For Hassan Fazili, 2015 would prove to be the year everything would change.
He was tasked with making a film about a Taliban commander who had laid down arms in favour of a peaceful civilian life. "I thought that by making this film, we could do something about bringing peace," the director says, of his documentary titled Peace in Afghanistan. The Taliban commander in question, Mullah Tur Jan, was murdered shortly after the documentary aired on Afghan television and Fazili had a bounty placed on his head.
It was important that the closeness and intimacy of the family was at the heart of the film
At the time, Fazili was a well-known and popular director, having developed plays, documentaries, short films and several television series in Afghanistan. His short films, Life Again! (2009) and Mr Fazili's Wife (2011) pushed the envelope on issues surrounding the rights of women, children and those with a disability in Afghanistan, and won awards at numerous international festivals.
But after Peace in Afghanistan, that reputation was called into question. "After the broadcast I saw the Taliban were so close-minded that they couldn't even hear about peace from their own people," says Fazili.
He and his actress-director wife Fatima Hussaini, and their two daughters, had been living a comfortable life until that point. But with a bounty on Fazili's head, they knew their homeland was not a safe place for them to be.
“It was really hard for us,” he says. “We were forced to leave. We were in circumstances that we didn’t know what to do. We knew that we had to get out of Afghanistan, but we didn’t know where to go.”
He reached out to American documentary filmmaker Emelie Mahdavian – who, coincidentally, is translating my interview with Fazili at the Berlin Film Festival. Mahdavian and Fazili had met through a mutual friend, and Mahdavian had programmed Mr Fazili's Wife in the Davis Feminist Film Festival at the University of California. The pair set about writing letters to international governments in the hope that the family would be granted refugee status somewhere. But every country refused to take them in. Instead, they were forced to use smugglers and take the so-called Balkan route to get in to Europe. Being filmmakers, it was natural they would shoot a movie about their experience.
Midnight Traveller was shown at the recent Sundance and Berlin Film festivals and it has a 100 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. "We knew at the beginning we would want to make a film about the route we were on," says Fazili. But they didn't necessarily want to make a film about the journey itself.
“We wanted to make a film about our family,” he says. “So it was important that the closeness and intimacy of the family was at the heart of the film. I didn’t want it to be a subject-focused film. I wanted it to be about the family [and] the diversity of feelings.”
The logistics of filmmaking when fleeing
The family used three smartphones to shoot the movie. The camera was in the hands of the husband and wife, and also their eldest daughter. However, they continually ran into memory issues when the phone's SD cards became full, and would have to find a way of sending the footage to a safe place, and wiping their cards clean so they could continue to shoot.
Mahdavian was able to arrange local contacts in each country along the route so the footage could be uploaded and sent to the US, where it was stored. Fazili could then wipe his SD cards and keep shooting new material.
Having always shot with professional cameras, using smartphones was a challenging experience for the director. “At first it was hard, because in the past I was used to professional set-ups where you could adjust the light and have more control over the image,” he says. “We really didn’t know what would happen tomorrow, so we couldn’t plan for the future. So I think in the circumstances, shooting with mobile phones was better.”
What they didn't realise at the start, was that the journey would take three years. They finally arrived in Germany in April last year, after being stuck in camps in Bulgaria and Serbia for days, that became weeks, and then months and years.
We lived with the film for so long, that it was part of our daily lives and the film would tell me when I needed to turn off the camera
The family would shoot footage about their experiences nearly every day. "But sometimes if I felt like nothing was happening, or something wasn't beautiful, maybe a couple of days would pass where I wouldn't shoot anything," Fazili says. "I had this feeling that we lived with the film for so long, that it was part of our daily lives and the film would tell me when I needed to turn off the camera."
Midnight Traveller condenses all the footage into a sprightly 90 minutes. It races along and sometimes it's hard to work out just how much time has passed. "There are moments where there is boredom, but I really wanted to show the range of emotions you go through as characters on this journey. So there is happiness, and sadness and boredom."
Addressing the ethics of making the film
At one stage, the documentary shows the family being ordered to run as fast as possible to make it to the Serbian border and avoid the police. When I ask Fazili about this, he says: “This one is very hard to talk about,” and grabs my knee to show that he’s going to a place he doesn’t like to remember.
“The smuggler said from here to that point there we have to run very fast, if we go slowly the police may see us. So you really have to run. So I had to run quickly with my family and I was carrying things on my back.”
In the film, Fazili begins to question his own integrity; at times he wonders if he is more interested in the film that he is making, than he is with protecting his family and ensuring their safety. This is particularly true when his daughter goes missing, and the director reveals the internal debate over whether he should turn on the camera.
The resulting footage has been widely lauded. The Hollywood Reporter described "Midnight Traveller as, "A valua ble, first-hand refugees' story," while The Playlist said: Midnight Traveller is a brutally honest film about the hardship and inhumanity a family endures and their bravery, love, hope, and, above all else, desire to control their own fate."
And yet, the story is ongoing. The family may have arrived in Germany in April last year, but they are still fighting for the right to remain. "Our case is in the system. In January we changed lawyer and had to re-file the whole case and start from the beginning of the asylum process."
In the meantime, Fazili is keeping busy by writing other scripts. "I hope you will get to see [these]," he says.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
India: Kohli (c), Khaleel, Bumrah, Chahal, Dhawan, Shreyas, Karthik, Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar, Pandey, Krunal, Pant, Rahul, Sundar, Umesh
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Chris%20Jordan%20on%20Sanchit
%3Cp%3EChris%20Jordan%20insists%20Sanchit%20Sharma%20will%20make%20an%20impact%20on%20the%20ILT20%2C%20despite%20him%20starting%20the%20campaign%20on%20Gulf%20Giants'%20bench.%3Cbr%3EThe%20young%20UAE%20seamer%20was%20an%20instant%20success%20for%20the%20side%20last%20season%2C%20and%20remained%20part%20of%20the%20XI%20as%20they%20claimed%20the%20title.%3Cbr%3EHe%20has%20yet%20to%20feature%20this%20term%20as%20the%20Giants%20have%20preferred%20Aayan%20Khan%20and%20Usman%20Khan%20as%20their%20two%20UAE%20players%20so%20far.%3Cbr%3EHowever%2C%20England%20quick%20Jordan%20is%20sure%20his%20young%20colleague%20will%20have%20a%20role%20to%20play%20at%20some%20point.%3Cbr%3E%22Me%20and%20Sanchit%20have%20a%20great%20relationship%20from%20last%20season%2C%22%20Jordan%20said.%3Cbr%3E%22Whenever%20I%20am%20working%20with%20more%20inexperienced%20guys%2C%20I%20take%20pleasure%20in%20sharing%20as%20much%20as%20possible.%3Cbr%3E%22I%20know%20what%20it%20was%20like%20when%20I%20was%20younger%20and%20learning%20off%20senior%20players.%3Cbr%3E%22Last%20season%20Sanchit%20kick-started%20our%20season%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20with%20a%20brilliant%20man-of-the-match%20performance.%3Cbr%3E%22Coming%20into%20this%20one%2C%20I%20have%20seen%20a%20lot%20of%20improvement.%20The%20focus%20he%20is%20showing%20will%20only%20stand%20him%20in%20good%20stead.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
West Indies v England ODI series:
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas.
Fixtures:
1st ODI - February 20, Bridgetown
2nd ODI - February 22, Bridgetown
3rd ODI - February 25, St George's
4th ODI - February 27, St George's
5th ODI - March 2, Gros Islet
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.