a Filmmaker's diary

La Praline [Short]

Kareem — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:56:26 +0000

Beautiful French short film.

Director: Jean Baptiset Chuat
Cinematographer: Bianca Bodmer
Cast: Dominique Pinon, Robert Meller
Producer: Karoline von Roques, Olimpia Pont Chafer

a Thousand Words [Short]

Kareem — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:18:10 +0000

This is one of the few shorts that are worth the time.
Directed by Ted Chung

Sick

Kareem — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:57:37 +0000

Playing the same song over and over again, the sound of the 80s music is transing my brain into a comfortable hold. I am finally living with my sickness in public, and by public I mean between myself and me. I never thought things will end up where they did. I barely remember what year this one is.

The viruality of modern life has rendered life distant, giving you a tasteless illusion while robbing you of your time. Governments are chasing drug dealers and smugglers, but the worst addiction of them all is right under their noses. Mankind has agreed to permit few long term addictions that can unnoticeably rob life of its essence. Thinking makes me ill, love makes me sick while death is the only meaningful relief. I need to die and live once again, …

Filmmaking in the 3rd world

Kareem — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:14:39 +0000

Starting your career as filmmaker could be very frustrating sometimes. The industry and aesthetics rarely meet up on a commissioned job specially if the script is being handed to you by the producer, given that you are not the financier. Same thing or even worse if you are working for a third world T.V. commercial. People here are numb heads. Their sense of time does not exist! Actually time doesn’t exist here at all. Lucid dreams are all that’s given to Egypt. Whenever one wants to make a change -like me- he gets bashed by the harsh facts that people here are living in the 16Th century where religion and tradition ruled with ignorance and controlled the state. The religious conscience is superficially obvious in countries lacking knowledge and sadly it’s not even an enlightened spiritual or religious awareness. It has become a burden and a leach that binds down all nature and glimpse of light. Arts, nature and economy have suffered drastically because of the ignorance that has struck those nations. Even religion has turned to hollow tradition shallow and meaningless to anyone who reviews what’s being spread around.

As for the puzzle of figuring your way through all this into a yellow brick road to the Oz city of your career, this seems to be a dream occupier where one sleeps and wakes up and nothing changes. I know my words sound so pessimistic but unfortunately they are true. I only see them clearer when I am down and hope looks so faint.

Revive

Kareem — Mon, 18 May 2009 22:32:47 +0000

The warmth of the sun softly heated the skin of my face as I weakly breathed. Another revived from the stillness of death. I slowly opened my eyes to the brightness of the skies after such a long dark sleep. My senses are keen for life though my body has been frozen for decades. Faint beat is hope, yet loud is the fear. I have seen the worse of life, nothing can scare me now. If my worst fears were a broken heart then I believe it wont be broken beyond how it is now. But wait, I am revived. Things are different now. Way much different.

That which was broken is now whole. Him who was once rejected is now the desire of many. He we was never mentioned is now existing . He who was worried is now free. He breathes; walks and smiles.

Home of Serpents

Kareem — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:21:54 +0000

I never expected that my home, is the cave of my enemies. The ones I helped in times of need, stood for when I was called and walked many ways just to help and support. Stabbed in the back, betrayed, lied to, ignored, disrespected and envied. Now the things I have are the center of conflict while everything I had I used to serve them all. If they would switch places and things they would know they were the lucky ones. But it seems like the eye never has enough, and the envious is never satisfied! What did I do to deserve all that? Where is my guilt? My heart aches. One day I will go and shall never return. Would it matter? I am already out. I am their enemy, their envy, their rival. Doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t.

Soldier

Kareem — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 01:30:55 +0000

Shields up! I cover my eyes in darkness, block my figure beyond refined earth. I root my feet into rocks and grab my weapon hard till it sticks to my hand. I have not learned to move back, I never knew how to flee. I was born for battle and raised to face death. I give my all and sacrifice my own. My life ends up in the fulfilment of my duty and my time stops at the end of my race. I do not fear death, nor future. Care not for pain or the price, A blood bond that cannot be broken. I serve my kingdom and my LORD. Failure I do not know and defeat I never heard of. In all my ways I strike fear in my enemies and through all my conflicts I triumph. I know who I am and so does all my enemies, only the ignorant overlook me. May wisdom come upon you that you may see beyond the shadows I have harbored on my face and the curtains of earth that I bury beneath, and then you will witness things you never expected. But who is wise? Who is understanding to seek and see? O FATHER! What have they done? I stand alone, I stand! One man army and a thousand men in power, One man and ten thousand men in multitude. I was made to change things, created for a turn over, the breaking of the new and the restoration of the ancient. I bear the truth that was once lost and will disperse the deceit of what is. Not long then it shall be, even the blind will know. It will be done.

Egypt

Kareem — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:13:02 +0000

It has been a while now, and I feel so confused. Not about a certain thing in particular but a mood of confusion. I wake up, sleep, chat, eat and do everything mindlessly. It is becoming harder and harder to wake up! like my head has been inside a giant ringing bell! Even when I sit to write I feel so distracted. All things that I don’t get to do I daydream. Obviously I am being suppressed by my circumstances and surrounding. Cairo is the most demonic place on earth, seriously. Egypt is nothing but a big senseless joke! It’s nothing but a big prison and a trap to all kinds of talent. It’s a land of slavery to everything good and natural. Justice, religion, society and even business is nothing but a big scheme. I watched all talents who left for other countries and returned very successful. Killing potential is a hobby for the chair owners. Egypt has been as ever, the pharaohs were considered the sons of the gods! and even died to join the gods, untouchables and ever right! Everybody else is a worthless slave unless the pharaoh wants him to be honored. When pharaohs died they were buried with their officials by their side, yes, killed. Egypt was always a fantasy land for all who seek godhood! Egyptians are worthless, numerous as insects and replaceable as grass.

Though it’s a cheap country compared to many others yet it’s hard to earn enough to feed myself. Though our currency is no where on the charts but I can’t still afford to maintain a roof over my head. How can I succeed while I can hardly survive? No one cares about you in Egypt, the government treats us as an over populated burden that they want to get rid of in a way or another. Building their fucking pyramids, piling up gold and treasures, sucking our blood for a juice! May all of them rot in hell and spend eternity in hades!

And through all this I struggle to rise, fight to be and strive to survive. My greatest victory is to succeed, my revenge is to escape their grasp, my true triumph is when they start bragging that I was an Egyptian. I don’t really care for Egypt no more, her nakedness is much uglier than anything I have ever seen. Perverted ignorant country! May you burn in hell!

Le Cheval 2.1 [Short]

Kareem — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:03:21 +0000

This is one of those with a sarcastic deep criticism of modern life. love the message.

crew

director Stephen Scott-Hayward & Alex Kirkland
writer Stephen Scott-Hayward & Alex Kirkland
producer Stephen Scott-Hayward & Alex Kirkland
editor Stephen Scott-Hayward & Alex Kirkland
music Adam Coombs

cinematography Paul Coombes

gaffer Ben Atkins

production manager Nick McDonald

cast

La Vache Matt Usmar
La Voix Franck Delannoy

Strangers [Short]

Kareem — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:50:09 +0000

Simply amazing, love this short.