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A HARD-HITTING short film which depicts the dire consequences of Bahrain's rapid growth and development and the cost to its traditional coastal inhabitants, has received international acclaim.
Bahraini award-winning part-time film-maker Mohammed Rashid Bu Ali's documentary entitled Sea Interviews was shown at the recent Venice Architecture Biennale and helped the kingdom net the prestigious Golden Lion accolade.
The prize was awarded for the 12th International Architecture Exhibition's best pavilion, which showcased his work.
It was Bahrain's first involvement in the event and highlighted the kingdom's receding shorelines due to heavy land reclamation - a harsh self-examination supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information of a controversial policy that has environmental and social impacts.
Mr Ali, 26, said: "Sea Interviews is an important Bahraini testimony and a tale of suffering as well as a reflection on the actual demise of sea-living as Bahrain has experienced it for generations and indeed, for centuries.
"It tells the stories of Bahrain's fishermen as they describe the social, economic, cultural and environmental losses their families, as well as the greater community, has suffered as a result of having portions of the sea 'reclaimed' for urban living."
The pavilion was initiated by Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Culture and Information, and curators for the National Pavilion were architects Noura Al Sayeh and Dr Fuad Al Ansari.
Mr Ali added: "It was a great honour for Bahrain as we were the first country in Arab world to participate. The Venice Biennale was entitled 'People Meet in Architecture' for this year's event and so it seemed most appropriate for Bahrain's participation to reflect its people's experiences.
"Therefore, 'Reclaim', the kingdom's theme, was designed with that in mind - to present an account of how reclamation has changed the Bahraini landscape, the people most affected by it and showcase their 'architecture'."
The pavilion featured three traditional fishermen's huts and Mr Ali's documentary was played inside each one.
The jury members are reported to have said that they were 'impressed by the choice', which was described as a 'lucid and forceful self-analysis of the nation's relationship with its rapidly changing coastline'.
The Sea Interviews consists of a series of interviews conducted by the Bahrain Urban Research Team along the coastal areas of Bahrain during April and May and highlighted the relationship between the sea and its fishermen.
Mr Ali said: "I could not have been true to the subject if I had only filmed the sea and its people from one locale. I filmed Bahraini fishermen at their different sea points - the Manama Corniche, Muharraq, what is now the Seef area, and so on.
"In all locations, the fishermen had spent their lives by the sea in that particular area and been driven further and further inward by the different reclamation drives. Thus, they could all talk about their experiences and feelings about the sea, its importance and the effect of reclamation on their lives."
Mr Ali, who is a lawyer with the Central Bank of Bahrain, is well-known in the kingdom and throughout the region for his acclaimed short films such as Absence, The Good Omen and Canary which was showcased at more than 60 international film festivals in 25 countries.
Belonging to a handful of young filmmakers, he aspires to see a full-fledged international film festival being hosted by Bahrain in the future.
Mr Ali, who lives in Hidd, is currently writing a script for a Saudi filmmaker and plans to produce a second short film soon. He said: "I'm also in talks with an Emirati filmmaker who would like to produce one of my stories."
