OKAY.
[CHILD]
I'M WORKING, BECKETT.
[CHATTERING]
UH-OH.
[MAN] WHAT HAPPENED?
IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID?
[CHATTERING, LAUGHING]
IS THIS A BETTER SHIRT?
[MAN] YEAH.
THIS IS BETTER,
RIGHT? THE RED SHIRT?
[MAN]
I THINK IT'S--
YEAH WELL, IT'S VERY CRAMPED--
OOH, THAT IS BETTER, ACTUALLY.
IT'S A LOT BETTER?
YEAH, THAT LOOKS NICE,
ON THE SCREEN.
SHOULD I TRY THE...?
A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE MAYBE.
AGGRESSIVE?
NO, THAT'S GOOD.
SHOULD I DO BLACK?
NO.
OH, YEAH.
THAT'S WORSE RIGHT?
NO. OH.
NO.
IT'S NOT BAD.
[MAN]
REALLY?
YOU LIKE THAT?
THERE'S JUST SOMETHING
VERY UNASSUMING ABOUT IT.
THE BLUE IS MORE LIKE,
HEY, I'M JUST A RELAXED PERSON.
THIS IS MORE LIKE
I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
YEAH.
SO I GOT THIS E-MAIL,
AND IT WAS FROM
A CURATOR IN BEIRU
WHO WAS ASKING ME
TO MAKE A FILM
FOR THE SHARJAH BIENNIAL,
WHICH I HAD NEVER
HEARD OF BEFORE.
WELL, I LOOKED IT UP,
AND IT'S AN EMIRATE
IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.
THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
IT'S RULED BY THIS GUY...
THIS GUY.
UM, AND...
IT SOUNDED--
SHE WAS VERY NICE.
SHE SAID REALLY NICE THINGS.
SHE SAID SHE HAD ACTUALLY
EMAILED ME BEFORE
ABOUT SHOWING MY PREVIOUS
FILM, WHICH IS CALLED
I AM A SEX ADDICT,
AT SOME MIDDLE EASTERN FESTIVAL
OR SOMETHING, AND IT DIDN' WORK OUT FOR SOME REASON.
BUT SO, ANYWAY, THERE
WAS A LETTER THAT HAD THESE
GUIDELINES THAT WERE VERY--
REALLY STRANGE.
PLOT FOR A BIENNIAL
WILL CONSIDER THE PRODUCTION
OF ART AS A
SUBVERSIVE ACT.
THE VERY QUESTION WAS,
CAN ART BE SUBVERSIVE
AND CAN YOU MAKE
A CULTURAL EVEN FROM WITHIN
AN INSTITUTION,
A STATE INSTITUTION,
AND HAVE IT BE
TRULY SUBVERSIVE.
AND IT WAS BASICALLY,
YOU KNOW, LIKE,
THEY CALL IT "ART SPEAK,"
YOU KNOW, LIKE IT DOESN' MAKE ANY SENSE.
THIS PLOT PROPOSES TO PLACE
THE ARTIST WITHIN A WEB
OF ETYMOLOGICAL TRACINGS
THAT INTERSEC THE NOTION OF TREASON.
THE KEYWORDS
THAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED
WERE ALONG THE LINES OF
TREASON,
COLLABORATION AND CONSPIRACY.
SO I WAS TRYING TO THINK
OF AN IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW,
HAD TO DO WITH TREASON OR AR AS A SUBVERSIVE ACT,
AND THOUGH
MAYBE LIKE KIDNAPPERS,
OR TRYING TO OVERTHROW
THE GOVERNMENT.
AND MAYBE LIKE I WOULD WRITE
SOME FICTIONAL STORY
ABOUT THIS BU
LIKE AN ACTION
THING KIND OF LIKE A,
YOU KNOW, LIKE A
STUPID ACTION MOVIE
ABOUT TREASON IN THE
MIDDLE EAST OR SOMETHING.
AND I THOUGHT, "OKAY,
THAT COULD BE KIND OF HARD."
IT'S UNLIKELY THAT I WOULD TURN OUT VERY WELL.
SO THEN I HAD AN IDEA,
WHICH WAS,
"WELL WHY DON'T YOU MAKE A FILM
ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE A FILM?"
AND THEN YOU COULD JUS FILM YOURSELF...
ACTION!
TRYING TO MAKE THE FILM
AND THAT WOULD BE A FILM.
BUT SO, ANYWAY,
I CALLED RASHA ON SKYPE,
AND I REALLY WISH
I HAD RECORDED THAT CALL,
BUT I DIDN'T THINK OF IT.
I SAID, "ARE THERE
ANY CONSTRAINTS," LIKE
"THAT I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?"
AND SHE SAID, "NO,
YOU'RE TOTALLY FREE
TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT."
THE REASON WE PICKED
YOU IS BECAUSE WE LIKE
YOUR WORK AND WE REALLY
WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU DO.
WE THINK IT WOULD BE
REALLY INTERESTING JUST TO
SEE WHAT YOU DO.
SO I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT.
LIKE, "REALLY?
NO CONSTRAINTS AT ALL?"
SO I SAID, YOU KNOW, "REALLY?"
AND SHE SAID, "YEAH, REALLY.
THERE'S NO CONSTRAINTS AT ALL."
AND I PRESSED HER BECAUSE I
I JUST DIDN'
A PART OF ME DIDN'T TRUST HER
AND I REALLY WANTED TO KNOW.
SO FINALLY, SHE SAID,
"OKAY, FINE.
NO FRONTAL NUDITY."
I WAS LIKE, "OKAY,
I CAN LIVE WITH THAT.
I THINK I CAN WORK
AROUND THAT."
AND THEN SHE SAID, "OH,
AND ALSO, NO MAKING FUN
OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMED."
AT FIRST, I WAS KIND OF LIKE,
BUT THEN I WAS LIKE,
"OH, WELL, YEAH," LIKE,
YOU DON'T WANT TO END
UP LIKE SALMAN RUSHDIE,
OR AT LEAST I THINK SO.
"OKAY, I'M NOT GOING TO DO
THAT."
AND THEN THE THIRD THING
SHE SAID WAS, AND ALSO,
"NO MAKING FUN OF
THE SHEIK OF SHARJAH."
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY,
BUT, LIKE, THAT JUS REALLY LIKE,
TRIGGERED MY IMAGINATION,
LIKE, IT MADE ME DREAM,
I GUESS.
THE SHEIK OF SHARJAH,
LIKE, WHO IS THAT GUY?
I DIDN'T KNOW THERE
WAS A SHEIK OF SHARJAH.
AND IT WAS JUST SUDDENLY, LIKE,
AND DON'T MAKE FUN OF HIM.
YOU KNOW, SO IT MADE ME REALLY
CURIOUS ABOUT THE SHEIK.
BUT SO, ANYWAY, ONE DAY,
I FIND OUT THAT RASHA
WAS GOING TO BE IN NEW YORK
AND WOULD I LIKE TO
MEET HER FOR LUNCH.
AND AS IT WAS APPROACHING,
I JUST COULDN'T DECIDE
ON WHAT FILM IDEA.
SO I GOT STONED THAT NIGHT,
TRYING TO THINK OF AN IDEA.
BECAUSE USUALLY GETTING
STONED HELPS ME TO--
TO BE CREATIVE.
HOLD ON.
I WAS TRYING TO FIND
LIKE AN ARABIC THEME.
BUT SO, ANYWAY,
ONE IDEA I HAD WAS THAT MAYBE
LIKE BECKETT DISAPPEARS,
LIKE, HE WALKS OFF.
MAYBE HE IS KIDNAPPED.
OH, FUCK!
OR WHAT IF HE IS KID--
OR IF WE THINK HE IS KIDNAPPED
BUT HE IS NOT REALLY KIDNAPPED?
HE JUST KIND OF WALKED
AWAY AND IS LOST.
BUT WE THINK HE'S KIDNAPPED
OR WE'RE WORRIED THAT HE'S
KIDNAPPED BECAUSE WE'RE
IN THE MIDDLE EAS
AND BECAUSE WE'RE AMERICANS,
AND BECAUSE WE'RE PARANOID
AND WE HAVE PARANOID IMAGES
OF MIDDLE EASTERNERS,
YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF THING.
OR MAYBE WE SEE ME LOOKING
FOR HIM EVERYWHERE
AND THEN WE SEE MANDY
LOOKING FOR HIM EVERYWHERE
OR THE CREW COULD BE LOOKING
FOR HIM EVERYWHERE.
AND THEN I'M LOOKING
IN THE DESERT LIKE,
IT'S LIKE A
LOOKING FOREVER KIND OF THING
OR DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS.
SO WHERE WERE WE? OH, YES,
AN IDEA, WHICH WAS
JUST GO THERE
WITHOUT AN IDEA.
SO I DIDN'T HAVE ONE.
AND JUST, WING IT.
YOU KNOW, IMPROVISE IT,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
I HAD NEVER BEEN THERE.
AND THERE WAS VERY
LITTLE I COULD FIND ONLINE.
[NARRATOR]
SHARJAH IS A HOT DESOLATE SPO
ON THE EDGE OF THE
SOUTH ARABIAN DESERT.
TODAY, IT IS RULED OVER
BY A SHEIK WHO IS FRIENDLY
TO THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
OR ON YOUTUBE
OR WHATEVER.
[POP]
SO I WAS GOING TO
MEET RASHA FIRS
I THOUGHT IF I'M MAKING
THE FILM ABOUT MAKING A FILM,
I MIGHT AS WELL START NOW
AND FILM THE LUNCH.
[CAVEH ZAHEDI CHUCKLES]
UH-HUH, RIGHT.
AND THERE WAS LIKE
A LOT OF SMALL TALK.
I THINK HE OWNS
A PAWNSHOP NOW OR A...
PAWN.
NO, PAWN.
[MAN]
PAWN, OKAY.
BUT AFTER A WHILE,
YOU KNOW, I SORT OF SAID,
I CAN ASK, BUT TELL ME WHY.
BECAUSE WHEN I ASK,
I HAVE TO EXPLAIN WHY.
[ZAHEDI]
AND I THOUGHT,
MAYBE I SHOULDN'T DO IT.
IF IT BUMS HER OUT, MAYBE
I SHOULD DO SOMETHING ELSE.
I MEAN, I DON'T WAN TO BUM HER OUT.
BUT I COULDN'T THINK
OF ANYTHING ELSE.
I MEAN, I TRIED TO THINK
OF OTHER THINGS, BUT NOTHING
FELT AS GOOD AS THIS IDEA.
I MEAN, IT'S
INTERESTING AND IRONIC
THAT THERE'S THIS KIND
OF LIKE ABSOLUTE FREEDOM,
BUT ALSO, THIS VERY
INVISIBLE SET OF
VERY REAL CONSTRAINTS.
AND SO, TO ME, IT'S
INTERESTING JUST TO TRY TO
LOOK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
OF THAT A LITTLE BIT.
AND THE SHEIK OF SHARJAH
IS LIKE THE WIZARD OF OZ
IN THIS SCENARIO.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHA
WHAT'S BEHIND THE CURTAIN,
BUT I'M CURIOUS.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
THE END RESULT WOULD
BE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE
TWO FILMS: ONE, FOR YOURSELF;
AND ONE THAT WOULD BE PUBLICLY,
YOU KNOW, EXHIBITED
AT THE BIENNIAL.
IT'S TRICKY, I THINK.
I THINK YOU'RE TAKING
A LOT OF RISKS.
YEAH.
BUT THAT'S WHA YOU LIKE TO DO?
YEAH.
UH-HUH.
CAN I GET THE CHECK?
THANK YOU.
OKAY, IT'S GOOD.
WAS IT GOOD?
I DON'T KNOW.
SHIT.
SO WE FLEW TO SHARJAH.
SO THE SHARJAH AR FOUNDATION SENT A DRIVER
NAMED MANSOUR,
TO PICK US UP.
SO THEN WE'RE IN THE CAR, GOING
TO THE HOTEL FROM THE AIRPORT.
AND MANDY SAYS...
[WHISPERING]
AND I WAS LIKE, WELL,
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
AND SHE WAS LIKE...
AND, I THINK SHE WAS SCARED.
AND I THINK MAYBE HER BEING
SCARED MAYBE MADE ME SCARED,
LIKE, WELL, SHOULD I BE WORRIED?
SHOULD I BE SCARED?
MANSOUR, ARE WE
DID WE GO IN A CIRCLE?
DID WE JUST GO IN A CIRCLE?
MANSOUR?
MANSOUR?
MANSOUR?
AND I THOUGHT WHAT IF HE'S
NOT ANSWERING ME NO
BECAUSE HE DOESN'T HEAR ME,
BUT BECAUSE HE'S KIDNAPPING US.
AND SOMEHOW,
EITHER HE ISN'T REALLY MANSOUR.
HE JUST LIKE KILLED MANSOUR.
HE HAD PRETENDED TO BE MANSOUR.
HE'S REALLY A KIDNAPPER.
BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF THING
YOU THINK FROM LIKE HOLLYWOOD
MOVIES, WHAT YOU SEE.
THE AMERICANS MUST DIE.
SO I JUST HAD THIS LITTLE MOMEN
OF LIKE, WHAT IF HE'S KIDNAPPING
US? IT WAS JUST LIKE A THOUGHT.
IT WAS LIKE A SPLIT SECOND.
AND THEN AS SOON AS IT HAPPENED,
I WAS LIKE, NO, NO, NO,
THAT'S RIDICULOUS.
HE'S LIKE
HE IS NOT GOING TO KIDNAP US.
THAT'S JUST LIKE A--
BUT I THOUGHT,
BUT THAT WAS AN INTERESTING
LITTLE PARANOID FANTASY
I HAD, LIKE, THAT MIGH BE A GOOD SCENE IN A MOVIE.
LIKE, I SOR OF HAD AN IMAGE OF HIM,
LIKE, PULLING UP IN FRON OF LIKE A DARK WAREHOUSE
OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW,
AND SAYING "WAIT HERE",
OR SOMEBODY ELSE COMES OUT.
I DON'T KNOW, BUT I JUS HAD THIS LITTLE IMAGE.
AND I FELT, WELL,
I COULD JUST FILM A SCENE
WHERE WE CAN RE-ENAC THAT IMAGE.
YOU KNOW,
I'M MAKING A FILM, RIGHT?
FOR THE SHARJAH FOUNDATION.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING
TO ACT IN IT?
AS AN ACTOR?
YEAH. COULD I DO A SCENE
WITH YOU ACTING IN IT?
YEAH?
OKAY.
DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE
SHARJAH ART MUSEUM IS?
THE ART WHAT? ART MUSEUM?
GO THERE STRAIGHT.
YOU SEE THE DOOR?
THEN GO TO THE RIGHT.
GREAT. THANK YOU.
[MAN]
NICE TO MEET YOU FINALLY.
THAT'S ME.
THIS IS MICHAEL.
HELLO MICHAEL,
NICE TO MEET YOU.
I'M CAMILLE.
THIS IS COLIN.
COLIN, HELLO.
NICE TO MEET YOU.
UH, THE QUESTION?
YEAH.
HAVE YOU SEEN OTHER HOTELS?
NO.
BECAUSE...
THEY'RE ALL THAT WAY?
WELL...
[LAUGHS]
[WOMAN]
[ZAHEDI]
SO IN SHARJAH,
THERE ARE NO TRAFFIC LIGHTS.
AND SO PEOPLE JUST LIKE RUN
ACROSS THE STREET AND THEY
HOPE THEY DON'T GET HIT,
AND IT'S KIND OF SCARY.
AND MANDY WAS REALLY
WORRIED ABOUT BECKETT.
IT IS A BIT LONGER, BUT YEAH.
[WOMAN]
PEOPLE WON'T CROSS THE STREET.
IF YOU JUST DO THIS WITH YOUR
HANDS, PEOPLE WILL STOP.
YOU JUST HAVE TO ESTABLISH
CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER
AND JUST DO THIS.
ONCE HE STOPS, YOU CROSS.
THAT'S THE SAME
IN ITALY. YEAH.
I THINK WE WANT TO FILM
HIM GETTING HIT BY A CAR.
[THUD]
WHO, THIS GUY.
CAMILLE, YEAH.
HE'S GOING TO GO LIKE THAT.
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
NO.
OH, MY GOD. NO.
I WAS FEELING
GOOD ABOUT THIS VACATION.
FOR ME IT WAS LIKE BEING
ALL TOGETHER... YEAH.
AND LIKE HAVING THAT, A
GROUP EXPERIENCE AND LIKE...
MAKING FRIENDS AND
JUST LIKE WHATEVER
THAT INTERSTITIAL MOMENTS
AND HAVING BECKETT RUN AROUND.
LIKE, I FEEL LIKE MORE
WEIGHT ON ME TO TAKE CARE
OF BECKETT ALSO, BECAUSE IT'S
A LITTLE DIRTY HERE.
AND LIKE, THERE WAS
LIKE THIS GROSS SMUDGE
NEXT TO THE BED
THAT I HAD TO CLEAN
OFF THE WALL AND, LIKE,
I LOOK OUT THE WINDOW,
IT'S LIKE SUPER DIRTY,
AND DEPRESSING
AND LIKE JUST KIND OF
MAKES ME FEEL BAD.
WHAT?
[LAUGHING]
I HAD AN IDEA
FOR THE KIDNAPPING SCENE.
I THINK MANSOUR SHOULD JUS DROP US OFF AND LIKE,
WHERE WE'RE GOING
YOU GUYS HAVE TO
PICK SOMETHING UP.
AND THEN HE GOES
OUT INTO AN APARTMENT.
I THINK IT CAN EITHER
BE LIKE CAMILLE'S APARTMEN OR HIS APARTMENT, ACTUALLY.
[MAN]
WELL, EITHER WAY.
AND THEN I THOUGHT A WOMAN
IN A BURQA COULD COME
OUT OR A MAN IN A BURQA.
WE DON'T KNOW.
SOMEONE IN A BURQA COMES OUT.
AND THEY TALK.
AND THEN THE BURQA PERSON
COMES TO THE WINDOW
AND THEN PULLS OU THE TOY GUN
AND KNOCKS ON
THE DOOR WITH THE GUN.
[MAN]
...A GUN I
WOULDN'T GIVE BECKETT UP,
SO HOW ARE THEY GOING
TO RIP HIM FROM ME?
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO...
[ZAHEDI]
OH, OKAY.
YES, AND I DON' THINK THEY WILL.
[MAN] THE KIDNAPPING
DOESN'T HAPPEN YET.
IT ENDS. YEAH, IT ENDS.
YOU DON'T SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
NO, NO. THAT'S
THE END OF THAT.
MANDY'S DYING
IN A POOL OF BLOOD.
A DEAD BODY.
CATCH UP.
WITH AN APPLE ON HER.
LIKE SNOW WHITE.
[ZAHEDI]
SO WE'RE SHOOTING
A MOVIE OVER THERE.
WE'RE MAKING A FILM
WITH THE CAMERA AND STUFF.
YEAH, BUT WE NEED SOME
ACTORS FOR OUR MOVIE.
OKAY. WE'RE SHOOTING A MOVIE.
WE'RE MAKING A MOVIE.
WE NEED ACTORS
TO ACT IN OUR MOVIE.
INTERESTED?
I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
WOULD YOU BE WILLING
TO ACT IN OUR MOVIE?
NO? OKAY. IS THAT A NO?
[ZAHEDI]
[MEN CHANTING]
OKAY.
DADDY, UP!
I GOT YOU.
THEY'RE ALL PRAYING.
THEY'RE ALL PRAYING.
SHOULD WE GO?
YEAH.
YES, I WILL ACTUALLY WRITE
THEM DOWN OR YOU WANT TO...?
TELL ME.
I'LL TELL YOU?
YEAH.
OKAY, SO LET'S GO SIT THERE.
CAN YOU ALSO...
TEACH YOU HOW TO PRAY?
YEAH.
OKAY.
OKAY, ASK ME.
WE JUST NEEDED SOME PEOPLE
TO ACT IN OUR MOVIE.
SORRY?
WE JUST NEED SOME PEOPLE
TO ACT IN OUR MOVIE.
SAY AGAIN?
WE NEED...
...PEOPLE TO ACT IN THE MOVIE.
YES. YEAH.
WHAT KIND OF MOVIE
ARE YOU DOING?
WELL, IT'S A COMBINATION
DOCUMENTARY AND FICTION,
BUT THERE ARE SOME SCENES
WHERE WE NEED SOME KIDNAPPERS.
KIDNAP? HMM.
YEAH?
YEAH? OKAY.
YEAH.
DO YOU REALLY?
[ZAHEDI]
SO, BASICALLY,
HE'S GOING STOP
AT A PLACE THAT'S SCARY,
THEN GO TO A DOORWAY.
AND YOU'RE GOING
TO COME OUT IN A BURQA.
AND YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO TALK,
AND THEN HE'S GOING
TO GO LIKE THAT.
OKAY, HE'S GOOD.
AND THEN--
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HEAR
A DOOR OPENING, AND WE'RE
GOING TO TURN AND THEN YOU'RE
GOING TO BE THERE AT THE DOOR
WITH THE BURQA SUDDENLY,
AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A GUN,
WHICH WE GOT FOR YOU.
YOU HAVE A GUN FOR ME.
YEAH. IT'S IN THE CAR.
OH, IT'S NOT REAL?
IT'S A TOY GUN.
[RATTLING]
THE RED IS
PRETTY PROMINENT.
[WOMAN] YEAH.
AND THEN IT ENDS.
AND THEN WE'RE BACK
IN THE TRIP FROM THE AIRPORT.
IT'S VERY PLOTTY, RIGHT.
BUT THE OTHER STUFF
ISN'T PLOTTY AT ALL.
SO IT'S LIKE A MIX
OF THE TWO THINGS.
OKAY?
YEAH. LET'S DO IT.
BECAUSE LIKE--
OOH.
OOH. ARE YOU OKAY, SWEETIE?
ARE YOU OKAY, SWEETIE?
WELL, DID THAT HURT? OH.
OH, MY SWEETIE PIE.
OH, GOOD JOB. GOOD JOB.
COME HERE LITTLE BOY.
COME ON.
WHY THE BURQA?
JUST BECAUSE IT'S LIKE
IGNORANT...
OH, OKAY.
...STEREOTYPE.
YEAH, YEAH, IT IS.
YES.
AND THEN WRAP
THIS AROUND THIS SIDE.
ARE YOU SURE IT GOES
ON THE FOREHEAD?
NO, BUT I THINK SO.
THIS HAS TO THIS COMES
DOWN BEFORE...
NO, PEOPLE WEAR IT WITH
GLASSES UNDERNEATH THEM.
OKAY.
THERE IT IS. THERE IT IS.
YES, YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE
THOSE OFF FIRST.
[MUSIC]
[ZAHEDI]
SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF DRIVING
RANDOMLY AROUND SHARJAH LATE
AT NIGHT, AND I SAW PLACES
OH, THAT LOOKS GOOD.
LET'S SHOOT IT RIGHT THERE.
AND WE WERE JUST, YOU KNOW,
FIGURING OUT THE SHOT.
TRY NOT TO LOOK TOO--
TOO LIKE A CREEPY
OUTSIDE SO THAT THE FAMILY
DOESN'T COME OUT AND YELL
AT US.
YEAH. WELL, JUS
I'M SAYING STAND MAYBE
ON THIS SIDE OF THE FENCE
UNTIL WE ACTUALLY
SHOOT IT, THEN...
OH, YEAH. SO WHEN YOU SEE
OUR CAR COME ROUND
YOU CAN JUST GO INSIDE INTO--
YES...
JUST THAT LITTLE DOORWAY.
AND JUST DUCK
AROUND THE CORNER.
[CHATTER]
WE HAVE TO SHOW HIM THE
BLOCKING OF THE MOVEMENTS.
[CHATTER]
SORRY?
THIS ONE.
OH REALLY?
THIS IS THE WHAT?
SHEIKHA.
YOU CAN FACE THE
PROBLEM FOR THIS.
YEAH, HIS DAUGHTER'S HOUSE.
YEAH.
SO WE HAVE THE LETTER STILL?
DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT?
FOR SECURITY REASON...
BUT I DON'T THINK
WE CAN DO THAT WITHOU
BECAUSE SHE'S NOT HERE.
AND TO CALL HER,
TO SAY THAT WE ARE AT...
I DON'T KNOW.
YOU KNOW HER, RIGHT?
YOU MET HER, RIGHT?
WE'RE NOT GOING
INSIDE AT ALL.
WELL, WHAT'S THE WORS THAT CAN HAPPEN?
SO WE LEFT.
AND I WAS BUMMED.
WHAT IF... IT WOULD BE...
IS THERE ANY WAY...
RIGHT.
MAYBE THIS IS
PALESTINIAN MENTALITY
WORKING AS WELL, YOU KNOW.
I'M SORRY?
AHAH, AHAH.
RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT.
RIGHT.
YEAH, BUT THAT'S--
AGAIN--
A CAMERA AND A GUN
IS DANGEROUS.
AND WE'RE GOING TO DO SHOOTING,
IT'S DANGEROUS.
YEAH.
BUT I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW
WHAT WE SHOULD DO FOR THE MOVIE?
WE SHOULD SHOOT THAT SCENE.
WE SHOULD RE-ENACT THE SCENE
OF US TRYING TO SHOO
THE SCENE THAT WAS ALREADY
A RE-ENACTMENT OF A FANTASY
AND THE POLICE COME.
OR MAYBE WHILE WE'RE ARGUING,
THE POLICE COME.
BUT, ANYWAY, THE POLICE COME.
WHERE?
IN FRONT OF THE MUSEUM.
IN FRONT OF THE ART MUSEUM,
THE SHARJAH ART MUSEUM.
IT'S FOR THE
SHARJAH ART MUSEUM.
PERMISSION TO FILM FOR US,
BUT WE WANT TO USE A POLICE VAN.
CARD?
YEAH.
OH, ID CARD.
IT'S IN THERE.
DOES THAT LOOK GOOD?
IS THE WHITE ONE BETTER?
MAYBE BLACK AND WHITE INSTEAD
OF BROWN AND WHITE.
SO I THINK IT'S EITHER BLACK AND
WHITE, OR THE WHITE, OR THIS.
MICHAEL? WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I SAY BROWN OR WHITE.
DO YOU WANT ME TO OPEN?
NO, NO. I DON'T THINK
HE UNDERSTANDS.
CAN I SEE THE PICTURE?
INTERESTING.
IT'S HARD TO DECIDE, ISN'T IT?
YES.
SO WE WENT TO THE
SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION
TO ASK FOR PERMISSION
FROM THE SHEIKHA TO SHOO
IN FRONT OF HER HOUSE, AND
SOME POLICE CARS
AND SOME POLICEMEN
TO ACT IN OUR MOVIE.
AND THEY LIKE
TALKED TO FATIMAH.
OH.
SHE'S NOT HERE YET.
OKAY.
FATIMAH WAS NEVER THERE.
I'M LIKE, WHERE IS SHE?
YOU KNOW, THEY SAID,
OH, SHE'S PRAYING.
WHICH IS GREAT IF YOU
PRAY ALL THE TIME,
BUT, LIKE, SHE WAS
NEVER AT HER DESK.
YEAH.
COME ON, SHE'S NOT PRAYING
ALL DAY LONG EVERY DAY.
SHE LEFT.
[LAUGHING]
OH.
OKAY.
OKAY.
YAZAN SAID THAT YOU WERE
THE PERSON WE SHOULD...
NO PHOTOS?
OF YOU?
NO, NO, NO, NO.
YEAH.
NO PHOTOS.
YOU ALREADY ASKED THEM?
UH-HUH.
WELL, WE'RE JUST GOING
TO SHOOT ON THE STREET.
WE'RE JUST GOING
TO SHOOT ON THE STREE
IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
OKAY.
YEAH.
OH.
THE THINGS THEY WOULD SAY
DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, THEY WOULD GIVE
A REASON FOR SOMETHING,
BUT IT MADE NO SENSE.
SO YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY,
WELL, THEY'RE LYING.
AND THEN YOU'RE FALLING
INTO THE CLICHE
KIND OF THING OF
THEY ALL LIE OR SOMETHING,
BUT THEY REALLY KIND OF DO.
I MEAN, I CAN SAY
THIS BECAUSE MY PARENTS
ARE FROM IRAN.
SO I'M IRANIAN, BASICALLY.
I MEAN, I WAS BORN IN THE US,
BUT I'VE SEEN IT.
I'VE SEEN IT IN ACTION,
IN THE CULTURE, LIKE, YOU KNOW.
AND THEY DON'T CALL IT LYING.
THEY CALL IT,
YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
POLITENESS, I GUESS.
BUT, UM,
YOU KNOW, IT'S LYING.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE JAIL
AND THE POLICE VAN?
CAN WE USE THOSE?
SO NO ONE HAS ASKED
THEM FOR THAT YET?
JUST SHOOTING THE--
WHAT DID THEY SAY
'NO' TO EXACTLY?
THE 'NO' WAS TO WHAT?
WHAT?
YOU KNOW I DIDN' WANT TO EMBARRASS HER, LIKE
I MEAN, I'M EMBARRASSING
HER NOW, I GUESS.
BUT I DIDN'T WAN TO EMBARRASS HER AT THE TIME.
HI, SO...
UM, AND WE JUST NEED...
TWO BODYGUARDS,
YOU TOLD ME THE LAST TIME.
YEAH, WE WANTED TO SHOO A SCENE IN FRONT OF THE
SHEIK'S DAUGHTER'S HOUSE.
SHEIK?
SHEIK'S DAUGHTER.
WHAT'S HER NAME?
WHAT'S THE NAME OF...?
THE DAUGHTER.
THE DAUGHTER? OH, HOOR.
YES, HOOR.
OKAY.
HOOR?
YEAH. WANT TO SHOOT A SCENE
IN FRONT OF HER HOUSE.
HOUSE? OKAY.
I THOUGHT SHE SAID
THAT SHE ALREADY ASKED,
AND THEY SAID NO.
IS THAT-- DID I MISUNDERSTAND
ABOUT USING THE HOUSE?
DID SHE EVEN ASK?
I WILL CHECK WITH HER AGAIN.
UH-HUH.
AND THEN THE LAST THING
WAS JUST, WE WERE WONDERING
IF WE COULD ALSO MAYBE USE
THE SHEIK HIMSELF IN THE MOVIE.
YEAH, OKAY.
IT WILL BE REALLY HARD,
YOU KNOW.
YES.
OKAY, OKAY.
OKAY?
I FORGOT SOMETHING
ELSE THAT HAPPENED.
ONE DAY I'M AT THE
SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION
IN PART TRYING TO GE PERMISSION FOR SOMETHING.
AND I BROUGHT ALONG THE RELEASE
FORM FOR YAZAN TO SIGN, RIGHT?
I SAID, I'M SORRY I FORGO TO GIVE YOU A RELEASE FORM.
YOU HAVE TO SIGN THIS.
AND HE SAID...
OH.
AND I WAS LIKE, REALLY?
YOU'LL GET IN TROUBLE FOR THAT?
AND I SAID, NO, NO, NO.
I WAS TOLD THERE
WERE CERTAIN CONSTRAINTS.
AND I SAID, "WELL, IF YOU'RE
"GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE,
THEN I'LL TAKE IT OUT.
I MEAN, IT'S FINE."
AND I STARTED TO SENSE
LIKE THIS INCREASING
TENSION BETWEEN THE
SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION AND US.
YEAH.
YOU SEE, THE PUBLIC SPACE
HERE IS PEOPLE IN PUBLIC
HAVE A CERTAIN IMAGE
AND PRIVATE IS SOMETHING ELSE,
BUT THEY DON'T LIKE TO--
THEY FEEL IT'S STOLEN
FROM THEM.
I ALSO FORGOT THIS ONE
PART, YOU KNOW.
MANSOUR TOLD US THAT HIS SON
WAS REALLY EXCITED
THAT HIS FATHER
WAS ACTING IN A MOVIE.
I JUST HAVE TO PICK
SOMETHING UP.
I JUST HAVE TO...
PICK SOMETHING UP.
...PICK SOMETHING UP.
[WOMAN] YES. CLOSE. AGAIN.
I JUST HAVE TO PICK
PICK SOME... SORRY.
IT'LL HELP HIM...
YES.
I JUST HAVE TO PICK-PICK...
TELL ME WHAT--
ARE YOU SHOOTING?
AND I WAS THINKING, MAYBE
WE CAN PUT THE SON IN THE MOVIE.
MAYBE THE SON WOULD ENJOY BEING
IN THE MOVIE, TOO, WITH HIS DAD.
MAYBE WE COULD WRITE A SCENE
FOR THE SON TO BE IN AND ALSO
BESIDES HIS DAD.
SO I THOUGHT, WELL,
WE SHOULD ASK HIS KID.
SO YOU SAID YOUR SON
IS IN PAKISTAN?
SO HE LIVES THERE
ALL THE TIME?
DOES HE COME HERE OFTEN?
YEAH.
WILL HE BE HERE
FOR THE BIENNIAL?
YEAH, SOMETIME.
NICE JOB.
I WOULD NEVER DO THAT.
I ASSUME.
YEAH.
SWEETIE,
LET ME PUT THIS ON NOW.
NO, NO.
YES, YES, YES.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE MOVIE.
IT'S FOR THE MOVIE.
NO, NO, NO.
COME, ON, BECKETT,
JUST THE SHIRT.
IT WON'T KILL YOU.
OKAY. YES.
NO. NO...
YES, YES, YES, YES...
YES, YES, YES.
NO. NO...
YES, YES...
NO!
PLEASE.
NO!
PLEASE.
NO. NO. NO.
IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD,
BECKETT.
COME ON.
COME ON.
GIVE ME YOUR HAND.
GIVE ME YOUR HAND.
GIVE ME YOUR HAND,
BECKETT. IT'S OKAY.
WE'RE GOING TO GO
INTO THE MOSQUE.
BECKETT, WE'RE GOING
INTO THE MOSQUE.
WE'RE GOING INTO THE MOSQUE.
WE'RE GOING
INTO THE MOSQUE, BECKETT.
IT WON'T.
I PROMISE.
OKAY, FINE.
OKAY, FINE. OKAY, FINE.
FINE. YOU WIN.
YOU WIN.
SO YOU JUST NEED
TO WASH YOUR HANDS?
OH, FACE AND FEET?
YEAH.
[WATER RUNNING]
THE MOUTH?
MOUTH. BISMILLAH.
BISMILLAH.
OH, YOU PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH?
YEAH.
YOU BLOW IT OUT.
SO, TO START A PRAYER,
WE SAY, ALLAHU AKBAR,
WHICH IS GOD IS GREA OR GOD IS THE GREATEST.
ALLAHU AKBAR--
BY RAISING
THE HANDS LIKE THIS.
ALLAHU AKBAR.
ALLAHU AKBAR.
THEN WE PUT OUR HANDS HERE.
RIGHT OVER LEFT.
MM-HMM.
AND THEN,
PROSTRATION.
THE ELBOWS ARE RAISED.
IT'S OKAY.
JUST LEAVE IT THERE
IF IT FALLS OFF?
THE ELBOWS ARE RAISED.
OH, LIKE THIS?
YEAH.
YES, LIKE THIS.
YOU JUST LEAVE IT.
SOME PEOPLE WILL TRY
TO PICK IT UP,
BUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE,
NOT TO BREAK THE RHYTHM OF--
UH-HUH, IS THAT TRUE NOW TOO
OR JUST DURING THE PRAYER?
JUST DURING THE REAL PRAYER.
DURING THE REAL PRAYER.
YES. SALAAM ALAYKUM.
SALAAM.
SALAAM ALAYKUM.
SALAAM.
SALAAM ALAYKUM.
SALAAM.
STOP.
OKAY STOP. STOP.
YOU HAVE TO STOP.
SORRY.
YEAH, YEAH.
YOU KNOW, CAMILLE TOLD
ME THE STORY ONCE ABOUT LIKE,
THERE WAS THIS FILM
ABOUT MOHAMMAD THAT WAS MADE.
I THINK IT WAS CALLED
THE MESSENGER.
IT S LIKE A BIG BUDGE SPECTACLE FILM.
AND THE WAY THEY GO AROUND THE PROHIBITION
AGAINST REPRESENTING MOHAMMAD
IN SUNNI ISLAM--
WHICH IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS
IN SHIITE ISLAM,
WHICH IS WHAT IRANIANS ARE,
WHICH IS WHAT MY PARENTS
ARE AND THE TRADITION
THAT I'M FROM--
IS THAT THEY DIDN'T SHOW
MOHAMMAD'S FACE.
IT WAS ALWAYS A POV SHOT.
NO ONE EVER KNEW
IT WAS MOHAMMAD,
IT WAS LIKE THROUGH HIS EYES.
AND APPARENTLY, THERE'S A GUY
IN THERE WHO'S LIKE THE BAD GUY
IN THE MOVIE AND WHEN PEOPLE
WOULD SEE HIM ON THE STREE
AFTER THE MOVIE CAME OUT,
THEY WOULD LIKE THROW
ROCKS AT HIM AND SPI AT HIM AND LIKE, THREATEN HIM.
AND CAMILLE EXPLAINED
TO ME LIKE,
IN THE MIDDLE EAST,
THAT NOT ALL PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND WHAT FILM IS.
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND
IT'S PRETEND.
AND THIS GUY COULDN' GET A JOB, THE ACTOR.
THE HEAD OF THE COUNTRY
HAD TO LIKE GIVE
HIM A SPECIAL ANNUAL STIPEND
SO THAT HE COULD,
HIM AND HIS FAMILY
COULD LIKE LIVE, BECAUSE
EVERYONE HATED HIM
FOR PLAYING THIS VILLAIN
IN THIS MOVIE AND NO
BEING ABLE TO DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION.
HELLO. HOW ARE YOU?
HI, HOW ARE YOU?
HOW DO WE GET ON THE BOAT?
COME. BABY COME.
IT'S OKAY.
NO. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
WE'RE GOING TO GO ON THE BOAT.
HE WANTS TO GO ON THE BOAT.
WE'RE GOING TO GIVE IT A TRY.
YOU GO FIRS AND THEN I'LL HAND...
NO, YOU GO FIRST AND I'LL
HAND BECKETT TO YOU.
GO FIRST.
[SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
THIS IS YOUR WIFE.
I'M FROM IRAN.
YES, BUT YOU--
YES. YES, WIFE.
[SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
YES! FROM NEW YORK.
[ZAHEDI]
SO, WE'RE MAKING A MOVIE.
DO YOU GUYS WANT TO BE IN IT?
[CHILD] YEAH.
THERE'S ALSO STORY STUFF.
I ALSO WANT TO...
[CHILDREN] YES.
SO, WE'LL SEE YOU
MAYBE TOMORROW NIGH OR THE NEXT NIGHT,
BUT WE'RE HERE ALL THE TIME,
AND WE'LL THINK OF A SCENE
FOR YOU GUYS TO ACT IN, OKAY?
OKAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU.
BYE-BYE.
SEE YOU GUYS.
BYE.
BYE.
WE DON' HAVE A MUSICAL SEQUENCE.
LIKE IN HOLLYWOOD
MUSICAL SEQUENCE?
YEAH, BUT LIKE MAYBE ARABIC.
[MIDDLE EASTERN]
THAT SEEMS
LIKE A WHOLE PRODUCTION.
I KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW.
WELL...
YOU HAVE TO MAKE, LIKE,
CHOREOGRAPHY.
[CHUCKLES]
LIKE PROBABLY
THE 13-YEAR OLD INDIAN GIRL
COULD TEACH ME, LIKE,
BOLLYWOOD CHOREOGRAPHY.
WELL, MAYBE
WITH THE INDIAN KIDS.
THEY COULD DO
A BOLLYWOOD THING.
BUT WE COULD
CHOREOGRAPH THE KIDS
DOING A MUSICAL NUMBER
AROUND SOCCER.
[WOMAN]
WE HAVE WAY TOO MANY THINGS.
I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE WE COULD
USE THE CALL TO PRAYER.
[MAN SINGING ADHAN]
[ZAHEDI CHANTS]
WELL, MAYBE I WOULDN'T BE VERY--
MAYBE IT WOULD BE MORE PRAY.
[ADHAN]
ACTUALLY, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
[MAN]
WHAT ABOUT LIKE YOU--
WHY DON'T WE USE
THE PRAYER CHOREOGRAPHY?
[MIDDLE EASTERN]
[MAN]
[WOMAN]
HOW MANY--
I DON'T KNOW.
IT PROBABLY IS.
READY, ONE, TWO THREE BOW.
I MEAN, THERE'S SOMETHING
SO CENTRAL ABOU THIS PRAYER HERE.
IT'S LIKE THE WHOLE CENTER
OF THIS PLACE,
IT'S LIKE FIVE TIMES A DAY,
EVERYBODY STOPS WHA THEY'RE DOING
AND THEY DO THIS PRAYER
WHICH IS RITUALIZED.
I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT ART DOES.
ART DOESN'T JUST BOW.
ART HAS A GAZE THAT HAS
COMPLEXITY AND DISTANCE,
RIGHT?
SO REALLY,
I THINK THAT'S WHAT--
THAT'S WHAT'S INTERESTING
TO DO.
THAT'S WHAT ART SHOULD DO.
IT SHOULDN'T JUST LIKE BE
ONLY REVERENT TO THE SACRED.
IT SHOULD ALSO, LIKE,
BE PLAYFUL WITH THE SACRED.
HIGH.
HIGH STEP.
HIGH.
HIGH STEP.
[REPEATING]
ACTION.
GOT IT?
YES.
OKAY. IT WAS GOOD.
THANK YOU.
[ZAHEDI]
BUT ANYWAY, SOME PEOPLE
WHO WERE IN THE COURTYARD
WHEN WE WERE SHOOTING
COMPLAINED TO THE SHARJAH
ART FOUNDATION
THAT WE WERE NOT ACTING
SACREDLY TOWARDS PRAYER.
HE SAID THAT PEOPLE
ARE A LITTLE FREAKED OU
ABOUT ALL THE SHOOTING
AND PEOPLE ARE GETTING
WORRIED ABOUT IT,
AND HIS WIFE WAS WORRIED
ABOUT HIM LOSING HIS JOB
IF HE SAYS CERTAIN THINGS
THAT MAYBE AREN'T ORTHODOX.
LARA WAS WORRIED
ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING
WITH THIS FOOTAGE.
EVERYONE IS JUST PARANOID
AND, UM, HE JUST SAID--
HE SAID HE DOESN'T KNOW
WHERE THE LINES ARE HIMSELF
BECAUSE HE'S A GUEST HERE, BU
HE'S WORRIED THAT IF
WE'RE FILMING HIM
TALKING ABOUT ISLAM
AND MAYBE IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND
OF ISLAM THAN THEIR SHEIK'S
BRAND OF ISLAM,
THEN HE'LL BE LIKE OFFENDED,
AND HE'S GOT A GUEST VISA
FOR THREE MONTHS,
AND THEY COULD EASILY
NOT RENEW IT.
SO EVERYONE'S JUST LIKE...
WORRIED.
DO YOU GUYS KNOW HOW
TO DANCE AT ALL?
UM...
THERE'S NO A LOT OF DANCING...
[ZAHEDI]
AND SO, ZUZU ASKED THE WOMEN
WHO WORKED AT THE MUSEUM
IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO BE
IN OUR CHOREOGRAPHY SCENE,
AND THEY SAID, YES,
SO WE SCHEDULED A DAY
WHEN THEY ALL COULD DO IT.
AND SOMEHOW ALL THE WOMEN
CHANGED THEIR MINDS
OR THEY SAID THEY FORGO TO BRING THEIR BURQAS.
I DON'T KNOW,
THEY ALL HAD AN EXCUSE.
EXCEPT ONE WOMAN
WHO WAS EGYPTIAN.
APPARENTLY, EGYPTIANS
AREN'T AS UPTIGHT.
[ZAHEDI ON SET]
OKAY, LET'S TRY THIS
OKAY, GO.
RIGHT, RIGH LEFT, LEF
RIGHT, RIGHT.
LEFT, LEFT.
[REPEATING]
THAT LOOKS GOOD.
A LITTLE MORE, MICHAEL...
ZUZU'S GOOD.
[ZAHEDI]
YEAH, SO SHE WAS FINE
WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHY SCENE
BECAUSE THE OTHER ONES
WERE NOT,
AND I THINK
THEY WERE GETTING UPSET.
WHEN THEY REALIZED
IT WAS LIKE WESTERN DANCING,
THEY LIKE GOT REALLY UPSET.
[ZAHEDI]
THEN TWO OF THEM WALKED
THROUGH OUR FRAME AND I THINK
THEY SAW WHAT WE WERE DOING
AND THEY TOLD THE OTHER ONES,
AND THE OTHER ONES
WERE LIKE REALLY MAD,
AND THEY BASICALLY
TOLD THE EGYPTIAN WOMAN
TO STOP DOING I
AND THEY WERE MAD
AT HER AND I THINK
WERE WORRIED
THAT SHE WAS GOING TO LOSE
HER JOB
JUST FOR DANCING
IN OUR MOVIE SCENE.
IT'S THE THING I HATE MOS IN THE WORLD IS PEOPLE WHO TRY
TO LIKE GET IN THE
WAY OF MY FILMS,
BECAUSE MY FILMS ARE LIKE
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME.
I MEAN, MY SON IS MORE
IMPORTANT TO ME BUT OF THINGS
THAT ARE NOT PEOPLE,
FILMMAKING IS THE MOS IMPORTANT THING TO ME.
IT'S JUST VERY
SALVATIONAL TO ME, YOU KNOW.
IF I CAN ONLY MAKE THIS FILM
OR MAKE IT GOOD,
EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY.
IT'S LIKE, I'LL BE SAVED.
IT'S ALMOST RELIGIOUS.
WHEREAS IF I DON'T SUCCEED
OR IF THE FILM IS THWARTED
LIKE I FEEL DAMNED OR
EVERYTHING IS BAD.
IT'S NOT JUST LIKE ONE
THING IS BAD, EVERYTHING
IS BAD AND LIFE HAS NO MEANING
AND I FEEL WORTHLESS.
I HAVE LOW SELF-ESTEEM,
I THINK, IS THE TRUTH.
SO FILMMAKING GIVES ME SOME
SELF-ESTEEM BUT WITHOUT IT,
I DON'T HAVE ANY.
AND THEN, WHEN I WAS
AT THE FERRIS WHEEL,
SORT OF LIKE LOCATION
SCOUTING OR WHATEVER,
JUST LOOKING AROUND,
I NOTICED THAT THERE
WAS THIS BANQUET.
NO, WE JUST WANT TO LOOK
AT THE FERRIS WHEEL.
YOU CAN GO THERE?
YES, WE WANT TO LOOK AT IT.
JUST LOOK AT IT. YES.
[ZAHEDI]
SO I THOUGHT, WELL,
I WONDER IF ONE OF THOSE GUYS
IS THE SHEIK OF SHARJAH,
LIKE HE MIGHT BE THE SHEIKH
OF SHARJAH RIGHT THERE,
LIKE IN THE SAME SPACE BU I COULDN'T REALLY GET TO HIM.
WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO,
INTERRUPT HIS BANQUET?
EXCUSE ME.
[CHUCKLES]
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS IS
IT'S SO WEIRD AND RANDOM
THAT WE STUMBLED UPON THIS.
I FEEL LIKE IF I COULD FIGURE
OUT A WAY TO INCORPORATE
THIS RANDOM EVEN INTO THE NARRATIVE, RIGHT?
SO,
WELL, ONE OF THEM COULD JUS BE THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH
AND WE DO SOMETHING WITH HIM
BUT IT'S KIND OF FUNNY
THAT THEY'RE ALL THERE, RIGHT?
IT WAS LIKE A BANQUET.
LIKE EVERY YEAR,
THEY HAVE LIKE A,
ALL THE SHEIKS GET TOGETHER.
[MAN]
[ZAHEDI]
BUT...
ALL THE SHEIKS ARE KIDNAPPED
AT THE SAME TIME.
AND IF THEY KIDNAP ALL OF THEM,
IT COULD BE WORTH A LOT.
[MAN] YES.
THEY WANT BETTER
WORKING CONDITIONS.
THEY WANT THE RIGH TO BECOME CITIZENS
AFTER 30 YEARS.
[MAN] THAT'S GOOD.
I KNOW.
[WOMAN] SUPER.
HE'S GOING
TO GET FIRED.
OR LIKE MANSOUR IS LEADING
THIS LIKE PAKISTANI-LED LABOR
RESISTANCE THING.
ALL THE INDIAN KIDS.
[WOMAN]
ALL THE INDIAN KIDS.
[MAN]
WE COULD JUST LIKE USE
THEM AS, LIKE,
THIS ARMY OF CHILDREN.
[WOMAN]
OH, YOU GUYS ARE MAKING
IT SO POLITICAL THOUGH.
THAT'S SO SCARY.
[MAN]
PLAYFUL, ABSURD WAY.
[ZAHEDI] AND SOMEHOW,
WE FOIL THE PLOT.
BECKETT, SOMEHOW,
IS INSTRUMENTAL.
[MAN]
BECKETT LEADS ALL
THE CHILDREN AGAINST HIM.
AND THE SHEIKS,
IN GRATITUDE FOR SAVING
THEM FROM THE RANSOMERS,
CHANGE THE LABOR LAWS.
[WOMAN] WOW.
[MAN]
YEAH.
[CHUCKLES]
I REALLY WANTED
THE SHEIK TO PLAY THE SHEIK,
AND I THOUGHT, OH, WELL,
THIS WOULD BE WHAT I ASK
THE SHEIK--
YOU KNOW, ASK HIM IF HE'LL
PLAY HIMSELF IN THE MOVIE,
AND I ACTUALLY WROTE
HIM A LETTER
AT SOME POINT, ASKING IF HE'D
BE IN THE MOVIE,
AND THERE'S NO ANSWER.
EVERY DAY, I'D SAY,
WAS THERE ANY ANSWER?
NO, THERE WASN'T AN ANSWER.
SO AT SOME POINT I ASKED
THIS GUY AND I THOUGH
THIS GUY LOOKS AMAZING,
JUST HIS FACE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL
AND STRIKING AND HAD A GLOW,
LIKE A SPIRITUAL GLOW
THAT I THINK YOU COULD FEEL.
THERE'S SOMETHING
SPECIAL ABOUT THIS GUY.
ALLAHU GOD? ALLAHU.
[MAN] ALLAHU? ALLAHU.
[CHATTERING]
[ZAHEDI]
YES, I KIND OF KNOW.
I'VE BEEN LIVING
HERE FOR A WHILE.
HE DOESN'T BELIEVE
IN THAT STUFF.
[SPEAKS NATIVE LANGUAGE]
OKAY, NO PROBLEM.
OH, YEAH? GREAT. DO YOU KNOW
HOW WE CAN REACH HIM?
NO, I DON'T KNOW.
SURE.
YEAH, OKAY.
ZERO, FIVE, ZERO...
ZERO, FIVE, ZERO...
ALSO, WE NEEDED KIDNAPPERS.
SO THERE WAS THIS GUY NAMED
HEMADI WHO WAS AN ARTIS
FROM IRAQ AND HE HAD A STUDIO
RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO WHERE COLIN
AND MICHAEL WERE STAYING.
AND WE THOUGHT HE'D
BE GOOD FOR THE KIDNAPPER.
NO SHE'S NOT BEING IT.
IT'S THE SHEIK.
SHEIKH OF SHARJAH.
OH.
SHEIKH OF SHARJAH
IS BEING KIDNAPPED.
YOU CANNOT REPLACE
ANOTHER BODY FOR THIS?
NO, WE WANT YOU.
MAN, DO I LOOK
LIKE I'M A KILLER?
HOW I, WE COULD NEVER.
YOU LOOK GREAT.
- YES?
- YEAH.
HE SEEMED EVIL.
LIKE HE HAD THESE
LONG FINGERNAILS
LIKE AN EVIL PERSON
IN A SILENT MOVIE
OR SOMETHING.
SO I THOUGHT,
"HE'LL BE GOOD," AND ALSO,
WE'RE TRYING TO FIND
ANOTHER KIDNAPPER.
AND WE FOUND THIS GUY.
WE WERE SHOOTING ANOTHER SCENE.
ACTION!
AND AS WE'RE SHOOTING THIS,
THIS GUY COMES UP TO US.
HE WANTS TO ACT IN THE MOVIE.
OKAY.
I AM EGYPTIAN.
GREAT.
WELL, ACTUALLY, RIGHT NOW.
ACTION!
HE CAN DO A DOUBLE.
GREAT.
THANK YOU.
AND I FELT FOR HIM.
I KNEW HE WANTED
TO BE IN THE MOVIES.
YOU GUYS HAVE ANY IDEAS
FOR WHAT WE COULD USE
THAT EGYPTIAN GUY FOR?
I THINK HE LIKES TO DO STUNTS.
YEAH.
HE COULD BE THE STAND-IN
FOR ANY OF OUR CHARACTERS.
BUT, YEAH, WE SHOULD
THINK OF SOMETHING...
YEAH.
HE SAID HE LIKES--
HE CAN FALL.
WHAT WAS HE SAYING?
DID YOU CATCH IT?
SHOULDN'T HE BE
ONE OF THE...
RANSOMERS?
RANSOMERS.
YEAH.
AND THEN THE POLICE TRY
TO CATCH HIM AND HE LIKE--
YEAH,
HE'LL FALL ON HIS BUTT.
ROLL, ROLL OVER,
JUMP OUT A WINDOW.
HE'S THE ONE
THAT GETS AWAY.
ALL THE OTHERS
ARE CAPTURED,
AND HE'S THE ONE
THAT GETS AWAY.
AND WE JUST SEE HIM
GOING AROUND A CORNER.
OKAY.
SO WE'RE FILMING CAMILLE
GETTING HIT BY THE CAR.
AND THE KIDNAPPERS ARE DRIVING
THE CAR BECAUSE THEY'VE JUS
FLED THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
WITH THE RANSOM MONEY.
SO THEY'RE GOING TOO FAST.
AND CAMILLE IS TRYING TO CROSS
THE STREET, AND SHE THINKS
IT'S SAFE, AND IT USUALLY
IS BUT THIS TIME,
IT'S A KIDNAPPER,
SO SHE GETS HIT BY THE CAR.
WATCH OUT.
AND THE KIDNAPPERS JUMP OU AND THEN BECAUSE THEY HIT HIM,
THE POLICE COME
AND THEY GET ARRESTED
OR SOMETHING.
SO THAT WAS BASICALLY OUR--
OUR STORY LINE.
AMD THE SAIN WILL PLAY THE SHEIK
AND THEY'LL PAY THE KIDNAPPERS,
AND WE'RE GOOD.
READY, BECKETT?
YES.
OKAY, HOLD HIM.
WHEN I SAY "ACTION,"
LET HIM GO, OKAY?
OKAY, GO.
ACTION!
RUN, RUN, RUN,
RUN, RUN, RUN!
COME ON, BECKETT!
COME ON, BECKETT!
BIG GROUP.
FASTER, FASTER!
OKAY.
GIVE ME THE GUN.
SO WE DO THE SAME THING
AGAIN BUT WITH MANSOUR
INSTEAD OF BECKETT.
I FIRST.
I FIRST.
SO THE BASIC IDEA
IS THAT HE PLAYS
THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH.
OKAY.
IN THIS SCENE.
THERE'S OTHER SCENES
WHERE HE DOESN' PLAY THE SHEIK.
HE PLAYS OTHER CHARACTERS.
BUT IN THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH
THING, HE GETS KIDNAPPED.
YES.
AND, I GUESS WE HAVE TO TIE
HIM UP WITH SOME ROPE.
YES.
FIRST STANDING,
AND THEN TO A CHAIR.
AND THEN
THESE RANSOMERS COME
AND THAT GUY AND THAT GUY
PLAY THE RANSOMERS.
OKAY.
AND HE'S GOING
TO BE AT THE TABLE.
AT THE BANQUET.
AND THEN WE NEED A SCENE
WHERE HE SIGNS A LAW
CHANGING THE LABOR LAWS.
HE SIGNS A MORE PROGRESSIVE
LABOR LAW INTO EFFECT.
WHAT KIND OF LABOR
LAW DO YOU MEAN?
OH, THE IDEA IS LIKE,
YOU KNOW,
INDIANS WHO COME
TO WORK IN SHARJAH--
YES.
YOU KNOW, THEY CAN' BECOME CITIZENS. RIGHT?
SO THEY'RE GOING
TO CHANGE THAT.
YEAH,
THEY GAVE US A PERMIT.
- YEAH?
- YEAH.
AND THE SHEIK IS FUNDING
THE BIENNIAL.
OKAY.
AND HIS DAUGHTER
IS THE PRESIDEN OF THE BIENNIAL.
OH, OKAY.
YEAH, BECAUSE YOU'RE INVOLVING
THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH.
RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.
YEAH, SO WE JUST WAN TO BE SURE THAT IF IT'S--
I WILL JUST ASK KAJISAN,
OKAY?
YEAH.
THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH BASICALLY,
I'M TOLD, OWNS SHARJAH
LIKE IT'S HIS COUNTRY.
AND HE'S LIKE--I DIDN' REALIZE THIS AT THE TIME,
BUT HE'S LIKE
THE SUPREME RULER.
I MEAN, IT'S BASICALLY
A DICTATORSHIP.
YOU HAVE INVOLVED
THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH.
OKAY, SO THIS COUNTRY
HAS ITS RULES.
UH-HUH.
AND WE RESPECT HIM,
AND HE'S BEEN HERE
FOR SO MANY YEARS, OKAY?
SO THE OTHER THING IS WE NEED
SOMEBODY MAYBE FROM POLICE
OR SOMEBODY WHO CAN EXPLAIN
HIM AND TELL HIM, OKAY,
THERE'S NO PROBLEM
IN DOING THIS.
OKAY?
YOU UNDERSTAND?
IT'S A LITTLE BIT--BECAUSE,
SEE, IF IT'S A NORMAL MAN,
IT'S OKAY, BUT IT'S
THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH,
YOU KNOW?
AND WE HAVE VERY HIGH RESPEC FOR ALL THE PEOPLE.
SO, UNLESS, AND UNTIL SOMEBODY,
A LOCAL GUY OR SOMEONE,
WHO'S A RESPONSIBLE PERSON,
COMES AND EXPLAINS HIM
THAT IT WON'T BE A PROBLEM,
I DON'T THINK SO
HE'LL BE DOING IT.
OH.
HI, YAZAN.
HI, YAZAN.
HEY. THIS IS...
OKAY.
SO WE WANT HIM TO PLAY
THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH
IN A SCENE.
OKAY,
THAT'S TOO MUCH.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS LIKE--
DID YOU HAVE--CAN WE SPEAK?
SURE. OKAY.
I DON'T KNOW
ABOUT THAT.
YEAH.
OKAY.
MAYBE YOU NEED
TO CUT THIS, BECAUSE...
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK
MICHAEL WASN'T SURE
IF THIS MEAN
TURN OFF THE CAMERA OR PRETEND
TO TURN OFF THE CAMERA.
BUT HE WAS SHOOTING.
AND HE SORT OF TILTED UP.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE
TELL YOU LIKE, OH,
YOU GOT TO STOP FILMING.
THAT HAPPENED TO US
A FEW TIMES.
I'M ALWAYS LIKE, WELL,
JUST KEEP FILMING.
AND IF THEY REALLY STAR GETTING MENACING, OKAY,
WE'LL TURN IT OFF, BUT IT'S
GOOD TO GET THAT ON CAMERA.
I REALLY DON'T WAN TO BE FILMED RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT.
NOT ME. NOT YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
ABOUT IT. YES.
I SEE.
YES.
YOU WERE?
YEAH.
I WANT POCKET MONEY, MUFFY.
WHAT?
POCKET MONEY.
POCKET MONEY?
POCKET MONEY MUFFY.
YOU WANT US TO GIVE
YOU POCKET MONEY?
YES.
NO. WE HAVE A VERY
LIMITED BUDGET WHICH IS EVERYONE
IS DOING EVERYTHING FOR FREE.
YES, HE WANTS MONEY.
FOR, FOR ANYTHING, FOR,
WHAT'S HE DO?
WELL, THAT WASN'T THE DEAL.
OKAY.
BUT WHAT--
HUH?
WE'LL STOP FOR TONIGHT.
BUT I'LL SAY WE QUIT.
WHAT?
WE WON'T,
HE DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE.
HE DOESN'T WANT TO
BE IN THE MOVIE ANYMORE?
NO.
IS THAT WHAT HE SAID?
NO, YEAH.
OKAY. FINE.
OKAY.
SURE.
OKAY.
WE'RE HAVING A BAD NIGHT.
OKAY.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
WE CAN BLUR EVERYONE'S FACES,
BLEEP EVERYONE'S NAMES,
YOU KNOW, LIKE
REALLY?
BE APPROPRIATE.
THEY WON'T SHOW I AT THE BIENNIAL,
YOU KNOW.
IT'S THEIR FAULT.
IT'S THEIR OWN FAULT.
YES, I JUST DON' WANT PEOPLE TO GET IN TROUBLE
AND SO I'VE NEVER BEEN
IN THIS POSITION BEFORE.
THE WORST THAT CAN EVER
HAPPEN BEFORE WAS LIKE MY
FILM DOESN'T GET SHOWN.
NOW, I DON'T--
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
SO I WAS LIKE OKAY, WELL MAYBE
SHE'S RIGHT AND MAYBE
THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST PARANOID.
THEY ALL SEEMED--THEY ACTUALLY
SEEMED PARANOID TO ME.
LIKE EVERYBODY
SEEMED PARANOID.
BUT WHEN EVERYONE IS PARANOID,
YOU START TO GE
PARANOID THAT YOU'RE--YOU
SHOULD BE PARANOID, YOU KNOW?
RIGHT.
SO THE NEXT DAY,
WE ASKED HEMADI
IF HIS FRIEND WHO HAD BEEN
HANGING OUT WHEN WE SHO
THE SCENE WITH CAMILLE
GETTING HIT BY A CAR
MIGHT BE WILLING
TO PLAY THE SHEIK.
SO WHAT'S YOUR FRIEND'S
NAME AGAIN? ABDUL?
YES, ABDUL RACHMAN.
ABDULLAH?
ABDUL RACHMAN.
ABDULLAH...
ABDUL RAHMAN.
ABDUL RACHMAN.
ABDUL RAHMAN.
RAH ABDUL RAHMAN.
YES. ABDUL RAHMAN.
NO, NOT MUCH, YOU KNOW.
CAN WE ASK YOUR FRIEND,
ABDUL RAHMAN, IF HE WILL
ACT IN OUR MOVIE?
COULD WE DO THE SCENE
WHERE HE GETS TIED UP?
OR HE'S BEING KIDNAPPED?
WHERE? HERE?
NO. NEXT DOOR.
NEXT DOOR.
IS THAT OKAY?
WELL, I WELL JUST IN CASE--
WHY DO WE HAVE A CABLE?
OH, YES.
HE HAS NO PROBLEM WITH IT.
OH...
OH, THE SCENE IS,
WE SAID LAST NIGHT,
YOU PLAYING THE KIDNAPPER.
YES.
THE SHEIKS ARE ALL HERE.
AND THEN BECKETT COMES
AND HE STOPS THE PLOT.
IT'S FOR THAT SCENE.
OH, YES.
SO IT'S A SCENE WHERE WE SHOW
THAT HE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED.
KIDNAPPED. THAT IS THE--
YEAH, YEAH.
THAT SHOT YOU ARE
GOING TO TWO-SHOT.
OH.
WE GO TO YOUR ROOM,
SO YOU COME IN, GUN AND
A KNIFE AND YOU SAY,
GIVE ME YOUR MONEY.
NO, YOU DON'T DIE.
YOU JUST SIT.
AND THEN, THERE'S GOING
TO BE A CALL TO PRAYER.
OKAY? LIKE THE CALL
TO PRAYER. ALLAH AKBAR!
NO, NO, NO, NO.
NO, NO, YOU DON' HAVE TO DO THAT.
IT'S NOT GOOD?
IS THIS...
CAVEH.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT,
SO IT'S GOT TO BE A LITTLE LOWER
OKAY?
OKAY.
OKAY.
OKAY. SO YOU WALK INTO
FRAME, FROM OUT HERE.
SO WE SEE YOUR SHADOWS COMING.
IN YOUR HAND, YOU HOLD
THE DAGGER, OKAY?
YES.
YOU COME LIKE THIS.
OKAY? AND HEMADI
NEXT TO HIM WITH THE GUN. OKAY?
OKAY.
READY? GET SET. ACTION!
DON'T MOVE.
FIRST OF ALL, A LITTLE FASTER.
A LITTLE FASTER.
ACTION! BOOM!
OKAY, READY?
YES.
ACTION!
OH, NO.
JUST DO...[LAUGHS]
ACTION!
HEMADI, WHY ARE YOU STANDING
ON TIPTOE LIKE THIS?
OH, I DON'T KNOW.
ACTION!
OKAY,
YOU KEEP DOING THIS THING.
I CAN'T!
IT'S THAT LEG.
ACTION!
OH, AGAIN.
WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT?
WHERE DO YOU WANT IT?
THE IDEA IS,
YES,
YOU GUYS ARE TRYING
TO KIDNAP THE SHEIK, RIGHT?
AND SUDDENLY THE
THEN THE CALL TO PRAYER,
THE SIGN TO PRAY.
YES.
BECAUSE YOU'RE RELIGIOUS,
YOU STOP, TO PRAY.
I WANT TO SHOW THAT.
TRUST US, IT'S GOOD.
OKAY. BUT WHY WOULD HE REAC NEGATIVE TO THAT?
OKAY.
DOESN'T FUNCTION THAT WAY.
YES, IT DOESN' FUNCTION THAT WAY.
YEAH, YEAH, BECAUSE
PEOPLE DON'T STOP TO PRAY
AT A CERTAIN TIME.
THEY GO TO THE MOSQUE,
RIGHT? WHENEVER...
YEAH. NO, I KNOW.
IT'S IMAGINARY.
IT'S COMEDIC.
IT'S NOT REAL.
COMEDY.
IT DOESN'T SOUND GOOD.
HE SAY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE YOU DO
THAT BECAUSE IF THE PEOPLE
THEY GO TO PRAY,
THEY DO NOT CARRY GUNS
AND THEY NEED TO CLEAN UP.
THAT'S STUPID.
I KNOW
IT'S STUPID. IT IS STUPID.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE STUPID.
THIS IS...
WE CAN ALSO DO IT DIFFERENTLY.
I KNOW IT'S NOT REALISTIC.
I KNOW IT'S NOT REALISTIC.
IT HAS NO MEANING
THAT IS REALISTIC
FOR THE PEOPLE.
YES BUT IT'S JUST A FANTASY.
BECAUSE IT'S, YES...
IT'S JUST A FANTASY.
NO, NO,
BUT IT'S OUR FANTASY.
IT IS, YES, YOUR FANTASY.
OKAY.
SO, WE CAN DO IT DIFFERENTLY.
WE CAN DO IT DIFFERENTLY.
HE'S OBJECTING THE PRAY
WITH THE GUNS.
OKAY.
WHATEVER YOUR
ATTEMPT OR MEANINGS,
WHAT YOU MEAN YOU,
IT DOES NOT MATTER,
BUT FOR THEM THEY SEE THE GUNS
AND THE PRAYER DOESN'T FUNCTION.
OKAY, OKAY.
SO, WE JUST COME
IN WITH BECKETT.
YEAH.
AND WE'LL SEE YOU AND WE'LL GO
LIKE THIS. OKAY?
NOW YOU PUT DOWN THE GUNS,
OKAY?
WELL, YES,
THAT CAN BE BETTER.
OKAY.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT TO HIM?
WE WILL PUT THIS OUT.
HERE'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT,
WE WILL PUT IT OUT.
OKAY. HERE'S WHA WE'RE GOING TO DO.
BECKETT IS GOING
TO WALK IN.
HE'S GOING TO TAKE
THE GUN AWAY FROM YOU.
AND THEN HE'S GOING TO GIVE
ME THE GUN AND THEN I'M GOING
TO HOLD IT ON YOU GUYS
AND THAT'S THE END OF THE SCENE.
DROP IT!
OKAY.
WE DID IT.
YAY!
SO, THE NEXT DAY ABDUL RAHMAN
SAYS THAT HE WANTS HIS RELEASE
FORM BACK AND HE DOESN'T WAN TO BE IN THE MOVIE ANYMORE.
SO, LARA INSISTED
THAT I SIGN A RELEASE FORM
ANNULLING THE RELEASE FORM
THAT ABDUL RAHMAN HAD SIGNED.
LARA, LOOK.
YOU DON'T RESPECT MY DECISION.
NO, NO, I MEAN THIS IS...
YOU'RE MAKING ME--
AND NEGOTIATED.
THIS IS NOT, THIS IS--
BUT IF I... DON'T.
AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH
THE LAST THING WE SHOT.
WE JUST HAD TO--
WE HAD TO LEAVE.
YOU KNOW,
WE HAD A FLIGHT TO CATCH.
SO, WE CAME BACK TO THE STATES
AND OUR LAST IDEA
WAS TO LIKE PU ON LIKE THE ARAB HEADDRESS
AND STUFF AT THE AIRPOR
AND WALK THROUGH
CUSTOMS AND WE THOUGH
FOR SURE THEY WOULD STOP
US BECAUSE THEY WOULD LIKE
I THOUGHT THEY'D
BE LIKE RACIST AND PREJUDICED
AND THEY WOULD LIKE THINK,
"HEY, WE'RE GOING
TO LIKE SEARCH THESE GUYS.
THESE GUYS LOOK ARAB."
AND NO ONE STOPPED US,
AND I WAS LIKE REALLY
SURPRISED AND IMPRESSED
BY OUR CUSTOMS PEOPLE.
AND ALL THE TAXI GUYS
WERE LIKE TALKING
TO US IN ARABIC.
OKAY.
SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?
UM, WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK
IS THE PROBLEM?
WELL, I THINK MAYBE THE STUFF
ABOUT THE SHEIKH OF SHARJAH?
YEAH.
RIGHT?
THAT'S THE MAIN PROBLEM, RIGHT?
I MEAN, LET'S JUS START WITH THE KIND
OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL THING,
WHICH IS YOU JUST CAN'T DO THAT,
AND IT JUST CAN'T BE DONE.
AND IT'S NOT EVEN
LIKE THIS THING
WHERE IT'S LIKE OH
IF YOU DO THAT,
YOU KNOW LIKE, SOMEBODY'S GOING
TO GET KILLED OR LIKE MANSOUR
IS GOING TO PUT IN JAIL
OR TORTURED.
IT'S NOT LIKE THAT.
LIKE IT'S REALLY ON A
IT CAN BE AS SIMPLE
AS LIKE MANSOUR JUST LOSING
HIS JOB AND BEING SENT BACK
HOME OR YAZAN LOSING HIS JOB.
RIGHT.
WHICH WE DON'T WANT.
OR LIKE THE MOMEN WHERE LIKE YAZAN
SAYS LIKE THIS IS GOING TO BE
A BIG PROBLEM ESPECIALLY FOR
MANSOUR BECAUSE OF RACISM
LIKE JUST OVER
KIND OF LIKE YOU KNOW, COMMENTS
ABOUT A SYSTEMATIC, YOU KNOW,
FUCKED-UP-NESS OF THE PLACE.
UH-HUH. BUT IF YOU SAID
THAT IN THE UNITED STATES
EVERYBODY WOULD GO, "YEAH,
THERE'S A LOT OF RACISM HERE."
IT WOULDN'T BE A STATEMENT ABOU THE GOVERNMENT OR ANYTHING.
IT'S JUST LIKE A STATEMENT ABOU
PEOPLE'S, YOU KNOW, DEEP-SEEDED,
LONG-STANDING PREJUDICES.
I MEAN, A, IT'S VERY
DIFFERENT FROM THE
UNITED STATES.
THAT IS VERY
MUCH GOVERNMENTAL POLICY
THAT MAKES FOR THESE
FUCKED UP LAWS.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC SHOTS
THAT I COULD CU
OUT THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM
OR IS IT LIKE BIGGER THAN THAT?
I WOULD SAY THE MOS SORT OF PROBLEMATIC PART IS
WHEN YOU HAVE THAT GUY
THAT YOU'RE SORT OF TRYING
TO HIRE TO PLAY THE PAR
OF THE SHEIK AND HE'S
GOING TO, YOU KNOW...
THE LABOR LAWS THING.
YEAH, HE'S GOING TO CHANGE
THE LABOR LAWS AND MAKE I
MORE PROGRESSIVE.
I MEAN THERE'S INACCURACIES
IN THAT BUT...
I MEAN I WAS CRINGING
INITIALLY WHEN I WAS WATCHING
THE PRAYER STUFF TOO.
REALLY? WHY THE PRAYER?
I'M SURPRISED BY THAT ACTUALLY.
YOU KNOW WHAT,
I'M JUST GOING TO LAY
THE MINUTE OR TWO OF THE PRAYER
SEQUENCE JUST THAT I CAN KIND
OF PINPOINT MORE SPECIFICALLY.
IS THAT OKAY?
SURE.
[ISLAMIC PRAYER ON LAPTOP]
RIGHT.
SO, THIS MOMENT IS...
I DON'T KNOW.
YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANTED
TO ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS
SO I TRIED BLEEPING
THE RACISM LINE.
OH. AND ALSO THE LABOR LAWS.
YOU KNOW...
[BLEEP]
YOU COME TO WORK IN SHARJAH?
YEAH.
YOU KNOW THEY CAN'T [BLEEP].
YEAH.
RIGHT?
AND I THINK THE ENDING WAS
REALLY COOL THE WAY IT ENDED.
[ISLAMIC PRAYER PLAYING]
BUT ANYWAY RASHA
FINALLY SAW THE FILM.
SHE DIDN'T LIKE IT AT ALL.
IT'S JUST THINKING NO THAT I DON'T LIKE IT.
IT'S JUST THAT I ALSO
HAVE A SENSE
THAT THERE'S A BETTER
FILM BEHIND IT.
AND I FELT BAD, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE I REALLY LIKED HER
AND I REALLY WANTED
HER TO LIKE ME.
I WAS REALLY
I WAS REALLY BUMMED
ABOUT IT LIKE I WAS DEPRESSED.
AND I WAS LIKE, DID I MAKE
A BAD MOVIE AND I JUS DON'T REALIZE IT?
LIKE, IS SHE RIGHT?
AND LIKE I SEEM
LIKE I WAS LIKE THIS SPOILED
AMERICAN COMING IN WITH
MY PRECONCEIVED IDEAS
AND TELLING THEM
HOW THEY SHOULD BE,
AND IT WAS LIKE
REALLY IMPERIALISTIC.
I WAS LIKE, I KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT.
LIKE IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS
YOU KNOW, MAKING
FUN OF IMPERIALISM
OR SORT OF A CRITIQUE
OF IMPERIALISM
LIKE IN THIS FUNNY SELF
CONSCIOUS SELF REFLEXIVE WAY.
I WAS KIND
OF EXCITED HONESTLY TO MAKE
A FILM THAT WOULD SOR OF HELP CHANGE STEREOTYPES.
LIKE I REALLY WANT TO MAKE
A FILM THAT WOULD MAKE PEOPLE
THINK THAT ARABS WERE COOL.
BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE
WERE COOL.
LIKE YAZAN WAS COOL
AND CAMILLE WAS COOL
AND RASHA WAS COOL.
LIKE THEY WERE ALL COOL.
COOLER THAN MOST PEOPLE.
LIKE THEY WERE VERY COOL.
AND I FEEL
LIKE IT WAS ENOUGH JUS
TO HAVE THEM IN THE MOVIE.
LIKE JUST HAVING
THEM IN THE MOVIE WAS ALREADY
LIKE A HUGE IMPROVEMEN ON THE USUAL STEREOTYPES.
LIKE IT WOULD HELP CREATE
PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
LIKE IT WOULD PUSH THINGS
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION,
TOWARDS GREATER UNDERSTANDING.
I REALLY THOUGHT THA AND I WANTED THAT,
BUT I WAS STILL WORRIED
ABOUT PEOPLE IN THE FILM
GETTING IN TROUBLE.
I MEAN THE PROBLEM IS LIKE EVEN
IF WE SHOW IN THE STATES,
THEY COULD GET IN TROUBLE,
RIGHT?
WE COULD.
THEY COULD.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT US.
WE CAN'T GET IN TROUBLE.
NO, I KNOW.
WELL WHO WILL GET IN TROUBLE?
YAZAN, CAMILLE, RASHA.
IN THE STATES?
LARA. EVERY...
NO, THEY'D GET IN TROUBLE HERE,
LIKE IF THE MOVIE
IS SHOWN PUBLICLY.
SO, I WAS TRYING TO FIND
A WAY OUT OF THE IMPASSE,
AND I COULDN'T REALLY FIND IT.
AND ONE DAY I SPOKE
TO MY FRIEND, ALAN BERLINER,
WHO'S A FILMMAKER,
AND HE SAID,
I SAID, "WELL, I DON' KNOW WHO THAT IS.
I MEAN THAT COULD BE
THE SHEIK I GUESS."
AND HE'S LIKE,
SO, I THOUGHT, "WHOA!
THAT'S A GREAT IDEA."
I KNEW THAT THE SHEIK WAS
GOING TO BE AT THE BIENNIAL,
AND I ASSUMED HE'S GOING
TO WATCH THE MOVIE.
SO, THIS WAS A WAY TO GE TO HIM LIKE I'M GOING TO SAY,
"LOOK, HERE'S WHAT'S GOING
ON AND WE NEED YOUR HELP.
CAN YOU HELP US?"
"DEAR HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH DOCTOR
SULTAN BIN MOHAMED AL-QASIMI,
MEMBER OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL
OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
AND RULER OF SHARJAH."
LIKE MAYBE HE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
THAT WE NEEDED HIS HELP.
YOU KNOW,
THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT.
I'VE HEARD THAT YOUR HIGHNESS
IS A MAN OF CULTURE AND LEARNING
AND THAT YOU ARE THE AUTHOR
OF MANY BOOKS AND PLAYS.
I'M THEREFORE ASKING
YOUR HIGHNESS TO GRAN
ME PERMISSION TO UNCENSOR
WHAT YAZAN SAYS IN THE CAR,
TO ALLOW TWO POLICE OFFICERS
IN A POLICE VAN TO PRETEND
TO ARREST US IN FRON OF THE SHEIK'S HOUSE,
TO ALLOW THE SAME TWO
POLICE OFFICERS TO PRETEND
TO ROUGH UP MANSOUR,
TO ALLOW ME TO LEAVE
IN THE REFERENCES
TO THE LABOR LAWS,
AND TO ALLOW ME TO LEAVE
IN THE CHOREOGRAPHY SHO
THAT THE SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION
ASKED ME TO REMOVE.
FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK
YOUR HIGHNESS'S PERMISSION
TO ALLOW...TO PLAY
YOUR HIGHNESS IN OUR MOVIE
OR EVEN BETTER TO PLAY
THE ROLE YOURSELF.
SINCE THE BIENNIAL IS ABOUT AR AS A SUBVERSIVE ACT, IT JUS
SEEMED LIKE
THE PERFECT MOVIE IDEA.
LIKE I WAS EXCITED
ABOUT THIS IDEA.
I THOUGHT THIS WAS LIKE GREAT.
UM...
I MEAN FOR THE SAME REASONS
THAT THEY WERE--
IT WAS PROBLEMATIC FROM
THE GET-GO, RIGHT?
LIKE, PUTTING EMPLOYEES IN A
DIFFICULT POSITION,
ADDRESSING SENSITIVE ISSUES
THAT WE KNOW
ARE SENSITIVE AND SHOULD
BE ADDRESSED BUT ARE DONE
SO IN A VERY
STRAIGHTFORWARD WAY,
WHICH IS JUST NOT HOW
IT WORKS HERE.
I JUST, YOU KNOW,
THEY'RE CURATORS.
THEY'RE ART CURATORS.
I WAS LIKE,
COME ON, YOU ASK ME
BECAUSE YOU KNOW MY WORK.
YOU KNOW THE KIND OF STUFF I DO.
THIS IS THE KIND OF STUFF I DO.
I MEAN I CAN SENSE YOU'RE
FRUSTRATED AND I CAN UNDERSTAND
WHY YOU'RE FRUSTRATED, BUT JUS TO SORT OF CONTEXTUALIZE THINGS,
YOU KNOW, DICTATORS ARE FALLING
LEFT, RIGHT AND CENTER.
IT'S A CRAZY TIME IN THE REGION.
I FORGOT SOMETHING.
I FORGOT THE ARAB UPRISING.
LIKE AS SOON AS WE LEF SHARJAH THE WHOLE ARAB
UPRISING HAPPENED.
IF WE DEFINE PRODUCTIVE AS BEING
LIKE ACTUALLY ADVANCING
THE CAUSE OR HAVING SOMEBODY SEE
SOMETHING IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT,
YOU KNOW, LIKE THE TAKE
ON THE LABOR LAW THING IS NO
PARTICULARLY LAYERED OR COMPLEX
AND YOU SAYING SO YOURSELF
BECAUSE THERE'S FACTORS
THAT YOU DON'T KNOW, RIGHT?
LIKE THERE'S ACTUALLY COMPLEX,
I HAVE ZERO INVESTMEN IN THE LABOR LAW ISSUE.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT IT.
IT'S NOT MY BUSINESS.
YOU KNOW, I'M IGNORANT.
RIGHT.
BUT MY BUSINESS IS JUS
I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY
THAT THE LABOR LAW SEEMS FUCKED.
WHETHER IT'S FUCKED OR NOT,
WHETHER I'M RIGHT OR WRONG,
I FEEL I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY
THAT AS AN ARTIST LIKE, "HEY,
MANSOUR'S KID LIVES
IN PAKISTAN."
HE'S 13. HE CAN'T LIVE WITH HIS
FATHER. THAT'S FUCKED.
I DON'T KNOW
WHO'S FAULT THAT IS.
MAYBE IT'S NOBODY'S FAULT.
IT'S JUST UNFORTUNATE.
AND I DON'T FEEL
LIKE I HAVE TO BE RIGH
ABOUT THAT EVEN
TO BE ABLE TO SAY IT.
I THINK HEIN ACTUALLY WAS KIND
OF PERSUADED BY WHAT I SAID
LIKE I THINK HE RECOGNIZED
THE VALIDITY AND THE ABSURDITY
OF WHAT HE WAS DOING.
I THINK HE WASN'T ENJOYING
THE CONSTRAINTS EITHER.
AT ONE POINT I SAID, YOU KNOW,
"WOULD IT ALL BE SOLVED
BY THE SHEIK SAYING IT'S FINE?"
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SHEIK.
OH IT'S NOT?
NO.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
I MEAN IT'S ABOUT THEM
GETTING IN TROUBLE, RIGHT?
AND SO I SAID, "LOOK, YOU DON' KNOW THE SHEIK WON'T LIKE IT.
MAYBE THE SHEIK WOULD LIKE IT."
LIKE, YOU KNOW,
WHY NOT SHOW IT TO HIM?
I MEAN WE'RE GOING TO--
WE'RE PLANNING
TO SHOW IT TO JACK.
WE'RE GOING TO SHOW IT TO JACK,
I'M GOING TO ASK HIM IF CAN
ACTUALLY SHOW IT TO SHEIKHA,
THE SHEIK'S DAUGHTER.
JACK PERSEKIAN WAS THE HEAD
OF THE SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION
AND I REALLY JUST CROSSED
PATHS WITH HIM LIKE ONCE.
BUT SO ANYWAY HE WAS VERY CLOSE
TO THE ROYAL FAMILY THEY SAID.
HE WAS THE DIRECTOR--
THE DAUGHTER OF THE SHEIK
WAS THE PRESIDENT.
AND IT WAS HER IDEA.
THE BIENNIAL WAS HER IDEA
BECAUSE SHE WENT TO ART SCHOOL
IN LONDON AND SHE WANTED
TO HAVE AN ART FESTIVAL,
AND SHE'S LOADED AND HER FATHER
SAID, "OKAY, I'LL PAY FOR IT."
SHE'S THE ONE
THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE
THE FINAL CALL.
JACK WON'T EVEN
BE ABLE TO MAKE A FINAL CALL.
HE MIGHT SAY THERE'S NO WAY
I'M SHOWING THIS TO SHEIKHA,
SO WE'LL HAVE TO GO
TO HIM FIRST.
UH-HUH, I SEE.
AND THEN TO SAY IF...
SO IT'S A PROTOCOL THING?
OKAY, WELL THAT SOUNDS
LIKE A GOOD THING TO DO,
DOESN'T IT?
SURE. I MEAN YEAH.
HI, CAN YOU HEAR US?
YES, I CAN.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY?
I CAN, I CAN'T SEE YOU,
BUT I CAN HEAR YOU.
THERE I SEE YOU NOW.
OKAY?
HI, BECKETT.
CAN YOU SAY HI?
NO? OKAY.
UMM, HOW'S IT GOING?
OKAY. WHAT,
SO WHAT'S GOING ON?
UM, SO, WE, UM...
I LET JACK WATCH THE MOVIE,
AND HE WAS WATCHING IT A
HIS DESK AND HE WAS, YOU KNOW,
HAVING A GOOD LAUGH ABOUT IT,
AND THEN ALL
SEEMED WELL AND SHEIKHA
WAS AROUND AND SHE WAS WATCHING
IT AND SHE WAS LAUGHING AS WELL.
I WAS LIKE, "GREAT!
"I KNEW IT. THEY LOVE IT.
THEY LOVE THE MOVIE."
AND THIS MORNING
I SPOKE TO HIM,
AND BASICALLY
HIS ISSUES WERE MORE
TO DO WITH THE RELIGIOUS
ASPECT OF THINGS.
UH-HUH.
AND HE WAS KIND OF
FREAKING OUT ABOUT I ACTUALLY.
SO, I WAS WORRIED, YOU KNOW.
SO I WAS LIKE ANXIOUS
LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON?
HE JUST WANTS TO BE SAFE.
HE DOESN'T WANT LIKE A DENMARK
SITUATION OCCURRING.
SO, HE'S BASICALLY SENT THE FILM
TO HIS OR THE
FOUNDATION'S LAWYERS.
OKAY.
SO, I GOT AN EMAIL TODAY
FROM JACK PERSEKIAN,
AND HE BASICALLY SAID
NOT ONLY ARE THEY NO GOING TO SHOW THE FILM,
BUT THEY ARE SENDING
A CEASE AND DESIST ORDER,
AND THEY'RE FORBIDDING
ME TO SHOW IT ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD.
IT'S TAKEN TO--
REMOVE IT FROM EVERY WEBSITE.
DESTROY EVERY COPY.
AND HE SAYS
THAT HIS LAWYERS HAVE SAID
THAT IT COULD BE GROUNDS
FOR IMPRISONMENT.
THEN HE LIKE APPENDED
HIS LAWYER'S LETTER TO HIM.
HIS LAWYER SAID...
"THE FILM PRESENTS
UNACCEPTABLE RISKS OF BEING
"DEEMED ILLEGAL UNDER U.A.E.
LAWS PROHIBITING BLASPHEMY."
AND IF IT WAS BLASPHEMOUS,
WHICH HE DIDN'T KNOW
FOR SURE, BUT THEY
COULD WIN THAT ARGUMENT,
THE COURT COULD RULE
THAT IT WAS BLASPHEMOUS,
THEN HE, JACK PERSEKIAN,
WOULD PROBABLY
BE HELD RESPONSIBLE
AND HAVE A LARGE FINE.
GO TO PRISON FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AND UPON HIS RELEASE
FROM PRISON HE'D BE DEPORTED.
BUT SO ANYWAY,
WE COULDN'T DECIDE
WHETHER TO GO OR NOT AND PAR OF ME WAS LIKE WE SHOULD
GO BECAUSE LIKE IT'D
BE REALLY DRAMATIC LIKE
THEY'LL TRY TO STOP US.
WE'LL TRY TO GET TO THE SHEIK.
WE'LL TRY TO GIVE
HIM A COPY OF THE FILM
AND IT'LL BE GREAT FOOTAGE.
AND WHAT'S THE WORS THING TO HAPPEN?
THEY PUT US IN JAIL?
I DON'T KNOW.
I JUST DIDN'T THINK
IT'D BE THAT BAD.
BUT MANDY, MY WIFE, WAS VERY,
VERY WORRIED AND SHE SAID,
"I'M NOT GOING.
"I'M NOT GOING.
I'M TAKING MY SON."
LIKE, "IF YOU WANT TO GO,
YOU GO, BUT I'M NOT GOING."
AND THE MORE I FOUND
OUT ABOUT SHARJAH
AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES,
THE MORE I REALIZED LIKE PEOPLE
REALLY DON'T HAVE
ANY RIGHTS THERE.
LIKE THERE WERE THESE
VIDEO TAPES ONLINE OF THE
SHEIKH OF ABU DHABI'S BROTHER
BASICALLY TORTURING THIS GUY
AND FILMING IT.
AND IT WAS HORRIBLE.
LIKE HE LIKE BEATS THIS GUY
WITH A STICK THAT HAS NAILS
IN IT AND THEN HE LIKE
POURS SALT IN THE WOUNDS,
AND THEN HE LIKE--
HORRIBLE THINGS.
I CAN'T EVEN SAY
THE THINGS HE DOES.
BUT THEN ONE THING HE DOES
IS HE RUNS HIM OVER
WITH A CAR REPEATEDLY.
TO DATE, THERE HAS BEEN
NO POLICE ACTION
TAKEN AGAINST SHEIKH ISSA,
WHOSE BROTHER,
THE CHIEF OF POLICE,
OPENED, AND THEN CLOSED,
AN OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
BUT ONLINE IN WIKIPEDIA I READ
THAT THEY DID HAVE A TRIAL
FINALLY AND THE VERDIC WAS THAT HE WAS INNOCEN
AND THAT THE GUY
WHO HAD RELEASED THE VIDEO TAPES
WAS GUILTY AND WAS SENTENCED
IN ABSENTIA FOR FIVE YEARS.
SO, THIS WAS KIND OF SCARY.
[MANDY]
CAN I BE PART OF THAT POSITION?
IT'S JUST...
THEY CAN SAY I SAW THE MOVIE.
IT'S BLASPHEMOUS.
MY LAWYERS LOOKED AT IT.
HIS CONTEXT OF BLASPHEMY
IS LIKE NOT FAMILIAR CHOICE
AT ALL AND YE
IT'S LIKE ALIVE AND WELL
IN THOSE COUNTRIES, YOU KNOW.
[WOMAN] TO ME IT JUS SEEMS LIKE THEY WOULD
IF THEY'RE TRYING TO AVOID
A NEGATIVE PRESS THE LAST THING
THEY WOULD DO WOULD BE TO
ARREST YOU, UPON ARRIVAL.
NO.
I WOULDN'T INVOLVE SOMEONE
IN THE STORY
BEFORE YOU LEF
AND THEN IF THA WERE TO OCCUR I MEAN...
I JUST MEAN LIKE--
I WOULD HAVE TO GO
WITH A JOURNALIST.
YEAH.
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YEAH.
LIKE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES.
OR LIKE OBAMA
WOULD HAVE TO COME WITH ME.
AND HOLD MY HAND.
EXACTLY.
THEY COULD REALLY DO A FATWA.
ALL YOU NEED IS SOME PERSON
WHO SAYS THAT IT'S BLASPHEMOUS
AND IT COULD LIKE CREATE A STIR.
PEOPLE COULD LIKE GET ALL RILED
UP AND THEY COULD LIKE COME
AFTER ME, RIGHT?
FROM HERE?
FROM HERE, YEAH.
WELL LIKE THE GUY WHO KILLED
THEO VAN GOGH IN HOLLAND.
IT WAS IN HOLLAND.
HE WAS ON HIS BICYCLE
IN HIS HOMETOWN OF HOLLAND.
THIS GUY CAME
UP TO HIM WITH A GUN
ON THE STREET AND SHOT HIM.
AND IT'S BECAUSE HE MADE
A FILM WHERE HE PROJECTED
VERSES FROM THE KORAN
ON A WOMAN'S BODY, BUT JUS
THE FACT THAT HE MADE THIS FILM
THAT HAD SOME COMPLICATED THING
TO SAY ABOUT ISLAM AND WOMEN,
SOME GUY KILLED HIM.
I MEAN IF THEY'RE THAT ANGRY
ABOUT IT FROM OVER THERE.
RIGHT,
THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T WAN TO TALK ABOUT IT IN FRON
OF MANDY BECAUSE, SHE'S--
WOULD GET HYSTERICAL.
SHE'S VERY AFRAID.
SHE'S ALREADY AFRAID.
SO, THAT'S ONE REASON
NOT TO GO, BUT IT'S ALSO
TRUE THAT WE COULD
BE KILLED HERE.
LIKE THEY'RE BASICALLY
A TRIBAL SOCIETY
THAT'S JUST TRYING
TO SUDDENLY BE MODERN,
AND THEY STILL HAVE ONE FOO IN TRIBAL REVENGE MODE
AND ANOTHER FOO IN SOME KIND
OF INTERNATIONAL
ARTS FESTIVAL MODE.
AND LIKE I WAS TALKING
TO ALAN BERLINER ABOUT IT TODAY,
AND HE WAS JUST SAYING...
"YOU FOUND JUS THE RIGHT BUTTON TO PRESS.
"IT'S EXACTLY THE THING
THAT WOULD LIKE PISS THEM OFF.
"THAT WOULD RILE THEM UP.
"THAT WOULD LIKE CREATE
CONTROVERSY.
"BUT IT'S TRUE YOU COULD DIE.
AND ON SOME LEVEL YOU HAVE TO BE
WILLING TO DIE FOR YOUR ART."
YEAH I MEAN THESE GUYS
ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR RELIGION
CLEARLY.
I MEAN I'M SERIOUS TOO
ABOUT MINE, WHICH IS CINEMA.
BUT IT'S LIKE
IT'S LIKE THERE'S A WAR,
A RELIGIOUS WAR
BETWEEN LIKE DIFFEREN IDEAS OF GOD REALLY.
AND THIS IS LIKE A
DIFFERENT IDEA OF GOD.
AND LIKE THEY'RE LIKE,
"WE WILL KILL YOU."
I MEAN THERE IS THIS IDEA
IN THE QURAN THAT GOD
IS EVERYWHERE,
WHEREVER YOU TURN YOUR FACE,
YOU'LL FIND THE FACE OF GOD.
SO, THERE IS THIS IDEA,
BUT NOT AS A TREE OR AS A STONE
OR AS SOMETHING CREATION,
BECAUSE CREATION IS CREATED.
HE IS UNCREATED SO HE CANNO
BE PART OF CREATION,
BUT HE IS TRANSCENDENTLY
PRESENT OR TRANSCENDENTLY
EVERYWHERE.
BUT SO ANYWAY, CAMILLE, TOLD
ME ONCE THAT HE WAS A BIG FAN
OF THE FILM WAKING LIFE,
WHICH I WAS IN, AND THA THAT FILM HAD MEANT A LO
TO HIM AND THA HE ESPECIALLY
LOVED MY SCENE.
AND SO WHAT FILM
IS ACTUALLY CAPTURING
IS LIKE GOD, INCARNATE, CREATING
YOU KNOW, AND LIKE THIS VERY
MOMENT, LIKE YOU KNOW, UM,
GOD IS MANIFESTING
AS THIS AND WHAT THE FILM
WOULD CAPTURE IF IT WAS FILMING
US RIGHT NOW WOULD BE LIKE GOD
AS THIS TABLE AND GOD
AS YOU AND GOD AS ME,
AND GOD LOOKING THE WAY
WE LOOK RIGHT NOW AND SAYING
AND THINKING WHAT WE'RE THINKING
RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THAT IS--WE
ALL GOD MANIFEST IN THAT SENSE.
AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE FILM
MEANT A LOT TO HIM AND ALSO
THAT IT HAD MEANT A LOT TO HAIG,
WHO HAD BEEN HIS ROOMMATE
IN COLLEGE, AND THA THEY'D ACTUALLY
WATCHED THE FILM TOGETHER
AND HAD BEEN REALLY MOVED
BY IT, AND INSPIRED
TO TRY TO MAKE MOVIES,
SO FILM IS ACTUALLY
LIKE A RECORD OF GOD
OR A FACE OF GOD
OR OF THE EVER-CHANGING
FACE OF GOD.
YOU HAVE A MOSQUITO, DO YOU WAN ME TO GET IT FOR YOU?
GOT IT. I GOT IT?
YEAH YOU GOT IT.
TALKING ABOUT IMAGES? YES.
I MEAN IMAGES IF THEY WERE NO POWERFUL AND COULD BE MISTAKEN
FOR GOD OR FOR SUBSTITUTE OF GOD
OR FOR MEDIUM TO GOD THEN THERE
WOULD NOT BE THIS CENSORSHIP
ON CREATING IMAGES.
BUT ANYWAY I KEEP
CALLING RASHA AND HAIG.
THEY WEREN'T ANSWERING.
AND I EMAILED,
AND THEY WOULDN'T ANSWER,
AND THEN FINALLY THEY SAID,
"WE CAN TALK NOW."
IT'S NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
[SASHA]
YEAH. HOW ARE YOU?
DEPRESSED. HOW ARE YOU?
GOOD.
ANYTHING YOU GUYS CAN TELL ME?
THE STORY...
I'M SORRY. I'M HAVING
A HARD TIME
I'M GOING TO CUT OFF THE VIDEO,
BECAUSE THE CONNECTION
IS NOT GOOD, OKAY?
CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME?
YEAH.
BASED ON HOW THINGS
ARE BEING TALKED ABOUT HERE
IS THAT THE KIND OF
THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE FILM
OR THE SPIRIT OF THE FILM
IS PROBLEMATIC.
AND THEY WERE DEFENDING
JACK PERSEKIAN'S BAN
ON THE MOVIE AND HIS
THREAT OF LEGAL ACTION.
ALL THAT STUFF,
THEY WERE DEFENDING IT.
AND I WAS LIKE,
"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?
"YOU GUYS ARE CURATORS.
LIKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
I DON'T REALLY CARE
ABOUT WHETHER THE BIENNIAL
SHOWS IT OR NOT THAT MUCH,
BUT I DO CARE
ABOUT MY FREEDOM
TO EXPRESS MYSELF,
AND JACK IS TRYING
TO STOP THAT.
CAVEH, LIKE, THERE'S LIMITS
TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH
IN THE STATES AS WELL.
LIKE YOU WOULDN'
BE ABLE TO KIND
OF LIGHT-HEARTEDLY, YOU KNOW,
PLAY WITH THE THINGS
LIKE THE HOLOCAUS OR CHILD ABUSE OR...
YES, YOU ARE LEGALLY
ENTITLED TO DO THAT.
QUITE A FEW PEOPLE FEEL
THAT YOUR REPRESENTATION
IS RACIST, THEN,
THAT'S A VERY SERIOUS CHARGE.
THERE IS FREEDOM
OF EXPRESSION OF COURSE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN
MY REPUTATION IS RACIST?
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
THAT'S THE REPRESENTATION
OF ISLAM AND MUSLIM RITUALS.
IS RACIST?
YES.
HOLD ON A SECOND.
FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE
THE RIGHT TO MAKE ANY
FILM I WANT ABOU THE SITUATION.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHY
YOU THINK I DON'T, BUT I DO.
NO ONE CAN STOP ME DOING
THAT UNLESS YOU KILL ME.
OKAY?
[GUN FIRES]
UM...[CLEARS THROAT]
IT'S NOT BULLSHIT.
YOU KNOW WHAT? BLASPHEMY
HERE IS BEYOND SERIOUS, OKAY?"
AND THEY WERE LIKE, "WELL
WHAT IF SOMEBODY DECIDES
"TO BOMB THE CINEMA
WHERE THE FILM IS PLAYING
"BECAUSE THEY'RE SO ANGRY
AND INDIGNANT OF YOUR FILM
THAT THEY BLOW UP THE CINEMA
AND ALL THESE PEOPLE DIE?"
WHAT IF THAT HAPPENED?
THEN THEY WOULDN'T BE
WORTH IT WOULD IT?
WE STILL SAY WE SHOULD SHOW IT?
I WAS LIKE, "NO.
"OF COURSE I DON'T WANT PEOPLE
TO GET KILLED, BUT YOU REALLY
THINK SOMEBODY WOULD BOMB
THE CINEMA BECAUSE LITTLE KIDS
ARE DANCING IN IT?"
THAT'S WHA BLASPHEMY IMPLIES.
IT DOESN'T IMPLY PRISON.
IT DOESN'T IMPLY BEING
EXPELLED FROM THE COUNTRY.
IT IMPLIES
THE LEGITIMIZED ACTION
OF VIOLENCE.
DO YOU REMEMBER
THE DANISH CARTOONS?
THAT WASN'T A JOKE.
I MEAN EMBASSIES
WERE PUT ON FIRE.
PEOPLE AMASS IN
THE STREETS.
IT WAS OUR LAST CONVERSATION.
ACTUALLY WE NEVER SPOKE AGAIN.
[COMPUTER BLEEPING OFF]
SO I GOT A LAWYER.
HE READ THE EMAIL
FROM JACK PERSEKIAN
AND FROM THEIR LAWYER
AND HE SAID, "YOU KNOW,
THIS IS REALLY OUTRAGEOUS."
THEY'VE THREATENED A U.S.
JOURNALIST AND DOCUMENTARY
FILMMAKER AND NOW IN ONE
OF THE FIRST NEW CASES
BROUGHT UNDER NEW YORK'S LIBEL
TERRORISM LAW, THEY'RE GOING
TO HAVE EXPLAIN THEMSELVES.
UH-HUH.
THEY'RE IN A LOT MORE
TROUBLE THAN THEY KNOW,
WHICH IS WHY I'VE
THREATENED THEM BACK.
NICELY.
SO, ANYWAY IT BECAME
THIS LEGAL BATTLE.
AND THE BIENNIAL WAS
STARTING LIKE THAT DAY.
AND I WAS LIKE WE GO TO GO TO THE PRESS.
WE GOT TO TELL PEOPLE
THAT THESE GUYS AT THE BIENNIAL,
LIKE THEY'RE CENSORING WORK.
LIKE THEY CLAIM TO BE NOT DOING
IT AND ACTUALLY THE NEW YORK
TIMES CARRIED AN ARTICLE
ABOUT THE SHARJAH
BIENNIAL LIKE THE WEEK
BEFORE AND JACK PERSEKIAN
WAS QUOTED AS SAYING,
"THERE HAS BEEN NEVER
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY
PRESSURE TO CONFORM
TO A PREFERRED PERSPECTIVE
OR TOW A PROPAGANDA LINE."
HE SAID THAT IN PRIN IN NEW YORK TIMES A WEEK
BEFORE HE BANNED MY MOVIE.
SO, I WENT TO THE PRESS
AND THE NEW YORK TIMES WROTE
AN ARTICLE AND THE SHARJAH
FOUNDATION WAS FURIOUS.
AND THEN A FEW DAYS LATER,
AN ARTICLE COMES OU
IN THE LOCAL U.A.E
NEWSPAPER
AND JACK PERSEKIAN
WAS QUOTED AS SAYING...
"THERE WERE PARTS
THAT WERE EXPLOITATIVE OF SOME
INDIAN MINORS WHO HANG
AROUND THE MUSEUM."
BY ACCUSING YOU OF CHILD
EXPLOITATION, THEY'VE COMMITTED
AN ACTIONABLE DEFAMATION
IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND I COULD GE JURISDICTION OVER THEM.
OH, ONE OTHER THING HAPPENED
THAT I FORGOT TO MENTION.
JACK PERSEKIAN
WAS FIRED BY THE SHEIK.
AT FIRST I THOUGHT, "OH
HE WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE BANNED
MY FILM," YOU KNOW,
LIKE THAT'S WHY HE
WAS FIRED, BUT NO.
HE WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE
FAILED TO BAN ANOTHER WORK
OF ART WHICH WAS ALSO
ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY
AND INSTEAD OF DEFENDING
THE PIECE AND SAYING
IT'S OUTRAGEOUS THAT THEY'RE
BANNING WORK, HE SAID...
"IT WAS FOOLISH OF ME.
I DIDN'T READ ALL
THE FINE PRINT IN IT ON SOME
OF THE CONTENT I MUS WAS OBJECTIONABLE.
SO, NOW RASHA AND HAIG,
WHO HAD DEFENDED JACK PERSEKIAN
BANNING MY FILM, THEY PROTES JACK PERSEKIAN'S FIRING,
AND THEY HAVE A MISSION
STATEMENT SAYING,
"THE MISSION OF ART IS TO DEFEND
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION,"
AND THEY START A PETITION
TO BOYCOTT THE SHARJAH BIENNIAL,
THE SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION
AND ALL ART INSTITUTIONS
IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.
THE PETITION LIKE STARTS GETTING
THOUSANDS OF SIGNATURES
FROM LIKE ALL THESE
ARTISTS AND STUFF,
AND NO ONE EVER MENTIONED
MY FILM, LIKE THEY NEVER SAID,
"WE REGRET THEY INCLUDED
MY FILM IN THE BAN."
THEY JUST LIKE...
I MEAN PART OF ME WAS THRILLED
THAT THEY WERE LIKE BOYCOTTING
THE BIENNIAL, BUT PART OF ME
WAS LIKE, "WHAT HYPOCRITES."
IT'S LIKE COME ON.
YOU GUYS WERE A PART OF THIS.
WHY DIDN'T YOU AT LEAS ADMIT THAT?"
I'D LIKE TO TRY
TO GET A SETTLEMEN
BASED ON SHOWING THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THEIR MISCONDUC
WITHOUT BLOWING UP
THE REAL OBJECTIVES,
WHICH ARE FOR YOU TO MAKE
YOUR FILM, AND FOR YOU TO USE
ALL OF WHAT'S HAPPENED.
IT MAY BE THAT THEY THINK
WE'RE BLUFFING.
UH-HUH.
AND I DON'T KNOW YOU VERY WELL
AND PERHAPS YOU DON'T KNOW
ME VERY WELL, BUT I DON'T BLUFF.
UH-HUH, I DON' SENSE THAT YOU DO.
BUT SO ANYWAY HE THREATENED
TO SEIZE THEIR ASSETS
BECAUSE WHAT THEY DID
WAS ILLEGAL
AND IT WAS IN THEIR
INTEREST TO SETTLE.
SO, UM, THEN THE
LAWYER PERSUADED THE
SHARJAH ART FOUNDATION FINALLY
TO SIGN AN AGREEMENT SAYING
NOT ONLY DID I HAVE THE RIGHT TO
SHOW THE FILM WHEREVER I WANTED,
EXCEPT THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
WHERE THEY WOULDN'T SHOW IT,
BUT PART OF THE DEAL
WAS THAT NOBODY WOULD GE
IN TROUBLE BASICALLY,
LIKE I DON'T WANT PEOPLE
LOSING THEIR JOBS AND I DON' WANT PEOPLE GETTING ARRESTED.
I DON'T KNOW.
I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE.
THE MUTUAL GENERAL RELEASE
THAT WAS PROVIDED
BY THE GOVERNMENT WOULD ALLOW
YOU TO SHOW THE FILM AND NO
SUBJECT PEOPLE WHO APPEARED
IN THE FILM TO LIABILITY.
THAT WAS GREAT, COLIN.
GOOD JOB ON THE
MOVING BLOODSTREAM.
OKAY, WE GOT IT.
COOL.
YEAH.
WE'RE DONE, CAMILLE.
I'M ALMOST FINISHED.
RIGHT HERE.
WE'RE SHOOTING A MOVIE.
OH MY TOUGH GUY.
ARE YOU OKAY?
[MUMBLES]
YOU WOKE UP?
YEAH. YEAH. YOU WOKE UP.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY IN YOUR
BED. SHOULD WE GO LOOK FOR IT?
YEAH? OKAY.
SHOULD WE SAY GOOD NIGHT?
SHOULD WE SAY GOODBYE
TO THE CAMERA?
SEE THE CAMERA OVER HERE?
SEE THE CAMERA?
SEE THE CAMERA RIGHT THERE?
IT'S FILMING.
HERE WE GO.
READY? HERE WE GO.
DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK
TO YOUR ROOM? CRANKY?
OKAY.
BUT THAT'S THE STORY.
OOPS.
I ALMOST DROPPED THIS.