Gianluca Chacra
Though largely caught in the web of Hollywood and Bollywood’s commercial arms, moviegoers in the UAE are waking up to the revelations of alternative cinema. Rajeev Nair has the details
The Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) hasn’t defined itself as a mere showcase of arthouse films. From screening utter escapist fare like Ocean’s Twelve to the hard-hitting reality bites expounded in Hamburg Cell, Diff had delivered a mixed platter last year.
But in doing so, in giving screen-space to the non-commercial productions, the film festival also brought to focus the alternative cinema movement that has already struck roots in the UAE.
Indeed, cinema that does not fit into a commercial format has its share of enthusiasts in Dubai. Through blogs to on-line interaction and Thursday night get-togethers to special screenings, these select bunches of filmgoers have been digging into the classics and New Age cinema with unbridled enthusiasm.
They have been studying the works by masters, discussing world cinema movement, figuring out trends and passing on the word that beyond the cineplexes next door, where Hollywood screams its head out, there is still cinema, after all. And meaningful one at that.
If not in tangible results, Diff has certainly brought the spotlight on these niche crowds.
A discussion on Dubai’s arthouse film culture could ideally start from Gianluca Chacra, managing director, Front Row Filmed Entertainment LLC. Front Row has been revelling in picking films that theatres refuse to touch. Pertinently, they discovered that it is a niche that works. And how!
Front Row’s opening film, Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s Kandahar, which they brought straight to DVD, was a runaway success. The second, Michael Moore’s hard-hitting documentary, Bowling for Columbine, silenced skeptics. Since then, Front Row has also ventured into theatre releases — one of the most prized-catches, you guessed it right, being Fahrenheit 9/11.
And to think that Gianluca had sold his car to raise capital for starting this business!
A Lebanese-Italian, Gianluca’s family has been in the business of films for over 60 years. His uncle was distributor of Warner Bros films in the Middle East; his father has been an independent film distributor for four decades. That was a time when Lebanon ruled the entertainment market; the UAE was only emerging with just a few cinemas.
Gianluca grew up in Rome, went to college in Lebanon, and returned to Rome to work on a film festival. Meanwhile, he had part-timed with his uncle and dad, picking up the basics of the business. He realised that the film festival job wasn’t cut out for him, and in a bid to make his mark in business, he moved in to Dubai with the money he got by selling his car.
“Many distributors consider that the UAE does not have an audience for these (independent, arthouse) films,” says Gianluca. “I totally disagree. There are a lot of expatriates here, who want to watch them.”
He realised the potential of the alternative cinema movement and looked at buying smaller titles — “not the bad small ones but the critically acclaimed ones.” Despite these films’ popularity elsewhere, including film festival circuits, theatres were hesitant to touch them. Gianluca released them on DVD to “show we can get results.” The response to the first film, Kandahar, he says, “was even bigger than commercial films.” He expected a favourable turnout but was still surprised by its success.
He attributes it to the niche audience independent and arthouse films have. “Most Hollywood productions do not have a message, they are not up-to-date with current situations, and that is where independent films make the difference. They have something that Hollywood does not give.”
The success of Kandahar and Bowling for Columbine in the DVD circuit is also a testimony of the interest people in the Middle East have on politics. “Most people here are politically driven, and there are these ‘conspiracy theories’ when it comes to Middle East issues. Obviously, people here would be interested in films that address socio-political realities.”
Gianluca says the subjects handled by indie films are eclectic. “You find subjects that you really don’t know about. They are dramatic, realistic, and something you have never seen before.”
That element of novelty is not the sole consideration of Front Row in picking titles from most European countries and Southeast Asian countries too. They also dig into classics — but the bottom line is to anticipate whether the subject would appeal to UAE audiences.
The principle issue involved in expanding the base for alternative cinema in the UAE is to have an attitude shift at the retailers’ end, feels Gianluca. “It took me a lot of effort to convince people that Kandahar will work,” he recalls.
And he would like to see a lot more visibility to alternative cinema titles. The large arm of commercial cinema has been so far-reaching that it tends to trample over alternative titles. Retailer intervention, with a respect to alternative cinema sensibilities, could save the day.
Gianluca does not clog the market with many weekly releases. Front Row has about eight DVD releases per month — a figure kept low to ensure that every film gets the attention it deserves. “If you are launching five titles a week, which one will you focus your marketing efforts on? People will get lost in the clutter. Niche films need a niche marketing strategy.”
That is what he would like to see at the theatres too. He explains the sad performance of US box-office hit, Sideways, an award-winning film. “It was a niche film not for the mass market. It needed a different marketing strategy of playing at fewer theatres.”
Despite these hiccups, Gianluca is happy with the way alternative cinema is picking up in the UAE. However, he feels there is a larger role that Diff can play by strengthening its association with the Ministry of Information and addressing censorship issues.
He recalls the fate of Hamburg Cell, which was screened to critical acclaim at Diff. However, “the film is banned from screening in the UAE,” says Gianluca. He finds the ambiguity — of being screened at Diff but withheld from public theatres — baffling.
Having facilitated the release of the first UAE film, Dreams, recently, Gianluca is encouraged by the positive response of Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City in nurturing a film culture in Dubai. “They have taken into consideration creating a film fund in assistance with the government like the way it is done in Europe and the US.”
Front Row is working closely with Diff in bringing a few landmark films this year. The company also associates with Cairo Film Festival. “We are giving the film, Man to Man, starring Kristin Scott Thomas,” says Gianluca. She will attend the opening of the film at Cairo Film Festival.
Gianluca is not closing his doors on commercial cinema. A newly found arm, Shooting Stars, which will handle the distribution of Warner releases, is preparing for the theatre releases of some true heavyweights including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and George Clooney’s Syriana, which was shot in the UAE.
Meanwhile, he is also optimistic of guarding the niche segment of alternative cinema because the old guards still believe that posters with guns and explosions work. “Not any more,” smiles the youngster. “People are aware of cinema; they have the Internet and cable. They know if a film is good or bad…”
That is precisely the kind of movie lovers who gather at the movie screening sessions by 9714 at Ibo, Millennium Airport Hotel, every week, or at Five Green’s fashion and art events. These movie-buffs look beyond the confines of commercial cinema and discover gleaming gems from alternative cinema that gives them the creative high.
“We have been hosting alternative cinema screenings at various locations around Dubai for the past couple of years,” says Shehab Hamad of 9714. “There have been monthly screenings of animated, shorts, experimental, foreign and independent productions…. all non-mainstream.”
Michael Ross of 9714
One of the first films to be screened thus was I Call Myself Persian directed by Tanaz Eshaghian and Sara Nodjoumi, who sought the identity of Iranians living in America post-9/11. “The response was phenomenal; it was a multimedia event and it attracted about 800 people.”
Michael Ross of 9714, who is in charge of the programming, says the movie selection has been largely eclectic. “It is a mixed bag, and the films are those that I like. I can’t even say it is a representation of the best or respected directors in the world because the films (chosen) are what I personally really like.”
These have varied from Divine Intervention by Palestinian filmmaker Elie Suleiman to Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, and Almodovar’s La Mala Educacion to Woody Allen’s comedy classic Annie Hall.
A recent screening was of La Haine (Hate), a film that catapulted actor-writer-director Mathie Kassovitz to the limelight. The French film about the cultural diversification in Parisian suburbs couldn’t have come more timely for the Dubai audience watching news unfold of the riots in Paris.
There is a growth in the audience for alternative cinema but the segment will always remain niche, feel Shehab and Michael. “It remains a niche all over the world and in Dubai, there is a big enough audience to sustain interest in these films.”
While the interest in alternative cinema selections has been broad-spectrum, “it looks like Italy is winning (in audience appreciation),” says Michael. Shehab adds that American independent films are the least popular.
Diff has catalysed interest in alternative cinema, observes Michael. “It sure has raised the profile of arthouse films.”
That sure is good news for indie and arthouse filmmakers.
