A Filmmaker's Journey

My blog has moved

2010-02-14T00:50:00.000-08:00

I've started a new blog, so please visit at Wordpress. Here's the LINK.

I'll be posting more regularly about things other than Captain Abu Raed.

Doha Tribeca Blog #3

2009-11-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to say, Doha Tribeca has been one incredibly impressive and inspiring film festival. The soul is focused on nurturing local filmmakers from Doha, but the context is within a global stage. Between Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Mira Nair, Ben Kingsley and Adel Imam, there were new surprises everyday. For me, there were two really special discoveries. One is Elia Suleiman's powerful Palestinian film The Time That Remains which is just a beautiful and powerful comedy about Elia and his father in Palestine, and the second is Amir Ghonem, a young talented Egyptian actor and up and coming filmmaker who played a hilarious Haggler in one of the shorts introducing the films at each screening. This guy is a new talent who will shine, and one day I'll come back and ask him to be in one of my films. He's brilliant.

DTFF surpassed my expectations. The spirit of Doha is beautiful. The culture and the people, lovely. I so look forward to coming back again in the future. One of my favorite festivals I've ever been to.

Doha Tribeca Blog #2: Arab Cinema

2009-10-27T00:20:00.000-07:00

There's something very exciting happening in the Arab world right now. A powerful force of artistic voices is coming to life like the sound of an orchestra tuning up, getting ready to explode into a grand overture. Quality Arabic films are starting to emerge on the world stage. Local voices are coming together. A sense of artistic film community is growing and spreading. Film schools and film festivals are bridging cultures between continents. We have Arabs telling Arab stories and preserving portraits of time through cinema that will stay around for future generations to discover.

This is all beautiful and exciting, but now let's see how we can really take this movement and turn it into a self-sustaining industry. How can we create an Arab film culture that speaks to mass audiences so we can keep people coming to Arabic films in Arabic cinemas like they flock to see the latest Jason Statham Transporter action film at the multiplex? Well, the answer is starting to come to me. And I think it's simpler than you would think. We just need to make fun movies. We need to make genre movies: comedies, horror, suspense, thrillers...etc. We need to start thinking about the potential of fun cinema in order to shape a theater-going industry.

People go to the movies to escape everyday life. We go to movies to be entertained. Who would want to go to the movies and watch a drama about a depressing subject when all they look at all day is depressing news about the suffering in the world? People go to the movies to laugh, to be excited, and be inspired, to be scared or fall in love. They go to forget their everyday troubles. So now I think there's a very special opportunity for Arab filmmakers to focus their talents on making entertainment. My first film was a drama that dealt with some dark subjects, but it had comedy and lightness throughout. My next film is a comedy. There's great power in comedy. It's not easy to pull off, but it's something that needs to be nurtured and cultivated.

Something to think about. I went to see the new phenomenon of a film in the US. There's a big hit film called Paranormal Activity that's sweeping the box office charts. It's generated more than $60million in revenues in a few weeks and that's just the beginning. The film will surpass $100million quickly. It's a very intelligently made horror film about a haunted house. I should let you know that the film cost $15,000 to make. There are four characters in the entire film. It's all set in one house. Shot with a little video camera. It was superbly executed with very little resources. The digital age has now allowed us to do anything. The sky is the limit. The rest is up to your imagination.

Doha Tribeca Film Festival Blog #1

2009-10-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

In the lead up to the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, I've been asked to write a blog focusing on the position of my film in this new rise of cinema in the Arab world.

Well, it's been some time now that Captain Abu Raed has been circulating from festivals to cinemas, and now DVD and television. Looking back, as the film has played in over 70 countries, here are some things that I can share (I'm going to jump all over the place, but there's so much to touch on and discuss)...

There have been various differing claims: "the first Jordanian film, the first film out of Jordan in 50 years, the first film ever exported from Jordan to the world's cinemas..." etc. There are a million ways to interpret it, but what honestly matters most to me is that I made a film that I loved and nurtured and felt the rewards of sharing with audiences across cultures. That was my biggest goal. The rest is just hype and marketing. I think that any filmmaker who gets distracted with the idea of writing history, and takes their eyes off the ball of actually making a good film that is honest to its own self-contained heart, will be in trouble. What was most important to me while prepping, filming, and editing was that I make a film that affected me personally, for as the director, I am the ambassador for the audience.

In our business plan from the beginning, as we approached investors, the strategy was very simple. There are elements that are within your control, and elements outside of your control when trying to make a film and send it out into the world. Half the battle is actually making the film. The other half is the seemingly impossible struggle to get it distributed out to the world. Something like 80 to 90% of independent films never get picked up for distribution. So our only hope was to simply make the best film we can make, minimize the risk variables, and hope for the best. I don't think a bank would trust such a simple strategy with a loan. Thank God for our amazing Jordanian investors who believed in this film. It all goes back to one simple concept: heart.

Is your heart in your film? Are you doing it for love or for glory? I can't imagine anyone making a good or great film if they're doing it for the glory. You make a film because you care about the characters. You care about their trials and tribulations. Their struggle for survival. Their comedic behavior. The way they deal with their challenges. In the world of independent film, especially in the Arab world, we're far behind on CGI technology. Special effects are expensive, and big set pieces are a long ways away down the road. What we do have, that no special effects can ever replace, is the gift of storytelling. Storytelling is in our blood and culture. That is the special effect that we have the power to cultivate. Nurture good stories with strong characters. That's the foundation for this art. The rest is a combination of art and craft that gets improved with training and collaborating. We'll talk more about that in a separate blog about building a film.

Next blog I think I'll write about the new rise of Arabic cinema.

Up In the Air and Captain

2009-09-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Check out the parallel between this poster from the new George Clooney Film, Up In the Air, with Mr. Clooney looking out the winodow of a US Airport, and the image of Abu Raed looking out the window in Jordan's airport.

Captain Abu Raed Soundtrack Album Now Available on CD

2009-08-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Listed as the #1 Top Score of 2008 by Film Music Magazine, Austin Wintory's complete beautiful orchestral score for Captain is now available on CD from Buy Soundtracks Records in a Limited Edition with beautiful packaging. The first 100 copies shipped will be signed by out brilliant composer, who I will bet my house that he will be the next John Williams in just a few years.

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

The Captain lands in New York

2009-08-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

This Friday. Opening in New York. I'll be there for Q&A. www.CaptainFilm.com

Captain Expands in San Francisco

2009-07-28T00:04:00.000-07:00

Here we go...
As a result of the opening weekend, Captain Abu Raed expands to four theaters in San Francisco this Friday the 31st at the following venues:

San Francisco:
Balboa Theater
Opera Plaza
UA Stonestown Twin

Berkeley:
Shattuck

It also opens in Denver, Colorado at the Chez Artiste Theater. Composer Austin Wintory will be holding Q&A's on Friday and Saturday's 4:15 and 6:45 shows. Please tell your friends. Also keep your eye out for San Diego and New York opening the following weeks. More updates to be announced as the theatrical bookings continue to grow. www.CaptainFilm.com

Something fresh

2009-07-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just got back from San Francisco and Berkeley where we had an excited audience of surprisingly very few Arabs. I was pleased to see a mostly American audience coming to see a Jordanian film in a US cinema. After one of the Berkeley screenings, a group of college students came up to me and started talking in Arabic. But they were all Americans and Canadians. I was blown away to see so many American students learning Arabic.

One of my old teachers, Leonard Schraeder once said of the whole Bush Iraq war/mess... He said something like this: "It's just like what happened with the Japanese in America during WW2. First the American public didn't know anything about the Japanese. Then they hated them after Pearl Harbor. There was fear and uncertainty. Then it was followed by curiosity. And then understanding." Well, never in my life have I seen this many American students being so curious and fascinated by the Arab world. And to hear them speak Arabic was just refreshing. Maybe we're entering that phase... from hatred to curiosity. Eventually we will come to understanding.

Cello & Oboe

2009-07-24T12:11:00.001-07:00

Here's a little montage of my beast Cello & Oboe as they grow from puppies to titans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byZ1xvStZ_M

Now Playing

2009-07-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

Okay friends. Starting today, Captain Abu Raed takes flight opening in one or two new cities every week. I'll be doing Q&A's in San Francisco tonight, Berkeley tomorrow, then Austin our composer, will be in Denver next week. I'll be in San Diego the week after, then New York, Washington DC, and where the road takes me. Please tell your friends to check www.CaptainFilm.com for the continuously updated schedule. Our distributor will be booking more cities after this weekend.

Also, the soundtrack album is just around the corner. We just approved artwork. It will be out on BSX Records and available on iTunes for download in the coming weeks.

Believe me, I'm ready to move on with my life, but this film is my baby, and this is the most important part of the cycle. For anyone who wants to make movies, you better love your first film, because it will be the center of your life for at least four years.

See you at the movies.

Captain DVD in parts of Europe

2009-07-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

Buy the new Spanish dubbed DVD of Captain Abu Raed, now in stores in Spain. Here's the trailer en Espangol!
Click here to order.

Also, coming July 23rd, the German-dubbed Edition in Deutchland. Click here to order.

Also, look for it on DVD in the Netherlands, Finland, and other parts of Europe. France and England still in the works.

As for the US, the film is now playing in Seattle, and opening in San Francisco, Denver, San Diego, New York, DC, Boston, and other major US cities over the next few weeks. Please check www.CaptainFilm.com for the updated schedule and links to get tickets.

Finally the US opening is here

2009-07-02T15:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow July 3rd, Captain Abu Raed opens its first official theatrical run in the US in Seattle. At the end of July it begins spreading with San Francisco, then on to other cities.

Here's the link to the trailer for the US which just had its debut on Quicktime trailers.

Captain Abu Raed - US Theatrical Release Schedule

2009-05-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Finally the three year Captain Abu Raed journey leads us to the final destination, the US theatrical release. Actually, there's still the DVD destination next year, but it's every filmmaker's dream to get their baby in cinemas going beyond festivals. So below is the US theatrical trailer and the release schedule. More cities will be announced and updated soon. Please tell all your friends to check it out in the cinema.

US THEATRICAL TRAILER

JUNE
PANOI, CO
(June 28, 29, & 31) Paradise Theater

OJAI, CA
(6/28/2009) Ojai Theater

JULY
SEATTLE, WA
(7/3/2009) Landmark Varsity

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
(7/24/2009) Landmark Lumiere

BERKELEY, CA
(7/24/2009) Landmark Shattuck

DENVER, CO
(7/31/2009) Landmark Chez Artiste

AUGUST
SAN DIEGO, CA
(8/7/2009) Landmark Ken Cinemas

NEW YORK, NY
(8/14/2009) Angelika

WASHINGTON DC
(8/21/2009) E Street

DETROIT, MI
(8/21/2009) Landmark Maple Art Center

BOSTON, MA
(8/28/2009) Landmark Kendall Square

PHILADELPHIA, PA
(8/28/2009) Landmark Ritz at the Bourse

SEPTEMBER
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
(9/11/2009) Landmark Lagoon Cinema

To be announced soon:
Chicago, IL
Houston, TX
Dallas, TX
Miami, FL
Los Angeles, CA
Irvine, CA
Palm Springs, CA
Portland, OR
Columbus, OH
...and more coming soon

Action sequence in New York

2009-05-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a one-minute action sequence I shot with Waleed Zuaiter running in New York. We filmed in a couple of hours with my little Sony HD Handycam. Too much fun.

Here's MAN RUNNING

Now playing in Northern Michigan

2009-04-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

A special one-week run of Captain in Traverse City at the beautiful State Theater. The official US release is around the corner coming in July. A beautiful new trailer is due out soon. It takes a long time for Indy films to come around, but this is it. While I get ready for my next movie, my first movie is about to hit the cinemas in the US. Yay!

More Awards and Updates

2009-02-28T08:19:00.000-08:00

Captain Abu Raed just won Best Director at the Portland International Film Festival, and Best Foreign Film at the Midwest Theater Film Festival. That takes us to 26 awards. Awesome! And now we're going to the next phase. Captain Abu Raed is about to begin its theatrical release around Europe and the United States.

Finland opening March 6.

Spain and Germany open March 12 and 13.
Here's the link to the SPANISH TRAILER. The film has been dubbed to Spanish, which is surreal and fun to see.

Also, opening in the US in May starting with New York and Chicago, then spreading to 40 Major US cities.

We'll be closing the Sedona Film Festival tomorrow March 1.

Thank you everyone for all your support. This film's journey continues thanks to grassroots word of mouth.

Captain Abu Raed update

2009-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Latest Award:
- Palm Springs International Film Festival - John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature

- UK's Northern Lights Film Festival - Debut Feature Film Award

NOW PLAYING
NETHERLANDS - Opened in cinemas Jan. 8

COMING SOON:
FEBRUARY 2009
- FINLAND - (Opening in cinemas Feb. 6)
- PORTLAND, Oregon (Feb 6,8,11 at Portland International Film Festival)
- IRAN - Tehran International Film Festival (Feb 1-11)

MARCH 2009
- GERMANY (Opening in cinemas March 12)
- SPAIN (Opening in cinemas March 13)
- CYPRESS - Cypress International Film Festival (March 14-21)
- FRANCE - Special Screening at the Arab World Institute (March 23)
- WALES - One World Film Festival

APRIL/MAY 2009
- New York, Chicago (starting in two cities then wider release)

The Oscars and beyond

2009-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

To our Dear Captain Abu Raed family and friends,

The short list of Oscar contenders for Best Foreign Film was announced today, and unfortunately, after all the buzz and the hype, Captain Abu Raed got overlooked, as did Italy's much hyped Gomorra. How this happened, none of us can explain or make sense of it, but it is what it is, and there's nothing more that we can do as far as the Oscars go. It would've been nice to get nominated, but we didn't.

The good news is that after winning 24 awards and playing in some 35 countries at festivals around the world, the festival phase is coming to a close with Palm Springs and Tahran next month. And it is this week that the film's official Europe theatrical release launches with the opening in the Netherlands on Jan 8, then Spain and Germany on March 12. Our US release is just around the corner, due after the Oscars. 2008 was the year of the festivals, 2009 will be the year of the actual release of the film. We're not done yet ladies and gentlemen.

Looking at how far we've come, I would like to stop for a second and tell you Thank you. Thank you for all your support and hard work in the different steps along this journey. I've learned so much and I promise to carry what I've learned from this experience to benefit the next one. So while today came with disappointing news, it did make me reflect on this little miracle we all gave birth to together, a movie that will transcend the Oscars and today's headlines for decades and decades. We've etched a little piece of art into the timeline of cinema history. Captain Abu Raed will always be that first Jordanian movie that traveled the world. So thank you.

Now, we have a theatrical release to attend to, and the next phase of the journey has just begun. We still have a long fun road ahead.

Let the world see

2009-01-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

My anger over what Israel is doing in Gaza has been consuming me for the past week. This is a video I put together to protest what's going on. Let the world see who is the monster here. The only way to peace is to lead with peace. Enough playing the victim! Enough false propaganda! These images are not from 1942. These images are from this week.

P.S. Please don't leave comments because I'm not turning my blog into a political debate forum. I'm not publishing comments here. I just want to express my rage through this little video. The facts are the facts. Israel has massacred hundreds of Palestinian civilians including children while the world sits watching. This video is for the innocent Palestinian children in Gaza.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Captain Abu Raed on DVD in Middle East

2008-12-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

This week Captain Abu Raed comes out on DVD in stores across the Middle East starting with Jordan by the end of the week.

The DVD includes a special 30-minute behind the scenes documentary about the making of the film. From what I understand, you have to skip through a couple of scenes placed before the making-of to get to the actual behind-the-scenes program.

In Jordan, the DVD can be found at: Virgin, Prime, Music Box, Orange, Future, Jordan Book Centre, Video House, Blaze, Plaza, Virgo, Qintar, plus 15 other smaller shops.

Captain Double-Wins in Kuala Lumpur

2008-11-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

Captain Abu Raed took home two more awards last night in Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival.

Best Asian Film (the competitions are divided by continents)
and
Best Actor (Nadim Sawalha)

This brings our total to 21 awards. Jackpot.

In summary, here's what this little Jordanian film has won so far this year:

1. Sundance Film Festival - World Cinema Audience Award
2. Heartland Film Festival - Grand Prize
3. Heartland Film Festival - Audience Award
4. Heartland Film Festival - Crystal Heart Award
5. Traverse City Film Festival - Audience Award
6. Traverse City Film Festival - Best of the Fest Jury Award
7. Seattle International Film Festival - Best Director
8. Helsinki International Film Festival - Audience Award
9. Rehoboth Beach Film Festival - Audience Award
10. Maui Film Festival - Best Narrative Film, World Cinema
11. Durban International Film Festival - Best First Feature
12. Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival - Best Asian Film
13. Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Actor
14. Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Actress
15. Dubai International Film Festival - Best Actor
16. Buenes Aires St. Luis Film Festival - Best Actor
17. Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival - Best Actor
18. New Orleans Middle East Film Festival - Best Feature
19. Beirut International Film Festival - Best Screenplay
20. Variety Middle East Filmmaker of the Year - Amin Matalqa
21. Hollywood Music Awards - Best New Composer - Austin Wintory

See Slumdog Millionaire

2008-11-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

My favorite movie of the year. Danny Boyle shines again with this film. It's everything I love about great fun filmmaking. Excellent performances across the board. Great energy, camera-work, and music. A beautiful innocent love story set across India, from the slums to the riches. And a terrific leading actor.

Austin Wintory wins at Hollywood Music Awards

2008-11-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

Austin Wintory won the Best New Composer at the Hollywood Music Awards last night for his powerful score to Captain Abu Raed. I hope this is the beginning of a series of recognitions for Austin's rich orchestral music for the film. This is our 19th award for the film as a team. Here's to the Academy and the Golden Globe. Captain Abu Raed was my second collaboration with Austin. The first was my AFI thesis film, Morning Latte, for which he won the Film Music Award for Best Score for a Student Film.

You can listen to a bunch of his varied scores at his site www.austinwintory.com

Also read THIS INTERVIEW that just went up on Soundtrack.net

Nadim Sawalha wins Best Actor in Argentina

2008-11-20T16:14:00.000-08:00

Nadim Sawalha has won the Best Actor Award in Buenes Aires, Argentina at the St. Luis Film Festival. This is Nadim's 3rd Best Actor prize, the film's 18th prize around the world, and this makes Captain Abu Raed an award winner in five continents. More exciting stuff to come soon!

On Writing Movies

2008-11-13T11:32:00.001-08:00

I'm starting a new screenplay today, and I feel it's important to always be reading about writing while writing because it keeps you asking questions and evoking new thoughts about your approach and such. And today I was skimming through one of the David Mamet books on writing, and he said that viewers watch films wanting to know what's going to happen next, so any scenes that dwell on backstory exposition will slow your film down. And I agree with him for the most part. But what I think is more important to me as a director is that I want the audience to want to see my film more than once. And the key to that is performance and behavior. Once you've seen the plot in a film, the question of what's next goes away. So I sit on the side of the fence that believes that character is more important than plot. And character comes from interaction. Eye contact. Blocking. Unsaid magic. Those are the things that make me want to see films over and over. That, and of course the marriage of cinematography and music.

So my bottom line: plot is the least important element. And remember that story and plot are not the same thing.

The music of Basil Poledouris

2008-11-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, one of my personal heroes, legendary composer Basil Poledouris, passed away. I can tell you through words how much his music affected my life, or I can just share this amazing video collage of some of his scores. I dedicated Captain Abu Raed to three people: my grandfather, Wahbeh Jabaji (whose innocence inspired the character of Abu Raed), Michael Kamen (who was my hero growing up, and dear friend later in life), and Basil Poledouris, who I never met in person, but emailed with when I was in college, and was inspired by his love for animals, the ocean, and movies that are bigger than life.

Click to watch this awesome tribute and introduction to a master who will live forever through his incredible music.

Two more Audience Awards

2008-11-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

Somehow I forgot to mention that we also won the Audience Award at Heartland Film Festival in addition to the Grand Prize and the Crystal Heart. Here's what they wrote...

"...And in what most saw coming a mile away, Grand Prize Winner Captain Abu Raed took home the double-play of honors with the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature, too. Amin Matalqa’s quiet observation on dreams and possibilities is making a splash at festivals around the world, and it captured crowds in Indianapolis, too."

This was the first time that a subtitled foreign film wins the Grand Prize, let alone the audience award. There were 620 feature films submitted to Heartland this year.

Then last night I got an email notifying us that we won the Best Feature award at the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival in Delaware. This brings our total to 17 major festival awards. I apologize if my blog has turned into award announcement central, but it's a good place to keep people informed and preserve these memories.

This week Captain Abu Raed played in Argentina in Buenes Aires. I wish I could've gone, but now that we have US Theatrical distribution, I can rest a little and focus my attention on my next movie. I've written three scripts while traveling with the Captain, and now it's time to get them made. I'll write more about what's next next time.

See you at the movies.

Captain Abu Raed gets US Theatrical Distribution from NeoClassics Films

2008-11-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Captain Abu Raed receives US theatrical distribution from NeoClassics Films along with UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. The film will be released in January/February starting with New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. In the meantime, the Captain will be released in Beverly Hills tomorrow November 7th for one week for Oscar qualification for Best Actor, Nadim Sawalha, and Best Original Score by Austin Wintory. So if you're in LA, come on down and bring your friends.

HERE'S THE LINK TO THE SCREENING

And here's the link to the DISTRIBUTION ANNOUNCEMENT

God Bless America. God Bless President Obama

2008-11-05T07:50:00.000-08:00

It's a new beginning, a new era, a new America. I am so proud and overjoyed. As we watched the electoral votes come in last night, it was very clear. We were watching a historic moment. I hope the country will unite to heal as the world unites to heal, and a new chapter in world relations begins under president Barack Obama.

Update of upcoming shows and festivals

2008-10-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

-Los Angeles - Arab Film Festival (Oct 24) Opening Film
-Spain - Valladolid International Film Fest (Oct. 24) - Opening Film
-USC School of Cinema - Special Screening (Oct. 25)
-Wichita, Kansas - Tallgrass Film Festival (Oct. 25, 26)
-Hollywood - Variety Screening Series - Archlight on Sunset (Oct. 28)
-Carthage Film Festival (Oct. 25- Nov.1)
-Washington DC International Film Festival (Nov. 1 & 2)
-Palm Desert, California - Nov. 5
-Delaware - Rehoboth Beach Film Festival (Nov 5,6,9)
-Chicago (Mid. Nov, more info soon)
-Greece - Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Nov 14,16)
-Egypt - Cairo International Film Festival (Nov. 17-22)
-Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival (Nov. 27, 28)
-Opening in Los Angeles Nov 7th Laemlle Music Hall in Beverly Hills

Links to get tickets at www.CaptainAbuRaed.com

Captain Abu Raed wins Grand Prize at Heartland

2008-10-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

LINK
"Captain Abu Raed," a Jordanian drama about a janitor who pretends to be an airline pilot, took the top prize at the 2008 Heartland Film Festival on Saturday night. Writer/director Amin Matalqa won the $100,000 grand prize for Best Dramatic Feature, the largest cash award given by any U.S. film festival. The film stars Nadim Sawalha as a humble but wise man who is mistaken for a pilot by the children in his neighborhood, and delights them with fictional stories of his adventures. "At Sundance, we won the award for world cinema. I was so excited, and got up on stage and said, 'I think we can make movies that make a difference.' And I felt like such a doofus, because it was such an idealist thing to say," Matalqa said.
"And here we are 10 months later, and I feel like we're being appreciated, and there is a place where these movies are here to make a difference. It feels like it's just the beginning."

The Oscar race between 67 countries

2008-10-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

A record number of 67 countries are competing for the Oscar this year for Best Foreign Film. Here's the final list.

It's a strange and exciting feeling, but I keep telling myself focus on the next movie, focus on the next movie. It's not the destination, it's the journey.

Captain Abu Raed wins Finland's Audience Award & Distribution deal

2008-09-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

It is very exciting to see Jordan making marks on the map of world cinema with Captain Abu Raed. While I was in Vancouver on Monday walking into the theater to introduce the film, I got an email on my phone that said Captain Abu Raed won the Audience Award at the Helsinki International Film Festival all the way up in Finland. And the exciting thing is that this year the winner gets a national distribution deal in Finnish cinemas. So if you live in Finland, Captain Abu Raed opens in theaters just before Christmas, on December 19. Thank you Finland and thank you to the wonderful enthusiastic audiences in Vancouver. I had an amazing time.

CLICK HERE for the link to the press release.

Honor Crimes in Jordan

2008-09-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of years, thanks to the blogsphere, I've been reading articles about honor killings in Jordan and the outrageous judicial system that lets murderers get away with some of the ugliest most brutal crimes imaginable. Yesterday I read THIS POST by Naseem Tarawneh, and suddenly I'm fueled with rage to write a film that deals with this mess to bring it to the forefront. So, if you have any stories you would like to share, please email them to me as I'll be researching this subject over the next few weeks. Thanks.

Abu Raed everywhere!

2008-09-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

An update to the upcoming screenings. Captain Abu Raed will be playing every day in a different city in October. Here's the schedule. Links to get tickets are available on www.CaptainAbuRaed.com

-Filmmaker Symposium - New Jersey (Sept. 15,16)
-Ohio State University - special screening (Sept. 19)
-Helsinki International Film Festival - Finland (Sept. 20, 21)
-Vancouver International Film Festival (Sept. 25, 28, 29)
-Pyong Yang Film Festival, North Korea (Sept)
-Pusan Film Festival, South Korea (Oct. 2-9)
-Beirut International Film Festival (Oct. 5-8)
-Mill Valley Film Festival (October 10, 12)
-Puerto Rico, San Juan International Film Fest. (Oct 11)
-Middle East International Film Festival (Abu Dhabi, Special screening Oct. 14)
-Heartland Film Festival - Indiana (Oct. 17,18,20,21,22,23)
-San Francisco - Arab Film Festival (Oct 17)
-San Jose - Arab Film Festival (Oct 19)
-Los Angeles - Arab Film Festival (Oct 24)
-USC School of Cinema (Oct. 25)
-Carthage Film Festival (Oct. 25- Nov.1)
-Opening in Lebanon, Qatar and Kuwait (coming soon)
-Opening in Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Taiwan soon
-Coming in November to Cairo, Greece, and Kuala Lumpur

Opening in Los Angeles Nov 7th at Laemlle Music Hall in Beverly Hills

Captain Abu Raed in Finland, Vancouver, and North Korea

2008-09-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

Helsinki International Film Festival - Finland (Sept. 20, 21)

Vancouver International Film Festival (Sept. 25, 28, 29)

Pyong Yang Film Festival, North Korea (Sept)

Please check www.CaptainAbuRaed.com for links to get tickets

Captain Abu Raed coming to Ohio State University

2008-09-09T12:33:00.001-07:00

Screening Friday Sept. 19 at 8pm. Theatre 180 of Hagerty Hall, 1775 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210. Parking will be available in the garage adjacent to the building.

Tell your friends.
Yay!

Captain Abu Raed goes for the OSCAR

2008-09-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

It's official...

Click here for the VARIETY ARTICLE

FOR THE 1st TIME, JORDAN JOINS OSCAR RACE

Amman, 03/09/08 - For the first time, Jordan is officially joining the race for the Oscar’s Awards with the submission of the feature-length film “Captain Abu Raed”, by Amin Matalqa.

An independent Submission Committee, recently constituted by the Royal Film Commission– Jordan according to the rules set by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, convened on the 31st of August and selected the film “Captain Abu Raed” to represent Jordan at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, due to be held on 22 February 2009 in Hollywood. The Committee, which is renewable yearly, includes eight members who are prominent players in the Jordanian film and television communities.

H.E. Mr. Munir Nassar, Chairman of the Oscar Submission Committee for Jordan, commented saying: “These are exciting times. The mere fact that a Jordanian film will be submitted for the first time is an indication that the film industry in Jordan has matured”.

Written and directed by Jordanian filmmaker Amin Matalqa, Captain Abu Raed - starring Nadim Sawalha and Rana Sultan – tells a gripping story of an airport janitor who is mistaken for an airline pilot by a group of children living in his modest neighborhood. He begins to weave fantastical stories in order to offer them inspiration and hope. The film was financed by Paper & Pen Films of Jordan and produced by David Pritchard president of Gigapix Studios along with Amin Matalqa and Laith Majali.

Captain Abu Raed has played for several consecutive weeks in Amman commercial theaters and won a number of festival international awards among which: Dramatic World Cinema Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Best Actor Award (Nadim Sawalha) at the 2007 Dubai International Film Festival, Best Actor (Nadim Sawalha) and Best Actress (Rana Sultan) Awards at the 2008 Newport Beach Film Festival; Best Director at Seattle’s Golden Space Needle Award (Amin Matalqa) at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival; Best Narrative Feature World Cinema at the 2008 Maui Film Festival, Best First Feature at the 2008 South Africa’s Durban International Film Festival and Audience Award for Best Fiction Film and the jury Award for Best of Fest Fiction Film at the 2008 Traverse City Film Festival. The film is being represented worldwide by Fortissimo Films.

Captain Abu Raed screening in Aqaba Sept 4

2008-09-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

THE RED SEA INSTITUTE OF CINEMATIC ARTS will be presenting a screening of CAPTAIN ABU RAED on Thursday the 4th of September at 9pm, at the theater of the Great Arab Revolt Plaza in Aqaba.

The Genius of Chaplin

2008-08-28T00:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Chaplin scenes. This is from The Gold Rush (1942). YouTube isn't the best place to see their expressions, but if you enlarge it to full frame you can look at their faces. Brilliantly comedy at its best.

The set up is that Charlie and this other guy are starving with nothing to eat, and then Charlie finds a solution to satisfy their hunger. Narration by Charlie Chaplin. Enjoy the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgWiFTCZYBo

Captain Abu Raed wins Best Feature in New Orleans

2008-08-12T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're sick of hearing about it, but I'm loving this. This is our 10th Award for Captain Abu Raed, and it's a very satisfying feeling to hear that audiences everywhere root for "Captain Abu". Keep your fingers crossed for the upcoming big race.

Captain Abu Raed wins in South Africa

2008-08-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

After winning the Jury and Audience Awards in Traverse City, I woke up to the news that Captain Abu Raed also won BEST FIRST FEATURE in South Africa at the 29th Durban International Film Festival. Here's the LINK

Once again, it is truly an honor to be encouraged by festivals all over the world. From the beginning, our goal was to make a film of the highest international standards to prove that Jordan can have a spot on the map of world cinema.

Next stops:

- New Orleans on August 10
- Pyongyang, North Korea in mid-September
- New Jersey in mid-September
- Vancouver, Canada in late September
- Mill Valley in Northern California in October
- San Francisco in mid-October

Captain Abu Raed shines on the Midwest

2008-08-05T07:48:00.001-07:00

First of all, God bless Michael Moore. Like Robert Redford with Sundance, Michael Moore and his team have created what has grow to become the biggest film festival in the Midwest, that is the Traverse City Film Festival, with over 90,000 attendees in its fourth year. And this week Abu Raed won both the Jury and the Audience awards for Best Feature Film, competing against both American and international films. The response of our audience of over 1000 people blew my mind. This was the 35th and 36th time that I see the film with an audience since our premier in Dubai. And it felt like I was seeing it for the first time. At the end of both screenings we received "thunderous" applause (as one article described it) and a very moving standing ovation. Imagine going up to the stage after your film and you look into the lights and you see everyone stand up clapping. It's both moving and inspiring to me.

But what's most important is that now I realize that we have a movie that is bigger than I ever thought. Based on the reactions we saw at Traverse City, where the viewers are not from the movie business, but from your everyday world, I am convinced that even though times are extremely tough for foreign films in the market now, we have a sleeper hit that will continue to grow and grow and grow thanks to word of mouth.

Thank you everyone who came to see Abu Raed, and to all those spreading the word about the little movie that could.

Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival

2008-07-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

Captain Abu Raed will be screening on August 1 and 3 at the Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. Word is that Michael Moore is a big fan of Captain Abu Raed. He asked to put us in the best venues at the best times. And we're already sold out. HERE'S THE LINK

Japan in Black and White

2008-07-24T22:28:00.001-07:00

My Journey Through Japan

2008-07-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

This was my last day in Japan, after a week full of new discoveries of a part of the world that I knew so little about. I was supposed to be here for three days with Captain Abu Raed, but I fell in love with this country and its people and decided to stay for a week. One of the greatest benefits of making movies is that you make new friends from all over the world. And here in Japan, this group of filmmakers from Jordan, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, and Lebanon have built a special bond that will last for a lifetime. From the first day we met, we instantly hit it off at the Spider bar down the street. The next morning, we all felt the earth shake from the 15th floor of the hotel where we're staying. It was scary then sweet! To experience an earthquake in Japan from a high-rise, Yes! And everyday we've experienced something new. From Zen gardens to Budhist temples, to incredibly dense city chaos and neon lights to narrow old-fashioned Japanese restaurants. Hopping on trains. Watching people. Meditating on life. Relating a culture so different from our own, yet so spiritually enriching. The people are so patient and respectful. Such basic virtues that we seem to get farther and farther away from in the US and Jordan.

If I look back at the life I wished to have when I decided to leave my business suit behind, this is exactly what I wished for. To live a life of traveling the world, experiencing cultures, and making friends that teach me about their countries. It is the life I wished to have while writing Captain Abu Raed, and it came out in the form of this old man in my movie. Well, now Abu Raed is actually traveling the world and making new friends. I'll write more when I get back to LA.

Upcoming July Screenings & New Reviews

2008-07-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

The following are screenings of Captain Abu Raed in the month of July:
Click on the screenings for link to get tickets.

- London: BAFTA - July 13

- Ireland - Galway Film Festival - July 13

- Jerusalem Film Festival: July 14 & 16

- Japan: Skip City Digital Film Festival - July 20, 23

- South Africa - Durban Film Festival July 31, Aug 2nd

- Michigan: Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival (more info soon)

In addition, More great reviews from Edinburgh:

- Picture Show Pundits

- Eye for Film

Showtimes in Dubai and rest of UAE...

2008-06-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I would study the cinema page in the newspaper. I would see every movie playing in the theater. I would cut out the posters from the Sunday edition of the New York Times and keep them in a folder. I was obsessed with movies. Now, of course we look online for showtimes. So imagine the special feeling I got tonight when I clicked on the Grand Cinemas and saw that my film is playing at multiple multiplexes across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the UAE right next to Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and all those films. Of course the film played in Jordan and in festivals around the world, but there's something different here. I don't know what it is, but I love the feeling.

GRAND CINEMAS CLICK HERE for showtimes in cinemas.

Mall of Emirates CLICK HERE

My Obsession with Charlie Chaplin...

2008-06-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

I got to enter the gates of a supremely special place yesterday, Charlie Chaplin's studio, which is now the Jim Henson company (Muppet Show). First of all, I am haunted by the ghost of Charlie Chaplin. Every year, I become more obsessed with this man's genius and brilliance. Almost every one of his films is a masterpiece. City Lights, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, The Circus... etc. Chaplin Wrote, Directed, Produced, Composed Music, Edited, and of course Acted in almost every one of his films. He was obsessed with his art and has left a legacy that has made him timeless and immortal.

I grew up watching his shorts on TV in Jordan back in the mid 80's. I remember sitting eating zeit u za3tar in the kitchen and watching them on the small TV alone at night and being strangely haunted by the blend of sadness and comedy with the stories of the tramp.

Jump to 20 years later, I wrote my first film, Captain Abu Raed at the Starbucks just across the street from Chaplin Studios on La Brea. This place was built in 1917. And I just finished writing my next script from the same place. I feel like the magic of Chaplin glows over this neighborhood. Sometimes I go walking down the street and wish I could jump back in time to the old Hollywood of the 1920's and 30's. And I always walked just down the street from my apartment past the gates of Chaplin Studios wishing I could just go past the gates to see what it's like inside. But the guards would never allow me in.

Finally yesterday Austin my composer had a trip to visit a recording studio there where he will score a horror film. So we went in, and suddenly standing in his cemented footsteps, I was transported back in time. I was standing in Charlie's studio where he made all his great pictures. Oh what a magical moment that was!

I get so much inspiration from this brilliant genius. If you're not familiar with his films, I highly recommend starting with City Lights. Then you'll be hooked.

Captain Abu Raed wins at Maui Film Festival

2008-06-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Aloha!
Once again, with another wonderful goal, Captain Abu Raed wins Best Narrative Feature - World Cinema at the Maui Film Festival. CLICK FOR PRESS RELEASE.

One year ago today, we wrapped production on our special Jordanian film. And now we are seeing the seeds of everybody's hard work pay off. I am so thankful to everyone at every festival who has voted for Abu Raed. It is still an absolute thrill! After sitting with audiences for over 30 screenings, to this day I love watching the movie because I hear audiences react and get engaged into the world of this movie with both laughter and tears. It's the most powerful feeling in the world. That a film, something that was at one time just a pile of papers bound together, is now gaining momentum as a representative of Jordan to the rest of the world. I am absolutely thrilled. Next stops: Scotland, then Japan, South Africa, and Jerusalem.

Of course, don't forget to tell your friends, Captain Abu Raed is opening across the Emirates on June 26.

Win tickets to UAE Captain Abu Raed Premier

2008-06-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Win tickets to the premier of Captain Abu Raed in the United Arab Emirates on June 24, opening in theaters across the country on June 26 along with tickets to Jordan and more surprises.

Click Here for the link to the contest.

Tell your friends and family to go see it in the cinema. It will not be available on DVD until it's toured the world.

Winner - Best Director, Seattle International Film Festival

2008-06-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise to get the news today that I won Best Director at the Seattle International Film Festival! This just gets better and better. I just got back from Maui last night where we had a great audience. The word continues to spread about this little Jordanian film that could.

HERE'S THE LINK for the announcement about Captain Abu Raed winning.

This makes this the fifth Award for Captain Abu Raed after winning:

Sundance Audience Award - World Cinema
Dubai International Film Festival - Best Actor
Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Actor
Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Actress

Mabrook to everyone who helped make this film. It is a reflection of everyone's passion to deliver this labor of love.

Spirit of the Cosmos - Music by Austin Wintory

2008-06-10T16:54:00.001-07:00

If you enjoy big orchestral music and film scores, then you're in for a treat. From Austin Wintory, composer of Captain Abu Raed, you can finally download his rich orchestral album, Spirit of the Cosmos.

Either click on THIS LINK

Or just go to itunes and type in Austin Wintory to listen to this album which he composed and conducted the performance by the Utah Symphony Orchestra a few years back.

A new short - "A Time Square Moment"

2008-06-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't shot anything in a year. It's fun to make little shorts and sketches. We were walking in New York Time Square and decided to make a short film with my little digital still camera. It's 38 seconds long. Here's...

A TIME SQUARE MOMENT

Starring Claire Naber & Mutaz Qubbaj
Directed by Amin Matalqa

June 26 - Abu Raed in Cinemas across the United Arab Emirates

2008-06-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

On June 26, Captain Abu Raed opens in cinemas across the United Arab Emirates. From Dubai to Abu Dhabi, check your local listings for cinemas featuring Captain Abu Raed.

Coming to cinemas across the Middle East shortly thereafter.

Tell your friends!
Tell your neighbors!
Abu Raed is coming to town!

Not available on DVD.

Abu Raed in Seattle and Maui

2008-05-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Captain Abu Raed is playing on June 1 and June 4 at the Seattle International Film Festival.
CLICK HERE to buy tickets

Also new is that it will be playing at the Maui Film Festival on June 13
CLICK HERE for tickets

Other upcoming festivals in June:

New York: June 7 and 8. CLICK HERE for tickets

Edinburgh International Film Festival: June 22 & 27
CLICK HERE for tickets

Captain Abu Raed sells to Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg

2008-05-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

Very exciting news today!

Coming out of the Cannes market, Captain Abu Raed has just sold for distribution in Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

In addition, check this out in the WALL STREET JOURNAL
It's very exciting to see the picture of Abu Raed and the kids in the Wall street Journal. It is in reference to our upcoming screenings in New York.

It's getting harder to keep up with where the film is traveling now as it spreads its wings with Fortissimo Films. Come July, the film will be in festivals in Ireland, South Africa, and Japan. We have a slate of more announcements coming up for distribution in other territories.

Captain Abu Raed in The Washington Times

2008-05-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE for the actual article

The make-believe 'Captain'
By Kelly Jane Torrance
May 23, 2008

Amin Matalqa hasn't just made his first feature film. He has made, producers say, the first independent film to come out of Jordan in five decades. Moreover, he accomplished this feat while still a student — he's the first at the American Film Institute Conservatory to have finished a feature film before he graduated.

Even better, "Captain Abu Raed" is no mere curiosity. It's an accomplished, moving film that is racking up awards as it makes its way through the festival circuit. It won the Dramatic World Cinema Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival and took top actor and top actress honors at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Jordan's ambassador, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, presented a special screening of the film Tuesday night in the District. (Producers haven't yet sold distribution rights in the U.S., though the film already has started playing around the world. The Jordanian premiere in February was attended by Queen Rania.)

The film stars Nadim Sawalha ("Syriana" and dozens of other films) as the title character, a janitor in Amman's airport who, on walking home in a pilot's cap he found in a trash can, is mistaken for a pilot by the children in his poor neighborhood. At first, the old man tries to tell the youngsters the truth. However, when he sees how starved they are for dreams, he turns himself into Captain Abu Raed, spinning tales of his adventures around the world.

That hat might have belonged to Nour (Jordan television presenter Rana Sultan), a pilot who ends up befriending Abu Raed. She's a beautiful, independent, modern woman whose father won't stop setting her up with eligible bachelors in the hope she'll get married and give him grandchildren.

What starts out as a charming fable turns serious when the wise Abu Raed tries to help not just Nour, but the local children. There's Tareq, whose father won't let him go to school until he has made the family some money each day, and Murad, a cynic. ("People like us don't become pilots," Murad says when trying to convince the others that the old man is a janitor.)

The film is a deft look at contemporary Jordan that handles weighty issues with grace and manages to leaven the seriousness with humor. (Some of it must be lost in translation, however — the many Arab speakers in the audience were laughing at things that didn't seem quite so funny in the English subtitles.)

In a question-and-answer session after the film, Mr. Matalqa and executive producer David Pritchard spoke about bringing "Captain Abu Raed" to life. The writer-director grew up in Jordan, coming with his family to the States at age 13. He spent the school year in Ohio and his summers back in Jordan and graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in business.

After spending five years in the telecommunications world, he decided to move to Los Angeles and finally pursue his lifelong love of film. He made about 25 shorts before Mr. Pritchard made a suggestion that led to his first feature: "Why not write a movie that if Charlie Chaplin were alive, he'd want to be in?" (His grandfather and the Italian classic "Cinema Paradiso" also served as inspiration.)

"Captain Abu Raed" wouldn't have worked if not for the talents of its child actors. They were found in "a very unconventional way," Mr. Matalqa noted: He and producers visited six refugee camps. After meeting about 200 children, they settled on 12, 10 of whom are fatherless. The film has changed their lives dramatically.

More and more movies — including Brian De Palma's 2007 film "Redacted" — are being filmed in Jordan, as it's an easy double for Iraq. Most don't show real life inside Jordan itself. Mr. Matalqa hopes his film will help change that — and present a non-stereotypical view of the Arab world to outsiders.

Mr. Pritchard talked about how just before Sundance, the film was shown to Mormon high schoolers in a small town in Utah. They loved the film and gasped when the beautiful — and without head scarf — lead actress told them afterward that she is a Muslim.

"That's how you break down the cultural barriers," Mr. Pritchard said.

The producer predicts the film will end up making a couple more firsts. "I know we're going to get nominated for the Academy Award. I know we're going to get nominated for the Golden Globe," he declared.

From Cannes to DC to Spain to Taiwan...

2008-05-19T02:04:00.000-07:00

Cannes has been like a zoo. It's like a fish market, except they're selling films and people wear nice clothes. Did I ever mention how uncomfortable I am in a suit? It reminds me of my telecom days, but I'll be back in my jeans after tomorrow. Being in the Cannes film market is humbling. While Captain Abu Raed has gotten tons of attention at the festivals, here at the market, it is one of a million other films. Just walking up the street, your senses get overloaded with giant billboards for multi-million dollar marketing campaigns for films from all over the world. And here we are, little ol' Jordan. It's a reminder that we are an independent film from the independent world competing with a zillion other independent films fighting for buyers' time and money.

But it is very comforting that we are in the hands of Fortissimo Films, and their reputation is gold, which makes me feel great every time I hear that from people when they ask me about who's selling the film. I got to meet Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood for Love) at the after party last night. Fortissimo is handling his film Ashes of Time. We're in great company. It just takes time for "foreign" films to make their way around the world.

We just sold Captain Abu Raed to Spain and Taiwan and have a slate of territories in negotiation that you will hear about soon enough.

Shooting Stars is distributing the film across the Arab world, and we will be opening in the United Arab Emirates at the end of June and will move on the Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain... and the rest of the Middle East after that. I will announce the date in the next blog.

In the morning I head to Washington DC for a private special screening that I'm really looking forward to.

And then back to LA so I can get back to writing.

Abu Raed goes to Pixar

2008-05-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Thursday night we had a fantastic screening in San Francisco thanks to the folks at the Arab Film Festival. It was a really enthusiastic crowd of Arabs, Americans, and Arab Americans. One of our missions with this film is to bridge the gap of this cultural divide. It was such a thrill not only to play for 400+ people in San Fran, but also to play at PIXAR the next day. There were Captain Abu Raed posters all over the studio that gave us Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and soon Wall-E, which I am dying to see! Thank you Ryan and Fadi for getting us to screen at Pixar. YAY! I have to say, the energy and the spirit of the creative people there is such an inspiration. It comes across in every one of their films.

Next up, Cannes!

Captain Abu Raed goes to Scotland! And New York!!

2008-05-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

We are delighted to announce that Captain Abu Raed has been selected for the prestigious Edinburgh International Film Festival.

We will be playing on both June 22nd and June 27.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS and to get tickets.

Edinburgh is gearing up to be the Sundance of Europe, celebrating new discoveries in international cinema. I will be there.

Also, Captain Abu Raed will be playing in New York at Sundance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on June 7 & 8. I will also be there for Q&A.

CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS AND MORE DETAILS

Also, if you are going to Cannes, Captain Abu Raed will be at the Cannes Film Market, screening for the industry on May 17, 18, and 19. I will be there.

Nadim Sawalha and Rana Sultan Win Newport Best Actor and Actress Awards

2008-05-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

Nadim Sawalha and Rana Sultan won both the Best Actor and Best Actress Jury Awards for their stellar heart-warming performances in Captain Abu Raed at the Newport Beach Film Festival as the film closed the festival with a packed screening of over 600 people at the Lido Regency Theater. It was such a thrill!

The festival presented 360 films from 37 countries. This was magnificent news we learned as we were heading to the closing screening when the jury announcement was made.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT

The audience reception of the film was spectacular! Mabrook to the Captains, Nadim and Rana!!!

Captain Abu Raed - Newport Beach & San Francisco

2008-04-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

For those of you in Southern and Northern California, we are excited to share Captain Abu Raed with you at the following events:

May 1st - Newport Beach Film Festival - Captain Abu Raed is the Closing night film.
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for the Film and the Gala.

May 8th - San Francisco - Arab Film Festival Special Benefit Event
CLICK HERE to Purchase tickets and for more info.

Also upcoming:
Mid-May, if you are in CANNES, look for special screenings of Captain Abu Raed at the CANNES FILM MARKET.

June 2nd and 4th - SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. More details to come in a future post.

June 7th and 8th - NEW YORK - Sundance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music

I will be present at all of the above.

Most Influential

2008-04-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

Well friends, Jordan Business has nominated it's Jordan Power List down to 200 people, and I am honored to be included as one of the influential people considered for the final round of 30 names in Jordan. That alone is an honor. If you would like to cast your vote for me, then CLICK HERE, and simply check next to my name (7th down on the influential list) and enter your email address at the bottom.

Thank you for your vote.

My boys

2008-04-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Abu Raed does Turkey and Sonoma

2008-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

If you are in Northern California, look for Captain Abu Raed on Friday April 11 and Sunday April 13th at noon at the Sonoma International Film Festival.

If you are in Istanbul, Turkey, there is still one more screening of Captain Abu Raed on April 16 at the Istanbul International Film Festival.

For the few cynics in Jordan

2008-04-06T01:32:00.000-07:00

The reception for Captain Abu Raed in Jordan has been tremendous and very encouraging as I plan to come back and make another film after I make my American film. I plan to continue coming back to Jordan because of our beautiful cast and the wonderful experience we had working together with a lovely crew.

Funny enough, with all the positive excitement, there were still a few individual cynical Jordanians who said I'm arrogant to claim to have made the first Jordanian film in 50 years and went into the film ready to attack it no matter what. So I'll take a minute here and set the record straight.

Captain Abu Raed IS the first Jordanian feature film in 50 years. A few people raised questions asking "What about Oriental Tale"? made in 1991. Oriental Tale was directed by Najdat Anzour, a well-known Syrian TV director (key word: Syrian), not a Jordanian, and it was funded by a FRENCH organization (key word: French). So I'm not sure how that makes it a Jordanian film. Adnan Mdanat, possibly the most bitter Jordanian I've met, can argue all he wants. He was especially bitter that Captain Abu Raed made it into Sundance. How much more regressive shall one get?

Captain Abu Raed was funded by Jordanians and directed by a Jordanian. I don't care about being the first and all that, but the facts are the facts. You can't argue with the facts.

So this takes us back to 1957, which is when "Struggle In Jerash" was made. And we've always recognized the significance of that film. If anything, I hope the attention Captain Abu Raed has brought to that film can bring it to a cinema somewhere so we can actually finally see it. I would love that.

And that's what I have to say about the history of Jordanian cinema. The fact that we spent a year raising the money for it in Jordan, the fact that we brought together all the people interested in a Jordanian film industry and formed Paper & Pen Films, the fact that the film was made, and that it's gone on to win the Audience Award at Sundance and continues to tour at other important festivals and has already been picked up by Fortissimo Films for International sales is something we're all very proud of. Most important for me is the effect the film has had on people. I've seen teenagers and old people both laugh and cry. And for me, that's the biggest accomplishment as a filmmaker.

It's time for those cynics to open their eyes and look at the big picture. We've set a new standard with Captain Abu Raed. This film will benefit your potential to make films for the cinema, so you can choose to attack it or you can embrace the concept of a Jordanian film industry. I look forward to seeing who will make the next Jordanian feature film and how the movie turns out.

I met a lot of talented and enthusiastic young Jordanians like Samer Nimri who I believe will do something very special in due time. People have to work together to nurture this new industry. For me, I'm not affected by the cynics because I don't live in Amman and our film has done really well and will keep spreading. I don't look down, but the petty attacks in Jo Magazine are funny to me. However, I know the importance of support, and if those new Jordanian filmmakers don't get local support when they make their films, they will be affected. So, you cynics, stop whining and do something positive. Work together. Change the way you think. Turn your negative energy into something positive. I promise you that it will feel really good. And if it's that difficult, then go hug someone and you'll feel better. I promise. Turn your hate into love and something special will take place. That's all I have for you. Peace out.

Captain Abu Raed closing Newport Beach Film Festival

2008-03-27T02:05:00.000-07:00

If you're in Los Angeles or Orange County, mark your calendar for May 1st, 2008:
Sundance Champ "Captain Abu Raed" to Close Newport Fest

Irbid Refugee Camp

2008-03-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

As I was cleaning up my computer, I came across these pictures I took from April 2007, when Nadine, Ken, and I took a journey to find Udey Qiddissi, who played Tareq in Captain Abu Raed. It was a most fascinating experience as it was my first time going to a refugee camp. Seeing the simplicity and the joy from the simple pleasures on the kids's faces, playing marbles or soccer in the alleys of the Irbid refugee camp. They have very little and live on next to nothing, yet they don't complain.

Click on any photo to enlarge:

And finally, we found Udey.

Clash of the Titans

2008-03-22T14:35:00.001-07:00

AFI Showcase April 9

2008-03-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

If you're in Los Angeles on April 9th and would like to see my crazy AFI black comedy thesis film, "Morning Latte", about the devil in a coffee shop, then come to the Archlight Theater in Hollywood at 7:30 for a fun night of short films. AFI thesis films will be screening from April 7th to the 10th. My film is on the 9th. Here's a link to the trailer for the series:
My film is the one with the Samurai Sword and the Devil.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRAILER

Captain Abu Raed World Screenings

2008-03-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Captain Abu Raed will be playing in the following cities:

Hong Kong at the Hong Kong International Film Market this week

Dallas, Texas at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival (March 28, 30 & April 1)

Sonoma International Film Festival in California (April 11, 13)

Istanbul International Film Festival in Turkey (April 6, 9, 16)

Newport Beach Film Festival (May 1st)

Seattle International Film Festival in May & June (more to come)

Cannes International Film Market in May (more to come)

Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York (June 7 & 8th)

Middle East Theatrical release: Also, look for a commercial theatrical release in the rest of the Middle East beyond Jordan in May right after Cannes.

More details on additional screenings to come.
In addition to the above, the film has now played in Jordan, Dubai, London, Sundance (Utah), Miami, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Quite exciting!

Going International and Toronto feedback

2008-03-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Now that it's public news... Captain Abu Raed is officially going international.

"Fortissimo Flies with Captain"

We'll keep you posted on more news as Captain Abu Raed lands in a country near you.

In the meantime, here's the amazing feedback we got from the 1000 person screening in Toronto, Canada on Sunday:

According to Jane Schoettle, INternational programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival programmer:

"...the film recieved the HIGHEST EVER approval rating from our audience. The audience loved seeing a film from Jordan and the entire experience, and many were profoundly moved by the film. This is a tough, smart crowd, hard to win over--but CAPTAIN ABU RAED did it!"

In addition, here were specific comments that they sent back to us from audience members:

How exciting to see a film that shows so many different sides of a country unfamiliar to us.

Excellent film. Wonderful Film.

Great film, brilliant acting, beautifully shot.

Wonderful film. Great cinematography, lovely music. (I should have recognized John Williams but didn’t expect him as the composer). Great acting all around. Balanced overview of Jordanian classes & society,

This was a beautiful film – it certainly didn’t end the way I expected from how it began. In a way, it was two films within one –but without the relationship he develops with the children, it would not have been able to give the same impact for the second half. I’m SO glad I was able to see this film!

This film had everything – touching story, beautiful cinematography, great score – what real cinema is all about.

I enjoyed every second of this film. I could watch it again - straight away. And what wonderful surprised at the end with the Jordanian guests. Added to the magic of the film experience.

This was just a fantastic and beautiful Film. Breathtaking – the scenery, the simplicity and the emotionality. I’m speechless and heartbroken. Bravo.

I love seeing a film that was by a Jordanian filmed in Amman and with Jordanian actors. We really need to see more of this – for us or to enlarge our perspective, our viewing eyes. Something that comes from within - not something that looks at from without (ie. North American). I loved the children in this film! I also loved the camera work – the respect it gave the characters and the character of the city – beautiful.

Wonderful development of characters. Visually interesting.

Extraordinary film! Subtle, humanistic, psychologically sounds and realistic; a fine touching story, beautifully acted with many subtle cinematic touches – very authentic and convincing – the best film of the season!!

Wonderful film, beautiful acting.

Enjoyed all aspects of the film, beautiful, poignant, revealing – loved the actors.

Rena Suftan as Nour gives a wonderful performance.

An arresting film offering a dismal perspective on Jordanian fatherhood and its outcomes.

Very polished film. Central character father figure, who successfully grounded plot. Relationship with kids did feel reminiscent of Truffault understated kids’ performances were credible and moving. Altogether an emotionally real experience that could be situated in Europe in an immigrant community or in Middle East. Ending a little to pat but still, terrific film. Pace, music and acting so wonderful. Kudos to director.

Outstanding, moving, profound.

Nice to see a film from a country that I’ve never seen before. Interesting to see into Jordanian culture.

Great acting. Wonderful photography and music.

What a wonderful, heart-warming story. Beautiful cinematography! Children were amazing – social/real-life situations. Bravo! Great choice!

Amazing and moving. Perfect for the 100th anniversary (almost, less a day) of International Women’s Day.

Captain Abu Raed in more US cities

2008-03-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

(pictures from the premier in Jordan, Feb. 5, 2008. Her Majesty Queen Rania attended the premier along with over 500 people that amazing night.)

More screenings coming your way. While the film is still going strong after six weeks of playing in Jordan, Captain Abu Raed continues it's tour around the festival circuit abroad. Having now played at Sundance in Utah, in Dubai, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto, and London we're excited that the movie is getting very strong emotional responses across

Look for the film at:

AFI Dallas International Film Festival at the end of March

Seattle International Film Festival: End of May till Mid June

New York: Brooklyn Academy of Music screenings in June

There will also be upcoming screenings in Northern California and Orange County as well as Europe and of course a theatrical release in other Arab countries in the next couple of months.

See keep checking the blog for updates on information when Captain Abu Raed will be screening near you.

Captain Abu Raed in Toronto this Sunday

2008-03-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

If you're in Toronto, Canada and would like to see Captain Abu Raed, please send me an email to amatalqa@mac.com and I will forward you details for a big screening this Sunday March 9th.

To my Ohio friends: VOTE OBAMA!

2008-03-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

To all my friends back in Ohio, this is the moment where you can make a difference. It's time for us to have a president who comes from the outside. Not another politician. It's time for us to have a leader who is not hungry for war. Someone who can fix things through honest diplomacy. I truly have never felt so strongly about a president. If there's anyone who can fix the mess that George Bush and his idiots have done in the world, it's Barak Obama. Tomorrow is the big day in Ohio and Texas. Please go out there and make a difference. If we get Hillary Clinton, we're going to be hearing the same song and dance all over again.

At the end of the day it all comes down to one thing. Look in their eyes. Look at Hillary Clinton's eyes, then look at Obama's eyes. What do they tell you? Set aside the politics and all the issues they're running on for a second and just think about what their eyes tell you.

For me personally, I look at Clinton and I see more wars, more death. I see us attacking Iran because she wants to prove that she can run the country with an iron fist like another man. I see her continuing to blindly support Israel for the horrendous treatment of the Palestinian people. I see her continuing to run America's ideals of world-leadership into the ground. Then I look at Obama and I see a man who genuinely wants to repair the damage that has been done both inside the US and across the globe. I see a man who wants to create new alliances around the world. A man who will be the first dignified US president in a long long time.

America is in really bad shape inside and outside. Now more than ever, the people can make a difference. Don't vote for Hillary Clinton and hope for the best. This is the chance to fix things. VOTE for Obama!

Abu Raed does The Fabulous Picture Show

2008-02-24T13:24:00.001-08:00

We were in London last week where we were featured on the Fabulous Picture Show.
We had a great time and the crowd was just a perfect blend of Brits and Jordanians living in London. Thanks everyone for coming. It was a lot of fun. More to come...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH the segment featured on the show.

Next stop: Miami International Film Festival

2008-02-16T03:15:00.000-08:00

If you're in the Miami area or somewhere nearby in the US, come see Captain Abu Raed at the Miami International Film Festival. Click on the link for showtimes. We're not in competition, but will be screening in the world panorama progoram.

See you in Miami

Captain Abu Raed - Showtimes

2008-02-06T03:23:00.001-08:00

As the local Jordanian newspapers didn't publish the showtimes today for some reason, here they are:

Playing in theaters starting today:

Grand Cinema - Citymall:
12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30, 11:45

Grand Zara:
11:00, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00, 11:15

Galleria Abdoun:
11:00, 3:00, 4:00, 7:00

Captain Abu Raed opens in theaters TONIGHT!

2008-02-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone in Jordan.
Finally the day I've been waiting for...
Captain Abu Raed opens tonight with a special prescreening at 11:30pm in Zara and Grand Cinemas in City Mall and begins regular theatrical play at the above two theaters and at the Galleria starting tomorrow. Please spread the word and see you at the movies!

Amin

A State of Surreal Reality

2008-01-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, where do I start? I don't know how to describe the feeling, but I will try to recap it with some words that are supposed to somehow summarize the penultimate highest moment of my life.

Like many other filmmakers, my whole life I've dreamed of making movies. Why? I'm not sure I can nail it down with words, but I can tell you that the whole creative process is very fulfilling. It's very satisfying to imagine drama and comedy... to write it on a piece of paper, then turn it into something that you can give life to with creative actors, film it with a cinematographer, cut it to tell a sequential story conveying emotions married to powerful music. To do this for a living? What more could I ever wish for?

Finally screening Captain Abu Raed, my first feature film, at the Sundance Film Festival was the most thrilling experience of my life. Every one of our screenings was packed and I was so thrilled to sit in the back and watch these audiences laugh and cry in all the right places and then come and tell me that they've fallen in love with my film and its characters. Something I've poured blood and sweat into over the last two and a half years with a group of incredible collaborators. I had several people come up and tell me they now have two favorite movies, Cinema Paradiso and Captain Abu Raed. It's a surreal experience. We've succeeded in making a movie that transcends cultures.

And then to have AN EXCELLENT REVIEW from Stephen Farber, the toughest critic at the Hollywood Reporter. Just when you think it's great... it gets better...

We got standing ovations at every screening, and almost every person stayed for the Q&A. One of the festival runners said this is the only movie to get a standing ovation at Sundance this year.

And to top everything off, finally at the awards show, they called it:

WINNER of the WORLD CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD: Captain Abu Raed. Scroll to 8:30 in this video of my acceptance speech.

And finally, I am happy to inform you that we are in serious discussions for theatrical distribution across the United States and the rest of the world. It will be just a matter of time before Captain Abu Raed is playing in a theater near you. Now it just doesn't get any better than that. And that my friends brings my childhood dream full circle.

Thank you Sundance. Thank you Paper & Pen Films. Thank you David Pritchard and everyone at Gigapix. And thank you everyone who has been part of my journey to get here.

Sundance Excitement

2008-01-15T21:51:00.000-08:00

I suppose now is as good a time as any to look back and reflect on the almost five years that I've been in Los Angeles leading up to this very exciting week with the Sundance Film Festival coming up in two days.

You know how some people look back and say "If I knew how much work this whole thing was going to take to get here, I don't know if I would've been able to pursue it"? Well, I don't think I can relate to that, primarily because as much work as this whole intense five-year period has been, I really enjoyed every moment of it. And I think that's the key in any career-path one picks for themselves. With all the ups and downs, it's all about how you deal with the journey. I remember when I submitted my first screenplay to the Sundance Writers lab back in 2004, it made the semi-finals short list but never made the final selection. I said that's okay. I'll just hope for the next opportunity and keep making short films in the meantime. And so a few months later I made it into AFI. So you never know where the opportunity shows up, but you have to keep taking shots and creating the possibility for another opportunity. And when it comes, you jump on it. I milked my education at AFI. I was always thinking about Captain Abu Raed while learning new methods and techniques. Especially the abstract things like extracting real performances from people and finding emotional truths in fictional situations. I would think about that stuff while rewriting the script. Using physical action to create subtext. That's the beauty of film.

So here we are now. I can't wait for the first screening. Our premier has been sold out for a while now, but we have a special event double-screening for 1600 high school kids the morning before the premier. I am so looking forward to that experience. At this stage, I've seen the film at least 300 times in one form or another (not to mention the two trillion times while cutting each scene), maybe more. And I still am moved by it. Yet now I watch the film for the audience's reaction more than anything else.

I've learned so much from life over the past five years. From the people I've met and worked with. If I die tomorrow, from a selfish standpoint, I would feel okay with myself because I've left a stamp in time with Captain Abu Raed. Now my focus is on taking things to the next level and making an even more challenging film. More complex, more difficult, and just as good.

Until then... see you at the movies!

La Vie En Rose

2008-01-12T06:51:00.001-08:00

I finally just got to watch "La Vie En Rose". Wow! What a beautiful film. Incredible performance from Marion Cotilliard and beautiful direction, cinematography, score, editing, and production design. I can't tell you how much I loved this film on so many levels. I can't believe it's not nominated for a Best Foreign film Golden Globe. Nonetheless, I can go on and on telling you how much I loved it, or I can just tell you to see it. Keep an eye for these long beautifully performed/choreographed steadycam shots. There's one in particular that haunts me! You'll know it when you see the film.

A New Website

2008-01-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. Okay, the countdown is on. In exactly two weeks, we'll be on our way to Sundance. Things have been heating up and we've got a total of seven screenings at and around the festival. This is going to be too much fun and a lot of work as we ramp up to sell the film to distributors around the world.

In the meantime, thanks to Omar Al-Zo'bi, we have a new official web site with a slick polished look. He did a beautiful job. It's still at the same address: www.CaptainAbuRaed.com

See you at Sundance, then in Amman.

Captain Abu Raed Trailer is up on YouTube

2007-12-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

Coming Feb 6th 2008 to cinemas across Amman.
Playing in competition at the Sundance Film Festival Jan 22nd through the 26th.
Winner of Best Actor at Dubai International Film Festival

Here's the Trailer for Captain Abu Raed.

Please tell your friends about it.
Here are a couple of reviews that hit the web after the world premier in Dubai:

SCREEN DAILY and
ARAB COMMENT

A great start in Dubai

2007-12-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

Finally winding down from a crazy fun time at the Dubai International Film Festival. What an extravagant set-up and what an exciting city. Being in Dubai at this time is like witnessing history being built. Hundreds of cranes fill the horizon as hundreds of new buildings pop up in this desert by the beach.

The festival was a lot of fun. I didn't get to see many films, but I got to meet a bunch of exciting people with a lot of enthusiasm. The organizers of the festival have really put an effort to make you feel welcome. First class treatment and a great place to motivate the future of Arabic cinema and cross-cultural diversity.

We premiered Captain Abu Raed at the festival, and the crowd was fantastic. We had a full house of 400 people, with a mixture of people who'd heard about the film and some who knew nothing about it. I was really pleased at the laughter and the tears that resulted in a beautiful finale and a long standing ovation. A very special moment and the first sign of success for our special little film.

And we picked up the Best Actor Award for our fantastic Nadim Sawalha (Abu Raed) at the end of the festival. I think this is just the beginning for things to come.
The buzz around the festival was circulating about Abu Raed, and that makes me smile. Next stop... Sundance!!!

"Captain Abu Raed" goes to Sundance

2007-11-28T14:35:00.001-08:00

It's official. Captain Abu Raed has been selected for the World Cinema Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The selection has been made from over 1,600 entries in this category this year. HERE'S THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

I've been biting my tongue holding back from making the announcement since we were notified last week. So our US premier will be in January, and the World premier will be at the Dubai Film Festival, in the Muhr Award competition on December 11th and 12th.

We made it into Sundance!!! I'm still pinching myself, but at the same time racing against the clock with our post-production team here in LA, led by Clark Graff, to do the final 35mm film-out before I head to Jordan in a few days.

It's been a crazy adventure with so many people influencing this film with their hearts and minds. Most recently it's been with our colorist, who color-timed every frame of the film to bring out the beautiful colors that Ray captured with his cinematography. Laith did a wonderful job editing the film with many sleepless nights. Austin's music is top notch. The production value perfectly compliments the story, and most importantly, we have superb performances from our amazing cast led by Nadim Sawalha as Abu Raed. And finally, people around the world will see Amman on the big screen. Finally!!!

I feel so blessed to have worked with so many passionate people to bring this film to life.

This is our last week and I can't wait to take a break and watch the final film with a fresh live audience. I've lived inside this world for two and a half years now, and have looked at these images and performances well over a thousand times each. And I still love the film.

We will be releasing Captain Abu Raed across theaters in Amman just a week after its Sundance debut. The release date we are targeting is February 6th. Mark your calendars. Captain Abu Raed will play at Zara, Grand, and Galleria.

If you are eager to see it in advance and happen to be in Dubai on Dec 11 or 12, then get your ticket through the Dubai Film Festival's web site as soon as possible.

See you at the movies!
Amin

A new web site with an official trailer are coming up online in just a few days.

Video of Captain Abu Raed Scoring Session

2007-11-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Well, here's a SNEAK PEAK at the SCORING SESSION for everyone to get a glimpse of this beautiful universal score that Austin Wintory, my brilliant collaborator and composer, has written for Captain Abu Raed.

As I mentioned last time, it's been a long dream coming to hear this kind of music written for one of my films. It's just the beginning of a long road ahead for Austin and I making movies together.

This here is the music for the storytelling montage.

Enjoy!

Outrageous Dolphin Massacres in Japan

2007-11-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

I am deeply disturbed by what's been going on in Japan. Thousands of innocent dolphins, brutally captured and killed by hunters while listening to each other suffering!!!

We need to put pressure on the Japanese government to stop this arrogant exploitation of life. I find this video very disturbing and painful to watch. It's very sad that humans have this arrogance over helpless animals. IT IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!

Watch THIS VIDEO and help put pressure on Japan by sending a message.

CLICK HERE to sign this petition.

If you care, it only takes you a second to send a message. Humans can be so cruel and disrespectful to life.

The Orchestra: My dream comes true

2007-10-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

How do I put this into words? I really don't know how to describe it. I can only say that it is the most thrilling experience of my life. I have been a film music fanatic since I was 13. I breathe film music. And now, to finally feel this massive live orchestra, made up of some of the best musicians in the world, people who have played for John Williams, James Newton Howard, Michael Kamen, Basil Poledouris, Danny Elfman... and now for AUSTIN WINTORY, my composer and my music partner for life... well, there are no words to describe it.

Over the past month, Austin has been working sleeplessly composing and orchestrating a score that only in my dreams would I have expected to hear put to my own film. This is the kind of score I grew up rushing to the music store to buy upon release. And now, here we are at Warner Brothers at the Clint Eastwood Scoring Stage experiencing it performed as he conducts the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

One more day of performance and this experience will be forever locked in my memory as the most special part of my life. This music is magic. It is what gives Captain Abu Raed that layer of life beyond what you see on the screen. And it is finally my dream come true.

Awaken the giant beast

2007-10-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

... a little critter came into my apartment and started trouble late last night. I got a photograph of him. For those who don't believe cartoons are real... well, I think this here proves you wrong.

Morning Latte Premier

2007-10-16T01:09:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen and all humans who may be in Los Angeles on October 26th. Just in time for Halloween week, you are invited to the premier of my AFI thesis film, the black comedy, "Morning Latte". The special event premier will be held at AFI in the hills of Hollywood at 8:00pm. If you're in the area and would like to see the wacky dark side of Amin Matalqa, something very different than Captain Abu Raed, then send me a message and I will give you details.

The 20-minute supernatural absurdest black comedy was shot in January 2007 at CBS Radford studios right where they used to film Seinfield.

Sound and Music

2007-10-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Just an update on where we are with Captain Abu Raed. We've locked picture and are now in the semi-last phase of post production: sound and music.

We've gone through every second of the film and spotted how the sound will function as that third dimension to enhance the audience's experience. We're recording ambient sounds for the background. So it's funny that while you'll be looking at Amman, you'll be hearing the silence of the hills in Los Angeles in the background. I guess it perfectly fits the blend of east and west behind the movie.

And of course, one of my favorite parts is the music. We're recording a 46 piece orchestra at Warner Brothers at the end of the month and will blend it with a trio of Arabic instruments (Qanoon, Oud, and Tabla) which we will record in Paris.

One of the important functions of the score for me is to make this film universal. So the string orchestra along with solo Cello, solo Oboe, harp, two flutes, an English horn, and a French Horn will give the film this universality that fits the story and characters.

More on the music as it takes shape.

Jordan and Captain Abu Raed in Variety

2007-09-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

So I get my Sunday edition of Variety, the leading journal for Hollywood and the entertainment business, and there's a picture of Abu Raed and the kids at the front of the Film page. We made it into Variety!!! This a milestone. I remember when I first got mentioned in Jordan's newspaper Al-Rai, how exciting it was. But now, Variety. This is very nice. Although they did manage to misspell my name somewhere along the way. They called me Amin Mutalqa.

Here it is:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972471.html?categoryid=2523&cs=1&query=captain+Abu+Raed

A morning with Gabriel

2007-09-19T23:24:00.001-07:00

I just got back from Paris where I got to spend a morning with one of my favorite composers in the world, Gabriel Yared. There are only a handful of film composers who have an original voice and aren't hacks or thieves. Gabriel Yared is one of them. He is the master behind scores like The English Patient, City of Angels, Cold Mountain, Autumn in New York, and countless European films that people in America haven't heard of. I grew up listening to his music, walking the streets with my headphones pluggin reality from my ears, allowing the rich notes to sweep me away to a different place, often in the clouds. Gabriel Yared has been a huge influence in my life the past ten years. And now I got to meet him at his home in Paris.

He took me around and showed me his studio where he sat at the piano and played me some of my favorite melodies. Oh what an inspiration. What a treasured moment in time. He showed me his process. His daily routine. The man wakes up and studies Bach and the great masters every morning. He sits and reads books of musical notation just like people read books of words. He sits reading scores, studying notes, hearing them in his head. I am blown away. At 58, after such accomplishments, he still sees himself as a student. These are my heroes. I hope to see myself as a student until the day I die. And then he spends his afternoon improvising and creating.

I left his place full of inspiration and desire to learn more. To study and to absorb. I have decided that I know nothing. I know so little that I know very close to nothing. And I have so much to learn.

So I left his place that morning full of desire to begin reading literature again. Educating Amin from books. If only I could learn by eating. I would then eat all the books at Barnes and Nobles.

The fun part

2007-09-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

It took us about a month to edit the 120 scenes in the film. Then we refined them and started deleting unnecessary and redundant moments. We tested the film in its various stages on small groups of audiences to get their feedback. What works and what doesn't. Just like writing, you need to step away from the work for a little bit so you can return to it with a fresh perspective. It's been a really fun and low-stress process. It's very fulfilling to see the movie getting the types of reactions it's getting. Now we approach the next phase of refining the film. We'll screen it to a larger audience in a theatre and get their feedback. What works, what doesn't. It's important to keep in mind that you will never please everyone because everybody has a different sensibility, yet it's hard sometimes to look at something objectively when you've been so deeply sunk into it.

We have temporary music placed throughout the film and the next phase will be to start working on the score and the sound mix. Half of the audience's experience watching a film is influenced through what they hear. Sound is such an under-appreciated element in film. Through ambiance, sound effects, foley (recreated sound), and music you can affect tempo, tone, and the entire realism or surrealism of the film. And this will be really fun. Using sound to enhance the film experience and take it to the next level.

I don't sleep anymore because I can't stop thinking about the moment this film will play to audiences in the theatre. I wonder how it will affect them. How will it be different than what they experience with the typical Hollywood film? Will it be something that will inspire someone and affect their life like so many movies affected mine when I was a kid. I can't wait for that moment. I think this is why I make movies.

Reliving the experience

2007-07-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

So we're editing the movie here in LA and it's really nice to be able to relive that experience every night as we put the movie together piece by piece, microscopic moment by microscopic moment. It's funny, I hear that everybody is talking about the movie in Amman, and here we are, Laith and I, on the other end of the planet, in a dark editing room, every night, putting the puzzle pieces together. Our equipment was held up in customs for a while on its way back from Jordan, but we've had a few days of editing now and we're trying to finish five scenes a day so we can get the movie ready for submission into the major festivals. You know, when you shoot something you often finish and you're excited and your imagination thinks the footage is better than what it actually is. You often spice up the movie in your imagination. Well, I am happy to tell you that there's none of that with this one. Everything we've looked at so far is as good if not better than how I remember it. I don't want to sit here and sound like I'm hyping up my movie, but I promise you, people will be surprised by Captain Abu Raed. The visual language of the film is just gorgeous. The contrast between east and west Amman. The performances kick ass on an international level. The production value and cinematography are top notch. Stuff the world has never seen before in a movie. So I'm quite excited and I can't wait to share this movie with the world.

New Web Site

2007-07-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

We've just updated the web site for the film to reflect the shoot with some new images.

Here's the link at www.CaptainAbuRaed.com

In the Can

2007-06-23T15:21:00.002-07:00

Well it's been an incredible month of filming. Captain Abu Raed is in the can. We've created a very special movie. Next step, we head back to the States to edit the movie and do all the post-production work. There's a lot of work ahead of us. Nadim was incredible. The kids were amazing. Rana Sultan was stunning, beautiful, and very charming. Ghandi Saber was masterful in the role of the villain. Dina Ra'ad Yaghnam and the entire supporting cast really carried their weight and kept the movie on the level of some of my favorites. I truly believe that we have a movie that will stand the test of time on an international level.

And now back to America.