Dahlan: Mohamed Hamad transports you back to the exciting streets of Jeddah of yesteryear for 19 engrossing minutes with “Yala, Yalla Bina!” Currently streaming on Netflix.
The film tells the story of a kind-hearted movie buff whose home is a shrine dedicated to the movies, and a group of preteens sent on a psychedelic mission to save humanity and escape the spell of evil spirits. By talking, a fantastical world is revealed. A gathering of witches.
You’ll experience a wide range of emotions while watching “Yala, Yalla Beena!” Hammad’s latest experimental genre mashup.
In real life, Hamad has a charmingly dignified demeanor, is passionate, and is an attentive listener.
He represents the typical millennial who dreamed of building his own world as a child and actually made it happen. Sound and music have always played an important role in his creative process. That is why he has built his 15-year career in the film and television production business, with his MTV Arabia and also as the creative director of Saudi Arabia’s pioneering MDLBEAST. is not surprising. -day international music festival.
2022 saw the full development of his latest project, which was shown in Jeddah and later in Dhahran. As part of last year’s group exhibition Amakin, artists were asked to create work that addressed the simple but profound question: “What is your concept of place?”
The initiative is being promoted by the non-profit organization 21,39, named after Jeddah’s geographical coordinates, and seeks to establish Jeddah as the center of the kingdom’s contemporary art scene.
Likewise, Hamad is trying to make his mark in Jeddah, where he frequented as a child and still primarily lives, and where the film’s story unfolds.
When Venetia Porter, a world-renowned expert on Islamic art and contemporary Middle Eastern art, curated the “Amakin” exhibition, she selected Hamad’s films as part of her collection.
It was screened at the Red Sea International Film Festival in late 2022. This year, the film was screened at the Rotterdam Arab Film Festival in the Netherlands and again at the Saudi Film Festival.
Now streaming on Netflix, a wider audience can now access and enjoy Hamad’s work as part of Season 2 of the collection titled “New Saudi Voices.”
Nuha El-Tayeb, Content Acquisition Director for Netflix MENA and Turkiye said: There are incredible talents in the kingdom, and they have unique stories to tell.
“We hope that by watching the film, people will learn more about these creators and get a glimpse of their passion, originality and creativity, just as we did.”
Last year, the first “New Saudi Voices” collection became available on streaming platforms.
El-Tayeb told Arab News at the time: “Saudi Arabia has incredible talent. The entertainment landscape is rapidly evolving and[stories]transcend borders, allowing viewers to experience the beauty and dynamism of Saudi culture. We believe great stories can come from anywhere and be loved by everyone.”
She added: “Volume 2 is more than just a collection of short films, it is a celebration of untold stories and a testament to the creative talent of budding filmmakers.”
Some of the films from the latest collection were screened at Isla, also known as the King Abdulaziz World Cultural Center, where filmmaking has been fostered and encouraged for many years.
Majid Z. Sanman, a film buff living in Isla, whose films are included in the latest anthology, praised Hamad’s work as follows: It was a very cool, very well-made movie. ”
The film was produced by Nuhad Hachichou and Mohamed Jastania, and written by Hamad.
With a cast that includes Jameel Ayak and Elias Sultan, “Yala, Yala Bina!” is part documentary, part fantasy, but totally Hamad.
He noted that he has not received any backlash regarding some of the innuendos and devices, such as witches and boys with guns, even though they are considered overused.
“I think if it was about five years ago, it would definitely have been an issue (at the time). Times are changing rapidly now,” he said.
Because the film was originally made for the Saudi Arts Council’s 21,39 show, he was free and encouraged to explore broader themes in his mind.
“It got me thinking about playing with the duality of constancy and change, especially with all of the rapidly changing things that are happening now. We started looking at what still exists and what is not left,” Hamad told Arab News.
Hamad, 30, has spent much of his life between East and West, so he incorporates cultural references and elements from both into his stories.
The name of his film was inspired by a popular fast food chain jingle from the 1980s and 1990s. He tried to choose a symbol that represented the Jeddah of his youth. That included the iconic, colorfully lit ice cream truck that makes a cameo appearance in his photos.
The symbol of innocence, the style, the things that once brought joy and happiness have changed, but one thing Hamad believes will never change is actor Ayyatch’s fun attitude.
Hamad predicts that Ayyatch will be exactly the same decades from now. “Jameel embodies that constancy. I’d bet my life that Jameel will still be Jameel for another 20, 30 years — this man won’t change. He’s been around for more than 50 years. I will continue to be exactly the same person I was before.”
Hamad calls on Aiyaha to everyone as a sort of anchor or guide amidst a whirlwind of fantastical and wild events. “No matter what happens in the movie, you keep coming back to him, and he just reminds you that things are okay,” Hamad added.
In one scene, an “evil child” goes on a rampage, killing everyone in sight. Hamad said his blood turned black, which he said represented, among other things, Saudi Arabia’s move away from “black gold” and oil.
Shot over three days, he received a lot of support from several local Jeddawi brands. It was a very independent effort, he said.
Although this is a typical Jeddah-centric visual collage, the story is universal and can be understood no matter where you come from or where you are going.
But the story doesn’t end here.
“I developed it (‘Yala, Yarah Bina!’) into a series and I’m currently writing it. It’s a spin-off,” Hamad revealed.
He expects the next iteration of the story to evolve and perhaps develop its own characters.