Middle East - Anthony Ham [61]
Here’s a quick test. Stand atop the rug with rubber-soled shoes and do the twist. Grind the fibres underfoot. If they shed, it’s lousy wool. You can also spill water onto the rug. See how fast it absorbs. Ideally it should puddle for an instant, indicating a high presence of lanolin. Best of all, red wine will not stain lanolin-rich wool.
If you’re looking for a gorgeous pattern that will look great in your living room, pack a few fabric swatches from your sofa and draperies. Patterns range from simple four-colour tribal designs of wool to wildly ornate, lustrous multicoloured silk carpets that shimmer under the light. Once in the stores, plan to linger long with dealers, slowly sipping tea while they unfurl dozens of carpets.
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For an introduction to Iranian cinema, and reading recommendations, see Lonely Planet’s Iran guidebook.
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The rise of other media is, of course, a problem faced by film industries around the world. It’s just that the problem is particularly acute in the Middle East where many directors are expected to produce popular, high-quality films with one hand tied behind their backs.
A few brave directors are gently trying to expand the frontiers of acceptable political and social dialogue but, unless they go into exile, they’re forced to do so on budgets that would make Hollywood directors weep. Syrian filmmaker Meyar al-Roumi, who lives in France and is best known for the 2006 Rabia’s Journey, summed up the difficulties in a 2007 interview with the BBC: ‘The establishment is the only source of funding films. Producers are much more interested in TV as its revenues are higher.’ And then there’s the issue of political boundaries: ‘My work relies on self-criticism,’ said al-Roumi, ‘of my life, my friends and my country because I love it. But this made my films unwelcome here.’
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The Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film, edited by Oliver Leaman, opens a window on the film industries in, among other countries, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Turkey.
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Some of the constraints have, of course, always been there. Producing films under the watchful eye of Saddam Hussein or Hafez al-Assad, from within the violence of Lebanon’s Civil War, or under the threat of violence from Egypt’s Islamist groups provided challenges that never cast a shadow over even the most stressed Western director. The way most Middle Eastern directors survived under such conditions was to produce films that either overtly supported the government line and strayed dangerously close to propaganda, or to focus on the microscopic details of daily life, using individual stories to make veiled commentaries on wider social and political issues. It is in this latter body of work, schooled in subtlety and nuanced references to the daily struggles faced by many in the region, that Middle Eastern film truly shines.
For all the difficulties, there are signs that a new breed of directors and production companies are emerging, particularly in Egypt, where adversity is being transformed into an opportunity. It’s the most exciting development to happen in local film for decades and, if successful, promises a bold new future for Middle Eastern film.
For our pick of the best in Middle Eastern film, turn to Click here.
Egypt: Coming of Age
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The first Arab feature-length film, The Call of God (1927; which was also released entitled Laila) was produced by a woman, the Egyptian Aziza Amir.
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In its halcyon years of the 1970s, Cairo’s film studios turned out more than 100 movies a year, filling cinemas throughout the Arab world. These days the annual figure is closer to 20 and most are soap-opera–style genre movies that rely on slapstick humour, usually with a little belly-dancing thrown in for (rather mild)