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As the kingdom’s fledgling film industry grows, Bahraini filmmaker Ahmed Ashour is set to release his first-ever short film, in which he explores the choice between pleasing family and following one’s own passion.
The film, titled The Meeting, is anticipated to be approximately 14 minutes long and will be released by October or November this year.
“I first had the idea for this film nine years ago, but was only able to sculpt it into a workable script during a screenwriting workshop conducted by the French Embassy early last year,” the 26-year-old writer and director, who studied theatre at Brown University in the US, told GulfWeekly.
Produced by Mohamed Fakhro and the Blu Steel Films production house in collaboration with the French Embassy, the short film is Ahmed’s first foray into directing and writing.
Photography director was Zohaib Latif and production design was done by Sweccha Sharma and Jamshaid Shamas of ArtRobe.
Mohamed Sultan and Fatima Taqi were the assistant directors. Primary cast members are Yasin Ghazzawi, Muhammad Suleman and Ahmed Al-Qaheri.
The Meeting revolves around a young man, who is torn between pleasing his parents by becoming a banker, and following his own passions.
“We explore office culture, as well as themes of incompetence and racial dynamics within this script,” Ahmed added.
“The short film was shot late last year, primarily at the Alayam Media Centre, where an empty newsroom floor made for the perfect set for our film.”
