Amman — Young Jordanian director Zaid Hassan Al-Sabaileh continues to cement his presence on the film scene, through a series of Arab and international appearances that have carried his work to festivals outside Jordan, coinciding with his completion of shooting his new short film "Bukra" (Tomorrow), and his preparation to take part with his film "Shahd" at the Sharjah International Film Festival next month.
اضافة اعلان
This presence represents an extension of a cinematic path Al-Sabaileh began by presenting works concerned with human storytelling and details drawn from reality, as his festival participations continue, serving as a space to showcase the Jordanian experience and engage with cinematic works from different countries.
Al-Sabaileh said: "Jordanian stories illuminate Arab and international festivals," explaining that his festival participations represent an opportunity to encounter different cinematic experiences, learn new approaches to filmmaking, and bring the Jordanian experience to a wider audience.
He affirmed that festivals represent an important space for dialogue and the exchange of expertise and experiences among filmmakers.
He added, speaking to Al Ghad, that the film "Shahd" marked an important milestone in his career, after taking part in the "Jerusalem Arab Film Festival," the "SWFF" festival in Italy, the "Hollywood Arab Film Festival" in Los Angeles, and the "Cairo International Short Film Festival," noting that his upcoming participation at the "Sharjah International Film Festival" comes as a continuation of this path.
Al-Sabaileh affirmed that reaching festivals isn't his only goal; these participations also represent an opportunity to test the film before a diverse audience, and to hear the opinions and discussions that accompany its screenings, noting that these experiences give him motivation to continue developing his directorial tools, and to work on new ideas and projects.
On his new project, Al-Sabaileh explained that he recently finished shooting the film "Bukra," written by Hassan Al-Sabaileh and directed by Zaid Al-Sabaileh, starring the accomplished actor Abdul Karim Al-Qawasmeh, the accomplished actress Rifaat Al-Najjar, actor Munib Al-Qudah, and young face Ahmad Ghazi Al-Mahameed, alongside the participation of child actor Aoun Atallah.
He said the film belongs to his practice of presenting human stories drawn from reality, explaining that in his work he tries to get close to characters and everyday details, turning situations that seem simple into stories carrying broader human significance.
He added that working with established artistic names with their own presence and experience, alongside young faces, added a layer of diversity to the film, noting the importance of collaboration among the various members of the production team in achieving the film's final image.
The voice cast of "Bukra" includes: Rawan Thalji, Qusai Abu Rqaiq, Saif Rabadi, Samer Haddad, and Fadi Haddad, while the directing team included Bilal Hudeib as first assistant director, Hayan Al-Yousef as second assistant director, and Saja Mtair on script continuity, while Al-Sabaileh handled the film's editing.
On the cinematography side, Nasser Abu Al-Teen served as director of photography, with Hamza Lafi as lighting engineer, Anas Ghannam on camera operation, and Tamer Da'na as second assistant camera, alongside Rami Al-Zaeem and Suleiman Al-Habashneh as part of the lighting team.
Mohammad Darwish handled sound engineering, Mina Suleiman handled sound mixing, while Ahmad Radwan composed the film's music, and Armeen Abu Jalboush handled art direction, with Adam Al-Afishat as art assistant, while Hala Ziad handled location management, Sara Abu Hasheesh handled production coordination, and Zahr Nasser handled makeup.
In post-production, Abdul Rahman Milaq handled visual effects, Habib Al-Zar'i handled color correction, while VIGXIS handled graphic design.
Al-Sabaileh said: "For me, cinema is a space for telling stories and capturing details that might seem fleeting in everyday life, but are capable of building deeper meaning when they move to the screen," affirming his commitment to continuing to develop his practice and work on new projects that carry the distinctiveness of Jordanian film and give it broader presence on the Arab and international cinematic scenes.
It's worth noting that Al-Sabaileh comes from an artistic family; his father is actor Hassan Al-Sabaileh, known for the character "Za'al," which he portrayed with a critical comedic style in television drama and theater, while his mother is actress Dr. Rania Ismail, known for the character "Khadra." This family background allowed him, from his earliest years, to get close to the world of art, theater, and drama, and to become closely familiar with the details of artistic work, before charting his own path in film directing.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Ahmad Al-Shawabkeh
