It’s All About Decisions!

I’ve been blogging since February 2012, but I have  never wanted to share my personal life experience on my blog, so i dedicated it  to the cinema industry. Now I feel like I have to publish my 3 years of experiences in a blog post aside from the about section.

I graduated in 2011 with a cinema direction and production degree and i thought it was very easy to kick off in this industry and start making millions exactly like Hollywood directors and producers. however , it was a dream… Since this industry is half dead in Lebanon, directors and producers always need to beg for money from production companies abroad or get sponsorship after many “free” freelance projects in documentaries and short films production. i gave up on my degree and my dreams  and passions.. Once a  friend of mine  called Fadi said that Jessica can make her dreams come true and  she only needs a chance.

For a girl living in Bekaa and has to move to Beirut, i need fixed income, so i couldn’t keep on doing what i was doing.

In October 2013, i started a new job as community manager in an advertising agency. I got this job because I am really active on my personal twitter account. At this company, i started exploring by myself what is like  being a full time employee in a really gloomy office. I lived many experiences in this company, but i survived. i met many people; some of them are still my friends and others aren’t anymore. they are people  that I used to know. I met different clients virtually. I have lived happy and sad moments at that gloomy office which lacks windows.. and After 11 months, i decided to resign. Well my resignation came at the right time because i reach  a stage where routine is killing me. i am not motivated any more.  every morning i had this   nightmare going to work jut like blue Mondays.

Working in social media is so much fun and everyone is enjoying it everywhere in the world except me in this advertising company. My ex-boss might be reading this blog post now, hey ex-boss i am not attacking your company. i am just describing all the phases that i have gone  through since October 2013.

I resigned in August, planing for the post- resignation ,A new opportunity and challenge arose, so i was like: ” Let’s do this!” and since day 1, I started experiencing the magic in the new opportunity. I knew that i was dead; i was exactly like a robot doing daily tasks without love, passion or motivation. I knew that i was living in an environment full of negativity. I am HAPPY again! September 1, 2014 , I wake up every morning with a deep breath and big smile on my face .I do everything with love as i used to do  before October 2013. I am ALIVE again full of positive energy. That what i missed throughout all the 11 months.

Regarding My endless passion for Cinema, as i have been dreaming of the  day in which  I will be on one of the Film Festivals  red Carpet. It is never too late. Everything is possible in this life.

It is all about decisions! Happiness comes from within. We make ourselves either happy or miserable.

“I CALL IT LOVE”

Elsy Hajjar is a young, enthusiastic Lebanese Filmmaker who wrote and directed  the short film “I CALL IT LOVE”. It’s about An encounter… a phone call… rain and lightning. A love lost in the darkness of a city, Beirut.

It’s catchy and unique!

“I CALL IT LOVE” is nominated at an online Film Festival and she needs our support. It is our turn to support Elsy’s short film. The voting process will be done in 2 easy steps all you have to do is Click here, sign in using your facebook account, vote for  I CALL IT LOVE and to other films of your choice.

 

The Beirut 48 Hour Film Project – June 2014

The 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP), the oldest and most popular timed film-competition in the world will be coming back to Beirut this June 6^th. The winner of Beirut will compete at “Filmapalooza “ in Hollywood against the winners’ of 123 countries worldwide for “Best 48 Film in the world” title. The 15 best films of Filmapalooza will also be featured in the Cannes 2015 short film corner.

This international filmmaking extravaganza has been an annual fixture in Beirut since 2011. It’s a combination of sport and filmmaking and it is the perfect stage for armatures, students and pros to test and nurture their creative talents and compete for international prizes and exposure. Emphasis is on doing, not talking!

Concept: Teams of local filmmakers have only 48 hours to collaborate & make a film. They race against the clock – and each other to write, direct, shoot, and edit-all in just 48 hours. It’s cinema designed as sport. The competition is open to anyone in Lebanon, with no age, nationality, format or experience restriction to register.  Shooting will take place Friday June 6^th to Sunday June 8^th.

Registration in Beirut ends June 5^th: www.48hourfilmproject.com/beirut

The kickoff for the 48HFP Beirut 2013 is: Friday June 6^th at 6:00pm. We’ll meet at (AltCity in Hamra) at 6 pm to assign genres and elements.

Teams will all get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to be included in their films. On Sunday, June 8^th – 7:00pm; all complete films will be due. Late films will be accepted & screened, but not nominated for “Best Film”.

Premiere Screenings:

Each completed film is guaranteed a screening at: Institut Francais:

Thursday, June 12^th & Friday, June 13^th at 7:00pm. (All Films screened).

“Best Of” Screening. (Ten Best Films only) Prizes & awards and party will follow, along with the announcement of the “Best 48 hour film” of Beirut.

To Register your own team: www.48hourfilmproject.com/beirut

Early Bird Registration per team before May 6^th is $130–

Regular Registration is After May 6^th: $150 –

Late Registration begins May 27^th and will be $175 per team.

Final deadline for teams to register: June 4th.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Beirut48HFP

To cover, sponsor or participate contact Producer Mo Rida: beirut@48hourfilm.com

“The Book Thief” A Movie To Remember!

On Tuesday, January 14, 2014, I was invited to watch the premiere of “The Book Thief” at Cinemacity.

Based on the  bestselling book, THE BOOK THIEF tells the story of an Orphan illiterate spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her into positive ones when she was sent to live with a foster family during  World War II, Germany.

Photo Courtesy “Empire Movies Middle East”

Liesel grabbed my attention the very  first moment I started watching  the movie.  The film awakens  all the emotions you have deep inside. Liesel ‘s character is built-in a smart way where she kept everyone feel positive during the world war II.  The scenes are captivating and enchanting.

I’ve read a lot about World War II and I have  heard a lot about Hitler, but I have  never thought that one day I will travel back in time and feel what  it was  like to live  during  that Era.

I fell in love with Liesel’s character because I believe  she added a positive impact on every character and in every scene of the movie. Her way of  reading  and telling  stories, her courage, her curiosity, her innocent blue eyes are actually charming and magical.

The Book Thief was perfectly written and directed. Everyone is invited to watch it because it is definitely worth it.  I am utterly sure that  you are going  to regret not watching this movie.

Emirate’s heritage in 4 minutes

The UAE Travelogue Web series is a 7-part web video series that looks to explore the different Emirates in an attempt to show its culture, heritage and landmarks – and hear it from the perspective and thoughts of those individuals who enjoy taking that journey. It is a passion project from Hello Project Space, a growing collective of artists, designers and filmmakers based in Dubai, UAE.

From the set of Al Fujairah. Episode 1
Photo courtesy UAE travelogue

UAE Travelogue web series Idea’s Birth

We (Kamil and the team) came up with the idea a few months back while they were shooting a different project which it filming in different parts of the UAE for two straight months. We found ourselves in many different towns where you normally wouldn’t go and visit – and they were beautiful places, and the atmosphere always friendly. The idea to do a travelogue series around the UAE was sparked by that experience.

The web Series’ Objective:

The aim of the web series is to invite people to go out there and explore the place they live in, celebrate its culture – we all know this is a very young country and its exciting to be a part of how it has developed and adapted itself into having a global spotlight. It would be good to see why and how it all started.

Kamil while shooting the first episode.
Photo courtesy: UAE travelogue

Seasons and episodes of the UAE Travelogue

We (Kamil and the team)  intend to do a series for every Emirates, so that should be 7 videos in total. We would then like to explore the opportunity of perhaps doing ‘site specific’ video content after we have done all 7 episodes. There’s a lot that we can’t accommodate for the 3 to 4 minutes videos that we want to produce. So the next approach would be to do a feature on specific places like Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, and so on.

The Emirates heritage and culture Only.

We really care about our message and what we have to say, so we will try and up the production every time – we’ve started with little steps, and we are just starting to let people know about the series, once we get enough traction we’d start collaborating with other people who would like to get involved in the project.  If people start going out more, explore the UAE more rather than doing the usual Friday brunch – then that would tell us that we have done something special.

Our target audience is for people living in the Emirates, and most of the population is made up of expatriates, people who came here and have chosen to stay here for various reasons. We remember the growing excitement that we had every time we had to film somewhere remote in the UAE, and this is the same experience that we would like to share – discovering more the country’s heritage beyond the bigger metropolitan areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

From the set of Ras el Khaimah.
Photo courtesy: UAE travelogue

The message behind each episode of The UAE travelogue Web series

Discovery!

Not all people who explore the UAE explore it to discover the country’s history. A few in part travel outside of metro Dubai and Abu Dhabi but only to spend their time away in beach-side resorts, and these are all good options to spend your holidays or the weekends, but it would also do you good to embrace more the culture of the place you live in

We believe that social video can be a very effective medium, and we would like to share this content to as much people as we can, and that is why we chose English for the narration. However, we wouldn’t want to limit the exploration of these series, so it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if we end up with an episode of Arabic narration, or both English and Arabic.

Team’s Expectations.

The UAE travelogue web series will always involve a lot of traveling and narrating from someone’s perspective. If by chance people can relate their own personal experience with an episode that we have crafted, then that would make us feel that we have succeeded halfway through – the other half would be if people start going out more, there’s a lot of really good open roads in the UAE and its great if you head out there and create your own stories.

UAE travelogue social networks.

You can follow UAE Travelogue on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram

You can also watch the episodes on Vimeo

UAE travelogue web series Episode 1: Fujairah 

The Beirut 48 Hour Film Project – June 2013

The 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP), the oldest and most popular timed film-competition in the world will be coming back to Beirut this June 21st. The winner of Beirut will compete against the winners’ of 120 countries worldwide at our annual event “Filmapalooza” for “Best 48 Film of the world” title. The 15 best films of Filmapalooza will also be featured in the Cannes 2014 short film corner.

Beirut was the first city in the Middle East to host the 48-hour film project in 2011. The project now includes Dubai, Amman, and Cairo in the region of the cities that compete in the exciting international filmmaking extravaganza.

The 48 Hour Film Project ‘s logo

The 48 Hour Film Project’s Concept:

Teams of local filmmakers have only 48 hours to collaborate & make a film. They race against the clock – and each other to write, direct, shoot, and edit-all in just 48 hours. It’s cinema designed as sport. The competition is open to anyone in Lebanon, with no age, nationality, format or experience restriction to register.

The kickoff for the 48HFP Beirut 2013:

A meeting will be held on Friday June 21^th at 6:00pm at AltCity in Hamra to assign genres and elements. All teams will get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, which must be included all in their films.

Sunday, June 23^rd 2013 at 7:00pm is the due date to submit the short film of each team. Late films will be accepted & screened, but they will not be nominated for “Best Film”.

Premiere Screenings:

All films will be screened on Saturday, June 29^th and Sunday, June 30^th at 7:00pm. It will take place at Metro Al Madina in Hamra

“Best Of” Screening:

Ten Best Films will be screened only on July 6, 2013 at 8:00 pm. It will take place at Metro Al Madina.

Prizes, awards and party will follow, along with the announcement of the “Best 48 hour film” of Beirut.

Prizes and Awards:

 The prizes and Awards are :

• $1000 gift certificate from Platform Studios
• $500 cash from The 48Eco Film Challenge.

Registration Info:

Registration fees per team before June 14th is $150 and  After June 14, 2013 is  $175

Deadline’s registration is on June 20,2013

To Register your own team: www.48hourfilmproject.com/beirut

The 48 hour Film Project’s Contact info:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Beirut48HFP

Twitter: https://twitter.com/48HourFilmProj

To cover, sponsor or participate contact Producer Mo Rida on the following e-mail address: beirut@48hourfilm.com

شاهدوا فيلم “صـُفير” كاملاً للمخرج فراس خوري

فيلم “صفير” (32 دقيقة) فيلم درامي قصير من إخراج فراس خوري وهو يروي قصة نزار ابن التاسعه، خادم الهيكل في كنيسة القرية. نزار ولدٌ مُنطوٍ ومنبوذ اجتماعياً، ينطلق بجولة مبارزات مفاقسةالبيض والتي يلعبها أطفال القرية في عيد الفصح، وهدفه تجميع أكبر عدد من البيض ليضحي به ويقدمه لصديقه العزيز يسوع المسيح في كنيسة القرية. ما لا يعرفه الأولاد أنّ بيضة نزار “مشَمّعة” (طريقة غش يتم خلالها تنقيط شمع داخل البيضة لتصليبها). خلال أيام العيد يتعرف نزار على منى التي لا تخفي مودتها له. ينجح نزار في أن يربح المبارزات وتجميع الكثير من البيض فيحظى باحترام أطفال القرية، وحين يكشف أمره، يكتشف هو أنه قد حظي بأصدقاء جدد.

الفيلم من انتاج: روزين بشارات وأسنات طرابلسي؛ تصوير: ميخائيل بوردوجو؛ مونتاج: شاي رودوجوفسكي وتال شيفي؛ موسيقى: حبيب شحادة حنا؛ ديكور: شاي وولوتسكي، والفيلم حائز على جائزة أفضل فيلم قصير في مهرجان القدس السينمائي2010.

:شاهدوا الفيلم كاملاً

http://vimeo.com/25321508

FezFilms: Achieving With ZERO Budget

I was searching for new production companies using Google, a very different and catchy name appeared, FezFilms!

I had the curiosity to know more about it, so I had the chance to get in contact with Omar Alnimer, A Palestinian filmmaker and co-founder of FezFilms, who will tell us more about his original and  new production company “FezFilms”. We will also learn about the FezFilms’ creative team.

FezFilms is an online film production company with “commercials” as its main service.

FezFilms’ logo

FezFilms’ Birth

 Omar Alnimer came up with the idea of making his own production company after deciding that working as an employee is no longer suitable for him. He believes that the word “employee” is a modern word replaced by the word “slavery”, since we work most of our lives serving capitalists!

At first, Omar tried establishing this idea in Jordan, but unfortunately, he only received obliteration. He decided to work as a freelancer, that was good for him, because he had to learn how to produce films from A to Z, sometimes all alone! After two years, Omar decided to move to London (as he carries a British citizenship passport), but this time focusing on his research, which he started in 2005 about Human’s Supernatural Powers!  He is planning to work in parallel, in filmmaking, and his research, especially, to financially support his research, and implement the list of experiments he has in mind to prove his theories!

Omar came back to Lebanon to finish some family matters. One day, while he was sitting with Mohamad Lawand, Mohmad suggested starting  film production company. He was very serious about it and more enthusiastic than Omar, and because he knows people in Lebanon, he called Mayada Shakaroun, who is also excited about the idea, to join the team.

FezFilms’ team

Mohamad Lawand, who studied trading, owns a small business but decided to grow, so he became the founder and manager of FezFilms.

Mohammad Lawand

Omar Alnimer, who works as a filmmaker since 2006. He is the co-founder of Fezfilms.

Omar Alnimer

Mayada Shakaroun, who is studying filmmaking at the Lebanese University. She is very energetic, serious, committed and excited about being a partner at FezFilms.

Mayada Shakaroun

Kinan Al Shaghouri, is a Filmmaker student who is studying in the USA. He will be managing the branch in the USA with his own team.

Kinan Al Shagouri

The main company will be in London and there will be  branches in Lebanon, Jordan and United States.

FezFilms’ Origin

They decided to name the company Fez for two reasons. First, Fez was widely spread in “Bilad al Sham”, it was named after Morocco’s second largest city by Andalusian Arabs, in the 17th century. Second, They are a mix of Bilad al Sham nationalities, Mohamad & Mayada from Lebanon, Omar from Palestine, and Kinan from Syria.

The members of FezFilms started working on the upcoming commercial with no budget. The team volunteered to prepare a storyboard, shoot, and edit the upcoming commercial.

FezFilms’ Services

Their main service is to come up with creative ideas for commercials. By that they mean that they get paid for the idea itself and not for the commercial. Since they’re a film production company, they may offer to shoot the idea too.

FezFilms’ Future plans

“Our future plans are not clear yet, except for producing commercials” Omar said, “FezFilms is still in its infancy to think big, but if we were to expand, we would definitely go for producing humanitarian films, especially those with public awareness messages” he added.

FezFilms’ Aim

The aim of FezFilms is to become a worldwide leading company, producing the most creative commercial ideas.

“We don’t want to compete” said Omar, “we believe in collaboration, we are expecting support in terms of connections, sharing experience, volunteering and of course companies’ collaboration”.

FezFilms’ message

Their message to the world is that the concept of 23 Arab countries is an illusion. We are all united, this fact will be demonstrated in FezFilms!

FezFilms’ Contact Info.

If you are interested in being part of the team send your CVs to this e-mail address: FezFilms2013@gmail.com.  Follow FezFilms on Facebook, and  Twitter

FADE IN: FILMMAKING WORKSHOPS

FADE IN: The first two words of every screenplay, the first two words of the rest of your story, the key that will make you start making your own movie.  “Make your Movie” is a filmmaking workshop that helps you transform your ideas into a 3-minute short film without using any professional equipment.

I had the chance to meet Nadia Tabbara who runs FADE IN: workshops. She is a screenwriter and film maker and has worked in the Film

Nadia Tabbara

and TV Industry in New York City for over 5 years. She has worked on Hollywood films such as “Step Up 3D”, “The Adjustment Bureau” and “New York, I Love You” and popular TV shows such as “Flight of the Conchords”, “Bored to Death” and “The Good Wife”.
Early in her writing career, she was invited to train with Jacob Krueger, co-writer with several Academy Award Winners. Her feature scripts have advanced in Hollywood competitions and her short films have toured and competed in several international and US-based film festivals including SXSW (South by Southwest): Austin, TX and Milano International Film Festival: Milan, Italy.

Nadia says, “I started doing film making workshops with young kids and many adults approached me wondering if they could do the same.  That’s how I got the idea to start ‘Make Your Movie” Workshops.  The goals of the workshops are to transform your scripts into short films in a creative way.  It’s a place where you don’t just learn the techniques of film making but also you learn how to think visually.  You gain an appreciation for the craft of movie-making and also, walk away with your own short film!”

Nadia Tabbara with her Students after the screening

“Make Your Movie” Workshop was held for 5 days in April at AltCity, Hamra – Lebanon. 11 people participated, worked in teams of 2 to brainstorm, write scripts, shoot and edit their own short movies. They used their phones and digital cameras to shoot their movies.  Nadia said, “Anyone who has an idea or a good script and is thinking visually can do it using any camera.”  In addition, the participants had the chance to screen their short films at AltCity in front of an audience that included professional filmmakers.

“Make your Film” WorkshopKareem and Ashraf while editing there short film

After the screening, they got amazing feedback from friends, family, actors and professional guests from the film making industry. The audience was engaged in the short films.

Another feedback after the screening of the short films at AltCity

Student’s feedback

The upcoming workshop called “Make Another Movie” is a more in-depth look at the process of screenwriting, storyboarding, shooting and editing.  Although some prior knowledge is a plus, Nadia is seeking people who are committed and passionate about the craft of filmmaking

The upcoming workshop will be a total of 6 days split over two weekends. Classes will be held from 31^st May – 3 June.  Six hours a day including lunch break. Next, there is 1 weekend off during which, students will be shooting their short films.  After that, they will discuss the footage together along with Nadia and classmates. Then, they will come back on the 14^th and 15th of June to edit the movies and finalize everything in these 3 days.  Finally, the screening will be on the 16^th of June 2013. The workshop has potential guest speakers that work professionally in the Lebanese film industry as actors, sound engineers and editors.

The Upcoming workshop’s poster

Nadia Tabbara believes that you are a beginner in every film you make, because each film is a learning experience that is used for the next one.

If you are Cinema Passionate and committed to participate in this workshop, all you need is a digital camera or you phone!! To apply, go to AltCity in Hamra, register your name and pay the fees. For any further information visit FADE IN facebook page and Twitter you can also contact Nadia Tabbara via e-mail. Visit FADE IN’s youtube channel to see all the short movies.

Paulo Coelho’s Masterpiece: The Winner Stands Alone”

The Winner Stands Alone is a psychological thriller novel by The famous Paulo Coelho author of the Alchemist. the Novel’s plot is about  Igor, a Russian millionaire, Hamid, a Middle Eastern fashion magnate, American actress Gabriela, eager to land a leading role, ambitious criminal detective Savoy, hoping to resolve the case of his life, and Jasmine, a woman on the brink of a successful modeling career. Set at the Cannes Film Festival, the tale narrates the epic drama and tension between the characters in a 24 hour period. Igor, a man of extraordinary intelligence, has promised himself to destroy worlds to get his beloved wife Ewa, who left him for a successful designer, Hamid.

The Winner Stands Alone

I am one of  Paulo Coelho’s fans and I am deeply interested in reading his masterpieces   “The Winner Stands Alone” has a different path from the other novels which i read because it is about paying for one’s dreams in order to achieve it . Coelho created a great character of  “Igor” the criminal who kills in the name of greater love. The author gave his character a crucial  reason to send a message to his Ex-wife by killing all women  he met.

“Life sometimes separates people so that they can realize how much they mean to each other.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Winner Stands Alone

“The Winner Stands Alone” is roughly based on the growing rise of what the author calls “The superClass” who lives a luxurious life and wears Fashionable couture designed by famous designers.

“The Superclass tries to promote its values. Ordinary people complain
of divine injustice, they envy power, and it pains them to see
others having fun. They don’t understand that no one is having fun,
that everyone is worried and insecure, and that what the jewels, cars,
and fat wallets conceal is a huge inferiority complex.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Winner Stands Alone

Paulo Coelho was right when he portrayed the Film Directors and Producers in his novel because,in fact ,   this is  the way they think, behave and exploit actresses and crew members. Last but not least, this novel changed my life since it asserted all my doubts that i had conceived about some directors and producers.

She Knows three things:
(a) that men are less treacherous than women;
(b) that they never notice what a woman is wearing because 
they’re always mentally undressing her,
(c) that as long as you’ve got breasts,thighs,buttocks and belly in 
good trim, you can conquer the world.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Winner Stands Alone