Crossing cultural boundaries


In a country of mixed cultures, Alexander Siddig – a man of mixed origins himself – embodies the type of diversity the Doha film festival is attempting to showcase.
The Sudanese-born star of such films as Syriana and Kingdom of Heaven and the TV series 24 is in Doha with his latest movie, Cairo Time, which was premiered in the Middle East on Friday evening.
Cairo Time has been chosen as the closing film for the public screening at the Museum of Islamic Art tonight, and Siddig said that the response to the film had been very encouraging so far.
“I think anyone who has a bit of romance in them will love the film,” he said, adding that everyone he had spoken to has given positive reviews.
“The other night was great fun,” he said of the film’s red carpet screening, adding “I have never shaken so many people’s hands in ten minutes!”
Speaking about the festival in general, Siddig said that he was really enjoying himself: “I think this has been a real success and I really, really like it so far.”
“This festival has the chance to find its own identity and it has a huge amount of potential,” he added.
Siddig praised the efforts of the festival organisers, mentioning that their efforts to support local film-makers and talent was a particularly pleasing aspect of the event.
“This event will not only create dialogue between the Arab world and the West, but it will also create a dialogue with each other in the region, which is more important,” he argued.
Siddig highlighted the importance of film in crossing cultural boundaries: “When you watch a film and you see an Arab man being portrayed, you can say you have met an Arab. You may not have met him in person, but you have got to know him through the film.”
“That is why it is so important that characters are done w ell and properly, because they are essentially introducing people to others through film,” he added.
Siddig explained that he will be working on a film to be shot somewhere in the region next year, and added that he was looking forward to seeing the reworked version of Al Momia and The September Issue during his visit to Doha.

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Also set in the Egyptian capital, Canadian-Arab filmmaker Ruba Nadda’s “Cairo Time,” starring Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson and veteran Sudanese actor Alexander Siddig (“Syriana”) received a high profile slot at DHFF, closing the event on Sunday. Both Clarkson and Siddig along with Nadda met journalists this weekend to discuss the film, which had its first screening at Doha’s beautiful Museum of Islamic Art on Friday night. Festival guests, including what appeared to be a chunk of Western expats and locals, many in traditional dress, crowded into the theater for the film, which a sign warned was for “18 and over.”

“The film is about the tragedy of restraint,” said Clarkson Saturday afternoon at DTFF’s headquarters at the Four Seasons Hotel along the Persian Gulf in the city center. “It’s a film with a delicate balance.” Tribeca’s Geoff Gilmore offered the film a spot at DTFF (it also played in Pusan in October) after seeing it at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Cairo” won TIFF’s Best Canadian Feature prize.

In the story, Clarkson plays Juliette, a happily married woman who travels to Cairo to visit her husband, who works with the U.N. She is met at the airport, however by Tareq (Siddig) a former colleague of her husband’s who tells her that, Mark, her spouse, is detained working at a refugee camp in Gaza. Cairo is featured beautifully in Nadda’s film as a vibrant yet striking metropolis that is alive with energy, chaos, danger and charm. Juliette sets out to explore the city, but is confronted by her own cultural naivite. So she meets up with Tareq who accompanies Juliette around the city. As her husband becomes further delayed, the pair develop a tender affection that is represented subtly throughout the film - a lingering glance, thoughtful gestures, effortless conversation.

“I wanted the story to be minimalist, [and] to show something fleeting,” said Rubba. “I wanted it to be a throwback to old Hollywood. To me, North American romance has become about immediate gratification. I’m a feminist, but to me, there’s a civility that is lacking in North America.”

“I’m a romantic at heart,” said Clarkson, who’s character slowly begins to wear classic dresses that emphasize Juliette’s femininity as the relationship develops. And for his part, the classic is also crucial in Saddig’s portrayal of Tareq.

“My point is that I want to preserve the Arab male that I feel is disappearing. Someone who is openly educated, well-spoken, noble and gentle. I feel the younger generation is either angry or someone who has had a lot of money thrown at him. There’s pressure to either conform to an angry Islamist or an overly Western-cloned materialist.”

“While the film is set in Cairo and filmed by a Canadian-born filmmaker (her mother is from Palestine and her father from Syria) it is a simple story that has international appeal,” said former StudioCanal CEO Frederic Sichler in a panel on international finance later in the day. He praised the film, which he saw for the first time here in Doha, for its accessible story and for not trying to be overtly international like some pan-European productions that try to satisfy cross-border tastes, but end up ‘failing miserably’.” Sichler urged local filmmakers to tell local stories intelligently. “If you tell a great story that is genuine, it will find international appeal,” he said.

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