Overlooking in Ramadan with «Ahl Al-Dar» on «Sama Dubai»
Marei Al-Halyan: The crisis of Emirati drama is the lack of a 100% professional writer
Marei Al-Halyan, Ahmed Al-Jassmi and the crew of "Ahl Al-Dar" in the scenes of the series. Cinematographer: Osama Abu Ghanem
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"I think that local drama still needs local scripts, which can dive into reality, and reach strings that touch people on the land of the UAE." With this phrase, artist Marei Al-Halyan began his interview with "Emirates Today", pointing to the transparency enjoyed by the drama in capturing the details of daily life, and its pioneering role in this regard, and shedding light on the details of society in its multiple spectrums.
He stressed that there is no 100% professional drama writer, especially with regard to Emirati television dramas, but rather attempts by writers in the field, adding, "I think this is our real crisis, because most of the elements of the success of the dramatic work are due to the good television script, and its ability to attract the attention of the audience, and its interest in the messages of the work by presenting events in a smart manner."
On the specificity of Emirati dramatic writing, Al-Halyan said that the Arab screenwriter cannot access the smallest small details enjoyed by Emirati society, considering that this is not a defect related to Arab creators who are able to express the specificity of the societies to which they belong, at a time when local and Gulf drama suffers from other problems related to movement and dramatic action and drowning in narrative, due to the issue of limited financial budgets.
He stressed the need for producers to think at a higher level in terms of materiality, especially as we live in the era of global cinema and open digital platforms, and the audience of the young generation is open to these high-level experiences and technologies. He continued: «I cannot in this regard, and in any way, convince the young audience today to follow a narrative scene of two men sitting on the sea waving their convulsions, at a time when digital platforms offer types of professional dramatic productions full of dazzling images and suspense, and competitive technical levels, whether in terms of form or content, which the local and Gulf product is unable to provide under the pretext of a limited financial budget».
Fathers and children
Marei Al-Halyan stopped at the details of his participation in the Ramadan series, which will be presented on Sama Dubai channel «Ahl Al-Dar», under the management of director Omar Ibrahim, revealing that the producer and artist Ahmed Al-Jassmi offered him the idea of a new dramatic work about two years ago, and he was attracted by the experience of the idea of the relationship between parents and children, leading to the despair of parents from their children, and their decision to retreat in a separate house. He explained: «In fact, we had discussions for about a year about this part, especially since the artist Ahmed Al Jassmi was inclined to the idea of presenting the work in a way (Set Com Comedy), until he finally decided to work on its implementation, after it was produced by Sama Dubai channel, and joined by a young Emirati writer, who was able to add a lot of vitality and modernity to the dramatic text».
Personal Details
On the experience of presenting the character of the man «Shayeb», which Marai Al-Halyan mastered presenting several times in more than one television and film work recently, the Emirati artist, who also appears in the Ramadan through the series «The bottom line», noted the details of his new character in «Ahl Al-Dar», which is completely different from the rest of the previous characters «The beautiful irony in the new character, is that Shaheen is a married man, associated with three women, and thinks about the fourth, despite the weakness of his personality, and his indifferent reactions in many times." He pointed out that the work involves an innovative and successful combination of different characters, especially those related to the roles of the president, which will add a touch of clear renewal and difference that Al-Halyan saw as a major driver of many events and attractive dramatic details in the work.
Marai Al-Halyan was presented by the character of the man «Al-Shayeb» in the series «If I Know My Conclusion», the film «Shabab Al-Shayab», and the series «Al-Zaqqum» He was also nominated for the character of Al-Shayeb in one of the upcoming dramas directed by Ahmed Al-Muqla. He added, "In 2003, I participated in the play (Bab Al-Baraha), which dealt with the story of four elderly men, starring Ahmed Al-Ansari, Ibrahim Salem and Abdullah Saleh, and this play won the Gulf Theater Festival Award. It seems that everyone was impressed by my performance of the character of Al-Shayeb, which I am not afraid to repeat, and I do not consider it a dramatic trap, because I always try to work on the details of each character separately, by diving into the experiences of the text, and following her reactions and relationships with others, and even the ways of expressing and communicating with those around her, to explore its depths, and the smallest details to embody it in a way that fulfills its right on the screen.
Contemporary Issues
Artist Marei Al-Halyan confirmed that the series "Ahl Al-Dar", which will be broadcast on Sama Dubai channel, in the holy month of Ramadan, will address a range of issues of concern to the Emirati society, including people's experiences with social media spaces, the pros and cons of these new ties, in addition to many other issues that revolve around the concept of family and irresponsible openness, the importance of preserving heritage, and other topics for a constellation of Emirati and Arab drama stars.
Halyan Pasture:
"Our producers need to think higher, as we live in an era of open platforms, and a younger generation open to world-class experiences."
■ «I am not afraid to repeat the character (Al-Shayeb), and I do not consider it a dramatic trap, because I always try to work on the details of each character separately».