The coronavirus pandemic has brought most film and TV productions in the Middle East to a screeching halt, but regional filmmakers are still proving their resilience, actively finding ways to stay creatively hydrated and connected as they stay at home.
And some are taking the opportunity to share their craft with budding filmmakers through a series of online workshops held by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan.
Dubbed Tallat, the hour-long Zoom workshops offer a glimpse into how some of the best screenwriters, directors and producers from the region are adapting to trying times. The discussions also contain advice from the experienced film experts.
Those who have taken part in the Tallat series include Alaa Karkouti, a film analyst and co-founder of the Arab Cinema Centre; Ola Al Sheikh, a Palestinian film critic (above), who lives in the UAE; Bassel Ghandour, the Jordanian scriptwriter behind Theeb and Freekeh; Abu Bakr Shawky, an Austrian-Egyptian filmmaker whose Yomeddine was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and Mariam Naoum, the Egyptian screenwriter behind Between Two Seas.
While most of the workshops are held in Arabic, a few are also in English, including the upcoming talk by Jill Goldsmith, a US writer who has worked on a number of Emmy-winning shows including NYPD Blue, Ally McBeal, Law & Order and Boston Legal.
Goldsmith’s talk will be held on Friday, May 22, at 11pm UAE time.
If you’ve missed any of the talks on Zoom, don’t worry. The workshops can be streamed in their entirety via the Royal Film Commission’s official YouTube channel FilmJordan.