Amman Filmmakers Cooperative

Profiles of Jordanian Indie Filmmakers

Ammar Quttaineh

May 13, 2005

What did you study in college?

AMMAR: I have a BS in Hospitality Management.

What was the first film you produced ever? When?

AMMAR: I produced Power Blues in 2003, I believe. It was right after I attended one of the first screenings for the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative at Makan. I watched Aseel Mansour's Alert Guns and was blown away by it. I think what shocked me the most is the fact the AFC can do something like Alert Guns with very limited resources. Of course it's no Run Lola Run, but Aseel's film inspired me and convinced me it's the resourcefulness and creativity of the filmmaker that makes all the differences. In Jordan, I almost gave up on anything called Jordanian cinema. But what I saw at the AFC screening was a sign of hope.

What was the last job you had right before you produced your first film?

AMMAR: I was working at the front desk of a hotel. Customer service sort of work. The thought that I will spend my life behind a desk was a bit unsettling. Not that I don't want a good job, it's just that I think there is more to life than waiting for the paycheck for the rest of my life.

When was your first encounter with filmmaking?

AMMAR: I have attended a workshop by the AFC. It was empowering to have the basics of filmmaking demystified. You watch films on TV and you think that only someone with a PhD in filmmaking and 70 years of experience can turn out something of cinematic value. But then once you get into the world of indie filmmaking you discover a whole new realm of filmmaking with its own audiences, festivals, and distribution channels.

When was the turning point at which you realized you have a special interest in filmmaking?

AMMAR: When I was first introduced to indie filmmaking by the AFC, it was such an alien concept at first. To me and many others, you either make films that will one day show up on Arab TV channels or you don't. The thought of me being part of the Arabic TV soap opera business was not a goal I aspired to. The state of Jordanian drama is not very promising either. It was not considered cool to be part of it. Jordanian soap opera is no longer synonymous with creativity or originality. But I did not know there was a whole new universe out there called film festivals and independent filmmaking. I felt that I can connect with that universe through a film camera, story, and a group of performers who were sold on this new reality and wanted to make the film with me. I felt that I can jump over all the baggage of local TV dramas and be apart of something totally new, something which I and a few others from Jordan can start without having to pass through all the traditional rites of passage of working in the local production scene. It was a truly liberating experience, to know we in Jordan can belong to a global family of filmmakers and film fans.

Left to right: Hazim Bitar, Omar Saleh, Ammar Quttaineh.

What is it that attracts you to filmmaking?

AMMAR: I have always liked the idea of making something out of nothing. Be it writing, programming a computer, composing, and so on. I am someone who likes creative communication and to be original in my ideas. I resent conformity but understand the need for it. Filmmaking gives me the chance to mark my territory, to say: look I have done this and no one else has done it before, and with meager resources.Filmmaking is my only chance to break out of conformity.

Will you consider going back to school to study filmmaking?

AMMAR: Let's be realistic. Who will pay for my education? I don't have the financial resources. I am not connected. I don't belong to an influential family. I have to pay the rent and settle debts that I had accumulated. I will not torture myself with the dream of going to film school. I have ideas. Lots of ideas. So long as I can make those films, even if once a year, just to be connected with the universe of indie filmmaking, I am fine. I will keep my sanity this way, while working from paycheck to paycheck (hear the sad violin?)

What does filmmaking mean to you?

AMMAR: My self-worth. It's how I see myself. It's how hundreds and possibly thousands will see me even though they will never meet me in person. Who I am, according to my friends and family, is practically immaterial eversince I have become a filmmaker. I will be known through my films. The public Ammar versus the private Ammar. When I stood before the audience at the Dubai International Film Festival, during the screening of Tough Luck, I realized that my film represented me. I will never have the chance to meet each and everyone in the audience. By the time my film was done screening, I was defined by my film. I am my film.

What is the most difficult aspect of filmmaking in Jordan?

AMMAR: You need to know what lines not to cross and what folks not to upset. Most of this is guess work but so far so good. All this stuff about self-censorship is bogus. There are serious limits, so we do our best to avoid them. Better a filmmaker than...

How often do you find yourself discarding a script or a film concept because of your fear of negative consequences? Explain?

AMMAR: The most difficult part of filmmaking in my opinion is the film script. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down and wrote an outline only to trash it the next day. And even if I wake up still satisfied with the script, when I run it by people whose judgment I trust, they manage to convince me that the my film script is not as brilliant as I once thought. It's tough to decide. I don't want to make a script that will be hard to shoot (considering the severe limitations in resources) or a script that is not original. I know one day I will make a film that will not impress me or the audience. It's a dreadful thought: to be an unoriginal filmmaker. In a sense, you are your last film, as a director.

What are your areas of strength as a filmmaker?

AMMAR: I am not afraid of taking calculated risks with my ideas. I am not afraid of trusting the judgment of others on my list of persons with good common cinematic sense. I enjoy the rough and tumble experience of getting down and dirty to get the film done. And above all, I love working with groups of people. To me, going out to shoot a movie is like throwing a party.

What are the areas in need of improvement?

AMMAR: I want to edit my own films and be happy with the results. I am dependent on others for my editing. I also need to learn to do more thorough production management, more planning, more structure. But then again, some of the great filmmakers of our time are not known for their attention to structure. On location, my best production plan falls apart and I get this avalanche of ideas on how to shoot and how to direct the actors. I just can't always stick to the script on shooting day.

You have produced your short films on micro budgets. How could have your films improved as a result of more money?

AMMAR: How? I would have paid the cast and crew, even though they were volunteers but they delivered like pros. Then I would have rented production gear like lights, reflectors, better lenses, original sound track, you name it. It's painful to know you can produce a better film but because of financial limits you have to make decisions knowing that the quality of some scenes will suffer. But such are the hazards of indie filmmaking when you just can't wait for funding that may never arrive. At the end, we still make films that others enjoy. We are fortunate to have a mature audience in Jordan who understands the challenges we have to deal with to produce our films.

Do you have any preference in terms of filmmaking genres? Why?

AMMAR: I will make a film on whatever topic that moves me. If I have an idea for a suspense film or a documentary and I feel that I can pull it off, I will do it. What moves me is not the genre; it's the potential for doing something original.

Who is a filmmaker? Can anyone become a filmmaker?

AMMAR: Anyone who can bring an audience to his/her film is a filmmaker. Look, I am not going to get philosophical about this. I don't think it's a gift or an innate talent, to be a filmmaker. I am not one to close the door on those who want to come into the world of filmmaking. I had benefited from the inclusion of the indie filmmaking movement. Who would have thought, before I made Tough Luck, that I can pull it off. Anyone with the right mentoring, determination and imagination can hack it. The determination is necessary to get things done, the imagination is necessary to evaluate the idea before you commit to tape and before you discover, for the first time on the TV monitor, that there is no story (the horror, the horror). Mentoring, above all, is critical. You have to have someone to walk you through your first steps. The Amman Filmmakers Cooperative was my mentor.

Do you find technology liberating or limiting, when it comes to the creative process?

AMMAR: Yes. It's liberating and it's limiting. It's liberating because advances in technology made it possible for me and others to make the move into indie filmmaking. Before, I would not have been able to consider it because of the difficulties involved in producing a film, from finding an affordable video camera to accessing an editing suit. Now, a PC and a DV camcorder will do thank you. But the learning curve for some of the editing software is still enough to turn off a few. I expect the younger generations to be so fluent with the tools of multimedia production that 10-year-olds will be editing their own movies on a PC. I mean, who would have thought 10-year-olds will be navigating the web and using technical tools that their parents can't use with such ease? Mark my word, technology is our salvation in the developing world. Those who can't cash in on it over the next few years will be left behind in the digital darkness. To cash in means you have to undergo the learning curve. In my case, I need to master the video and sound editing tools, as well as camera and lighting techniques. This has been an ongoing challenge for me since my first film.

How many film ideas do you juggle before you arrive at one that you decide will drive your script for the next film?

AMMAR: First there was a script. Then, another. And another.... I lost count. I can tell you that I learned not to be obsessed with any film idea. I will not mislead myself anymore into thinking that one film idea is the best. As I said before, I may go to sleep thinking that I have found it, only to discover the following day that I had lost all interest. Creativity works in mysterious ways. I hope someone does research regarding the impact of diet on the creative process. I am clueless as to why one day I am convinced I have found the brilliant film idea only to lose all interest a few days later.

Under what circumstances do you feel most creative? Stress, tragedy, happiness, morning, night, after a good meal, on an empty stomach...

AMMAR: I will not feel creative if under stress. I need to have relative calm in my life to be creative.

Does the thought of you becoming a starving artist cross your mind? How do you confront such fears?

AMMAR: It crosses my mind all the time. It also crosses my family's mind all the time. I mentioned that I don't come from a wealthy family. I don't have connections either. All of these are factors that would prevent me from committing to filmmaking as a career in Jordan. May be somewhere else, like one of the Gulf countries. But so long as I can keep painting films with my camera, while keeping my day job (an advice I hear often) I will be OK.

When determining the "production value" of your film, do you rely mostly on your own assessment or do you seek the opinion of others? Why?

AMMAR: Production value is a very amorphous term. Originality of the idea is part of the equation. Cinematography, motion graphics, acting, music...all of these add to the production value. The trick is to maximize the above, knowing beforehand your limitations in resources. In Tough Luck, my choices of music, driver accent, and location were all the production value necessary to set the film apart. In Overdose, it was the acting, motion graphics, and the bizarre script. A film must have more plusses than minuses to stand out. Tough Luck was not a film known for its technical qualities, but everything else about it was different. That was the reason behind the interest of film festivals. It was a different sort of film.

Are you a structured filmmaker or do you approach filmmaking organically? Do you plan everything in advance or do you like to explore and experiment on location?

AMMAR: Structure? Is that possible in the realm of indie filmmaking in Jordan? When I can't pay the cast and crew I can't demand structure. Also, I often find my creative energies running wild soon as I say ACTION! Suddenly, I start seeing alternatives to my original plans. I will scrap the plan in favor of the alternatives if I believe I can make a better film. But the price of this type of directing is that it taxes the patience of the cast and crew. It may seem that I have no plans on some days. But that's not true. I simply trash the plan and go for alternative plans, on location.

What will be your moment of truth, when you feel you have made it as a filmmaker?

AMMAR: Film festivals. That's all I need for validation. The audience is my ultimate judge and jury. They decide if I will stay in this business or if I should switch to Salsa dancing. I am a firm believer in the tyranny of the majority when it comes to judging a film. If the majority of the audience likes the film, it's a good film. It's that simple. I don't make films for my own personal entertainment. I don't make films that were not meant to be enjoyed by an audience. And I sure don't think I am a better judge of my films than the audience. The audience is everything to me. Of course, festival selection committees are part of the audience.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

AMMAR: Still making films.

Which Arab filmmaker do you see as representing the contemporary face of Arab cinema?

AMMAR: For humanitarian documentaries, the list is long. For artistic films, such as the ones I like to make, I don't know if I can remember any particular name. The arena is full of one-hit wonders. We have filmmakers who make a film or two that stick in your memory but then they are no where to be found after that.

What is your opinion of Arab cinema presently?

AMMAR: Commercial Arab cinema is not at its best. I think Arab cinema had seen better times. Indie Arab cinema is where we are heading. The new generation has embraced my films and the films of other digital generation filmmakers because they relate to us. We share a cynical outlook on life. This is a healthy phenomenon. We distrust authority (wonder why) and we distrust the flood of self-proclaimed reformers who can't see their own flaws. We can't stand Arabic TV dramas, except those that share our cynicism (the Syrian comedy Spot Light, for example). We are developing our own cinema that will grow with us. This is the only Arab cinema we recognize today: honest, witty, and with no makeup.

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