Amman Filmmakers Cooperative

October 03

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT

By Sima Zureikat

Fridays in Amman have taken on a new shape for an up-and-coming community of film buffs and enthusiasts. For these newfound devotees over the past few months Dead Sea weekend escapes have been replaced with a frenzy of lectures, guest speakers, screenings and tech support with one common goal in mind - making the myth of independent film production in Jordan a reality.

Leading the pack with DV camcorder in hand is Hazim Bitar, shining his tungsten lights into the film-starved hearts of his followers.

IN THE BEGINNING

46 years ago, Jordan made its first mark on the independent film scene with a movie entitled Sera' fee Jarash (Struggle in Jerash). Produced by a team of dedicated filmmakers without the availability of professional film equipment, and minus today's requisite Photoshop and Adobe Premier, this determined group manually cut and pasted their way to our local version of "the big screen." Due to the expenses of film production and the lack of a community understanding of the film process, these pioneers worked without the luxury of trial and error - a necessity for growth. The outcome, unfortunately, was a harshly criticized attempt that fell short before an unsupportive audience.

In the years following, with the occasional hit and miss film, the industry crawled along to a slow and rather inconsequential demise. With the exception of a few documentarians, Jordanian Filmmakers abroad and local movie hobbyists, film as an industry in Jordan was almost non-existent. Only until recently has filmmaking in Jordan been met with new hope.

Born in Saudi Arabia, Hazim Bitar spent a good portion of his professional life living and working as a media consultant in the United States. During this time he produced a number of independent documentaries. His first major production, "Uncivil Liberties: Secret Trials in America," backed by the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom, is a legal indictment of the process of "secret evidence" used by the US government. This practice gives the judicial authority to jail individuals without revealing evidence or charges, making due process impossible for the defendants, many of whom are Arabs living in the US. For the first time in the United States, this documentary put scholars, congressmen and victims of this unlawful system on the record to verify the continuation of this practice.

Hazim's second and most notable documentary, "Jerusalem's High Cost of Living," is geared towards a more general audience. Whereas his first film was a highly specialized and methodical legal disposition, Hazim's second more organic film came with spontaneity during a trip to Jerusalem. On the first day of the second Palestinian Intifada, Hazim took to the streets recording the events and reactions during this important
turning point in the history of the Arab struggle for freedom from occupation.

The First screening of "Jerusalem's High Cost of Living" in Jordan was held at Books@Cafe and met with an overwhelmingly positive response. After coming back to Jordan in 2002, pushed by a post-September 11 hostile anti-Arab atmosphere in the United States, Hazim was "pleasantly surprised by the changes, growth and a 'go get 'em' attitude" of the young generation in Amman. All it took was a casual conversation on the topic of the film with the Books @Cafe manager, and without hesitation, Hazim's documentary was pushed to its first screening. His expectations were modest, but to his surprise, the moving images of his film passed before a full house of receptive participants. This screening marked the beginning of Hazim's collaboration with the Books@Cafe team.

THE BIRTH OF AFC

During the first month of Hazim's return to Jordan, the tremendous cultural changes in Amman that have been rapidly taking place and still continue to evolve, made themselves welcomingly apparent. Many have noticed this surge of creative forward movement that has been happening under our noses in the past two years. An alternative culture once held in the background was making its way to the foreground. As Hazim recognized this development, his first response was "to take the challenge of being part of this new movement."

A new energy in Jordan was emerging. "All that was needed was a nudge, a push to give this energy shape."

Unlike our forefathers who "struggled in Jerash," filmmakers today have every reason to advance and grow. Several factors now exist to make movie production possible. Thanks to the digital revolution, filmmaking with a wide variety of digital video cameras has been brought to the average person, amateur and professional alike. Powerful computers that house advanced and widely accessible editing applications are taking residence in more and more homes. E-mail and Internet sites on films and filmmaking are spreading awareness of the field on an international scale. These factors along with the changing cultural atmosphere in Jordan, made Amman ripe for a new beginning.

In the stagnation of the Jordanian film industry, Hazim found an empty space that needed to be filled. The under-representation of Jordanian society in film was painfully obvious. For years Jordan was sitting pretty in front of bad movies and mediocre television programming, while its Middle Eastern neighbors, such as Iran and Lebanon, were producing award-winning films year after year. Noticing this trend with a head scratch and subtle eyebrow arch, Hazim thought, "Why not Jordan, why not Amman as an independent haven for filmmaking?"

The aim was "to find people who think like you to work together and promote Arab culture." The plan was to start Jordan's first film cooperative, the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative (AFC). The official announcement was made in March 2003. E-mails sprawled through Internet servers looking for interest and confirmations.

The first workshop took place the following May. Finally, a group of fellow film aspirers who found each other. "The cooperative didn't create talent, it simply brought it together."

ASK NOT WHAT AFC CAN DO FOR YOU

Since the first workshop in May there have been workshops just about every Friday at the Books@Cafe near Amman's first circle. According to Hazim, "Books", as it is commonly referred to by its regulars, reflects many of the qualities of what the cooperative is all about. "It projects the image of authenticity in a local yet alternative environment, and in many ways is the focal point for freedom of expression in Amman." Supplying the audio and video equipment, as well as a fertile space for breeding new filmmakers, the partnership between Hazim and "Books" was essential to the success of the cooperative.

Passers-by in the cafe on Friday have most likely noticed the spectacle taking place downstairs, with a number of film students crouched in corners and lounging on beanbags, pen and notebook in hand, and staring intensely at the screen projection of Adobe Premier editing software. And, once in a while, those lucky enough
to be passing through might catch a glimpse of the screening of a cooperative member's film or "work in progress". They might even become part of the small crowd huddled in the back of a dark room trying to get a piece of the action.

With the enthusiasm of a boy towards his brand new toy and the occasional corny but excusable joke, Hazim's spirit and the energy he brings to the co-op is contagious. Supplying film students with the tools and technical "know how" needed in making a film, workshop topics have included: Intro to Documentary Filmmaking, Editing on Adobe Premier, Rotoscoping with Photoshop, Subtitling Guidelines and Advanced Editing Classes. Special guests that have also participated and supported the cooperative include local filmmakers such as Azza Hassan and Najeh Hassan, film critic for the Al Rai newspaper. The workshops are free and open to the general public; however, confirmation is needed 48 hours prior to start time.

LOOKING AHEAD

It's been almost eight months since AFC's conception and the end to about five consecutive months of workshops and screenings. The cooperative members are now familiar with their new families, becoming truly a cooperative; a team ofbrainstorming filmmakers. Having generated the cooperative's first batch of documentaries with more on the way, it is time for the AFC to switch gears. With the basic knowledge gathered in the workshops, the filmmaking literacy stage has been set.

For Hazim, this means an end to the mentor/student forum of the cooperative. Focusing more on creative content now rather than technical approaches, Hazim encourages the cooperative members to become their own support group and source of feedback. The key is taking the tools gathered at the workshops to produce films above and beyond what's been done. At the moment, a group of like-minded cooperative members led by Hazim, who has adopted the role of producer, are working on their own feature film to be finished by the beginning of next year. "What we want is to push the envelope by the standards of the people we look up to and eventually compete with western indie film makers."

"The fruits of this cooperative will be seen months down the line," as the goal by the end of the year is to eventually hold Amman's first film festival.

Does this mean the end of the workshops? Does this mean other aspiring filmmakers missed their chance to take part? Far from it - new workshops are in the making to set up future batches of cooperative members. In the end, Hazim's vision is to establish multiple cooperatives not just in Amman, but throughout Jordan as a whole, allowing Jordan to become a true hub of the Independent Film World.

For more information on upcoming events and workshops, check out the AFC web site at www.alif.com/afc.

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