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Bahraini filmmaker Ali Salam Al-Mosawi is living his Hollywood dream in Los Angeles, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and making movie magic, with the aim of one day imposing his own mark on the Arabic cinema scene.
The talented 24-year-old has been living it up in the City of Dreams working as an assistant editor and archiving media specialist for Mob Scene, an award-winning production company that focuses on creating trailers, behind-the-scenes content and interviews with actors associated to blockbuster movies.
“I’ve been in roles related to all aspects of film production and if you like film then Hollywood is where you want to be,” Ali said. “As a teenager growing up in Bahrain I filled my time with fantasies of living a life where all the music, film and acting magic happened.”
Ali is a part of a well-known Bahraini family passionately engaged in the creative world. His father, Abbas is a renowned and celebrated artist and all his cousins play musical instruments.
“Film was my particular refuge,” he explained. “The nearest cinema was a five-minute drive and the latest release a 10-minute download away. My fascination with moving pictures grew as I delved more into the work of specific directors and genres.
“Filmmaking is the greatest way to tell a story. It takes the audience on a journey of emotion. One day I’d like to move people the same way.”
As a child, Ali used to put his fledgling camera skills to the test, shooting short films during Ramadan with his cousins and then showcasing them to the entire family as ‘after Iftar’ entertainment.
After graduating from AMA International School, he sought a degree in film at California State University, Northridge and achieved it. He then interned at Sony Picture Studios as a camera assistant and at Humble TV, a commercial based production company, as an office assistant.
During his time there he had the opportunity to walk on set and work with many movie industry people he admired. “It felt like I was living in a bubble while at Sony. I worked in Stage 7 and called it home for five months. On my first day I saw Jared Leto, the acclaimed American actor, singer, songwriter and director, walking around the lot asking for directions. I was surprised at first and then I realised that he was lost like me and there working too.”
He was also given an opportunity to meet and mingle with Hollywood acting royalty such as Orlando Bloom, Seth Rogen, and Ken Jeong. At first, star-struck, Ali explained: “The feeling is different when you get to work with them. At first, I felt amazed and was excited to inform my friends and family about the latest celebrity I had met. That’s now changed and I see it as an ordinary interaction, since we’re both working on set.
“Sony was an experience that taught me how blockbusters were made and to appreciate the amount of hours that are put into the production to make a movie actually happen.”
Ali at first helped at production shoots as an intern before becoming a paid assistant. There he was able to experience the process of how agencies and production companies come together, how commercials were filmed and how that was very different from making feature films. He built up a network of useful contacts and got to know the different aesthetics in the commercial world.
The work experience paid off and Ali landed a role in one of the biggest advertising agencies in Los Angeles. “At first, I was apprehensive about being an Arab trying to work in Hollywood but, perhaps surprisingly with the current political climate in the US, it has opened many doors for minorities.
“My typical outlook is not focussed on politics; rather, I approach my situation as a story I can elaborate on and how different I am. Telling people I’m from Bahrain always gets me a ‘Wow, where is that?’ kind of response.
“Being one of the few Bahrainis in the industry here, I bring a novel and different refreshing perspective to my everyday work, I believe.
“I focussed on gaining access to film production studios including Universal, Sony, Netflix and others. From my networking, I gained work experiences that spanned the spectrum of the industry and throughout it all, I didn’t forget how important determination plays a part.
“I also learned how to swallow my pride and accept menial tasks from fetching coffee for producers to cleaning up sets late at night because I wanted every, and all, experiences related to movie making.
“This determination was instrumental to what I wanted to achieve and that’s to work in Hollywood and be around those in the industry who I admire so much.
“I see the dedication that people in Hollywood put into the craft of filmmaking and how this medium is the greatest tool to send strong messages to the world. That’s what Hollywood means to me.”
His experiences have included working as a PA for legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg on one of the Mob Scene shoots at Universal Studios. “Initially, I was speechless and even had to have a bathroom break because I felt so anxious and had butterflies in my stomach!” Ali admitted.
“This was one of the most influential movie-makers ever and here I am, a young Bahraini kid who had an opportunity to work with him.
“After my day ended, I was driving through Universal Studios and spotted the visitor tour tram. I stopped and realised that I was on that very tram five years ago with my family looking around and dreaming, but on that particular day I had just left after a day’s work with Spielberg. How good is that? It was such a surreal feeling and a story I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Another great moment for Ali was shooting behind-the-scenes content for Will Smith’s hit Netflix movie Bright, following him and Joel Edgerton around to take cast photos and signing autographs with the fans.
“The Bright premier was one of my best nights so far in Los Angeles,” he said. “It was an unforgettable experience that I got to walk on the same red carpet as the stars. I remember texting my sisters telling them that I feel like I’m in a dream seeing the cameras flashing and the fans yelling.”
Ali’s image was posted on a British national daily’s Snapchat coverage of the event and one of the producers found him on YouTube too.
He is now involved in cutting and assembling the latest Hollywood blockbusters and has exciting assignments in the pipeline but is unable to reveal more after signing non-disclosure agreements.
His original goal to one day win an industry Oscar still remains and he also hopes to apply everything that he is learning from the Hollywood experience back home in the Middle East. Ali said: “Overall, my goal is to build the bridge between Hollywood and Bahrain by introducing concepts of movie-making into the Arab world. I hope my story will inspire other individuals who want to achieve their Hollywood dream, to go for it.”
