Interview with the team of SAIFY screening at Red Sea International Film Festival

SAIFY screening at Red Sea International Film Festival

Interview by Emmanuel Itier with director: Wael Abumansour, actors/actresses: Aixa Kay, Nour Alkhadra and Husam Alharthi

Director Wael Abumansour just delivered a very intelligent and wicked movie that follows a man in his 40’s trying to achieve a quick wealth while selling banned religious sermons in his small cassette shop. The warmth and the depth of his acting team deliver an emotional ride full of surprises and humanity. Saify is a gem of a film, one you savor one sip at a time. Here is the highlights of my discussion with Wael and his actors.

Q: How did you get involved with this film and what was the attraction? Any challenges during the shooting?

Wael: It all started with the main character “Saify”. Since I’m a child I have seen that type of man who wants to get rich very fast. His means are very poor, and he has not talent. He only has ambition. I wanted to put that character in a movie. It’s also about a society going into transitions from the mid 90’s to the year 2000. Postproduction was down in France in Cahors for 2 months and this was exiting and challenging. I chose two great French composers for my movie: Fabien and Mike Kourtzer. They are super creative and very resourceful. These guys do the job for the passion of it and not for the money. They put their whole personality in  it.

Nour: When I found out Wael was directing this film I immediately wanted to be part of it. Wael is brilliant and he is so trustful with no ego, even so he knows what he wants. The character is very strong on the outside and soft inside. I enjoyed playing her. It’s a character that goes down a lot but who knows how to collect herself and be back on the ring. There was lots of prep for this film, and this was some kind of challenge. But everything went so smoothly.

Aixa: An old friend contacted me and told me about this film. And while talking with the director I realized I had a lot in common with the character I play who is highly spiritual and loving of nature. The only challenge I faced was the day I got bitten by a mosquito at the beach one day of filming. The next day my eye was really swollen, and it was a big problem for continuity. But the crew figured it out and in no time, I was back at being myself. Thanks, God, for Wael being so calm and so focused. He made my job so easy for sure.

Husam: This is a film taking place in Jeddah and I’m from here so it’s a blessing to play in such film. I didn’t really meet any challenges. It was pure joy working with Wael. I agree that he is so calm and with so much talent. He always finds a way to talk with his actors to get what he wants from them.

Q: What is the film truly about for you?

Aixa: It’s about a certain segment of society that is never seen. It’s about these people who always to try to rise but there is always something pushing them down. They are resilient and they have so many misfortunes. I hope this film creates a conversation about nostalgia, memory, neighborhoods and the authenticity about Saudia Arabia. 

Husam:  It’s made to move people and to entertain them. It’s a remembrance of Jeddah and a certain time. It shows the resilience and the resistance of people facing challenges and how they never give up.

Wael: How to deal with failure is the main theme. Also, what is the self-image you are exposing in society. Everyone wants to portray a self-image. How do you heal from failure. There is a very dynamic relationship between the five characters and how they deal with failure and what is their journey. I hope people have a great time watching our movie and I hope they connect to it with some level of internal conversation.

Nour: Who are you and what do you want from life. This is what this film is about for me. The film is about the complexity of the human soul. It’s a very character driven movie. It’s a very organic movie. We hope people will talk about our movie. Let’s start the buzz  about it.