 'Tala Abu Ajwa, Girl Skater.' (Supplied)

Thematically, the artworks — which are being sold to benefit the artists — are simple and touching. They evoke despair, loss and confusion, but there are elements of hope, love and beauty. One of Issa’s images of two young individuals, depicted with unclear features, is slightly enlivened by the red flowers they hold in their hands.  

“When you read the artists’ incredible accompanying statements, they’re full of human feelings,” Shaqdih says. “What they’re saying is that despite everything they’re going through with this genocide, they are still standing strong and resisting even if it’s through the act of drawing the daily massacres. They’re still able to work and express their existence as human beings under all the ugliness in this world. It’s a form of resistance and resilience.” 

Majed Shala, born in Gaza in 1960, is one of the exhibition’s participants. His works in “Under Fire” depict personal memories, scenes of nature, and life under bombardment. 

Shala’s home and studio were destroyed more than a year ago and he lost all of his artworks. “Under the sound of nonstop bombing, we were (told) to leave our area. We didn’t know where to go,” he tells Arab News. Shala is currently in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where, he says, “the situation is continuously difficult. There is no safety and there are no essential supplies.”  

On a positive note, he says he feels a sense of pride at having his sketches on display in Amman, a city he loves and where he has many friends.  

“I hope that the world stands by those who have the rights, who own the land,” says Shala, “and doesn’t simply watch indifferently from a distance.”