Biography
At early phase of my life, I have watched a lot of European movies, especially the French, on the fifth French TV channel TV5, which used to show more than five long movies and some short films per day. Normally, I used to watch the Arabian channels, which defuse productions of the American Cinema. What attracted me to all of this at my teenage was only the sex scenes, nothing else drew my attention. Recently, I discovered that those movies were what shaped my perspective and passion towards cinema.
After my arrival into Damascus, coming from the Syrian Island "Djzeerah", I obtained an admission to study cinema in Lyon – France. I, rapidly, stooped away for many reasons, most important was poverty.
Then, I joined Cinema Club shows at the French Cultural Center, where I spent three years, supervised by the director Osama Muhammad, Professor Osama Ghanam and Sicil Boix. I took a shot to register in the higher institute for theatrical arts, department of criticism and studies but I did not make it in. I have written several cinematic scripts that had no count. In addition to 15 films, as a children film saga, I have sold them to a TV channel; they later discovered that it was a sad tale, they did not film it, and did not pay me all the wage. Finally, I made a short film, self-produced and I also did the marketing.
About my short film "It's Only Three Nails!! Saturn devouring his son"
We were in Cinematic Expertise Exchanging Workshop, a project, which director Ali Yaghi sticks on periodically organizing. There is a movie at the end of each workshop. I proposed the "Nails" idea as in the draft I wrote, where it had no echo in the ears of my colleagues. I regressed on developing it for four months. I sold the engagement ring of my ex-fiancé, borrowed some money from some friends, collected the salary of three months from the magazine I work for, completed the film and I am marketing it since almost two years now. So far, it has been displayed in more than 40 international festivals around the five continents. Rewarded one prize in Serbia, which is an honorary for the best horror movie.
I have never thought of what I want to write and picture, it is something has to do with the sense mechanism and reshaping it into Cinema. Really, I did not classified it as a horror movie, nor did I as a film for human rights, not even as experimental. The classification changed from one festival to another, and I believe that I only followed my feeling.
I had more than thirty official paid and unpaid invitations to escort the film. I could not attend any of them.
At the first international show of the film, in the 38th tournament of the Open Air Festival in Grenoble – France, my passport was stolen from my small room in Bab Touma, noting that the French ambassador I Beirut assured to the festival manager that he will give me the visa in one day if I managed to get a new passport. The last did not happen before four months.
I arrived in Istanbul, assigned to the Swedish Council for attending Malmo for Arab Cinema Festival. I was rejected then. I assigned also to many other embassies, and the result was not much deferent. Until this moment, I could not get the Turkish residency, which formed extra burden and sadness.
Only thinking of producing a new film makes me turning inside a vicious circle filled with troubles, barriers and obstacles. All because of the circumstances of war in Syria over the Syrian people, wherever they are.
"Friends of the Wind" is a call mechanism, where I invite artists over my Facebook page to subscribe in exhibitions, dramatic and cinematic festivals and collaboration opportunities to benefit invitations and financing. That is all important in the absence of a clear, smooth and beneficial mechanism for the artist to follow and reach the donators, exhibitions, technical residencies and festivals.
This means remains simple, yet effective. I received many messages form artists really got benefit through the posts.
Until now, I could not develop this mechanism because of the reasons I mentioned in my answer of the previous question. Thus, it is a kernel of a bigger project, where real opportunities are created for, especially, the Syrian artists and the Arab in general. Not only posting, here, we are in need of creation. Artists in Syria and the neighbor countries are suffering of many problems, just as in the other sections. Who works in the cultural domain, realizes the current challenges of transportation hardships, residencies obstacles and work and many more.
"The Wind Cinema" is a company characterized so far as ????. company, which through, I work on films projects before production and after it. Also normally, marketing and distributing movies. All by my laptop since the beginning of the year.
Up to now, I could not register the company because of the same already mentioned reasons.
By the way, Wind means Dream.
so My name is Ahmad Al Hajj
