Al Massad’s ‘Blessed Benefit’ a jailhouse comedy
Washington to be honored by ASC
LOS ANGELES, Dec 14, (RTRS): Jordanian producer-director Mahmoud Al Massad is no stranger to the Dubai Film Festival. His documentaries “Recyle” (2007) and “This Is My Picture When I Was Dead” (2010) both premiered in the fest’s Muhr competition. This year he returned to the competition with fiction feature “Blessed Benefit,” an ironic comedy set mostly in a Jordanian prison.
Asked why he decided to move into fiction, Al Massad says he doesn’t think there is any difference between fiction and documentary films, in that they both basically tell a story. He says the only difference is the approach he takes. “In fiction, you work on a script, and in documentary you work on following of daily events back and forth to create the full story,” he notes. And which approach does he prefer? “It’s hard to say, because I love both,” he answers.
The inherent risk in making a documentary, of course, is that the story might take an unplanned course. “In fiction, you have no limit to what you can create and you are in control of the outcome,” Al Massad notes. “The tough part, after writing a good script, is finding the right character or person to deliver the message of the story.”
In “Blessed Benefit” the lead character is played by Ahmad Thaher, whose real-life story inspired the film.
Al Massad says he’s known Ahmad for over two decades and always dreamt of making a film about him “because he’s such an interesting and very positive character, no matter what comes his way or happens around him.”
In real life Ahmad, who worked as a contractor, has spent three months in prison “for taking 1800 Jordanian dinars (about $2,540.00) and not delivering the job he was asked to do from a client,” Al Massad notes. That is exactly what happens in the film.
Comfortable
One of the ironies of “Blessed Benefit” is that the character played by Ahmad eventually finds himself more comfortable and free inside the prison than in his everyday life. So, what sort of reputation do Jordanian jails and Jordanian police actually have?
“The police are friendly and helpful,” says Al Massad. “In terms of prisons, I have visited and scouted several in Jordan and I noticed how they treat prisoners humanely, unlike what we see or hear of in other countries worldwide,” he adds. Most of the cast are non-professionals. Working with them was very challenging, but “they were very eager to be part of the film and this is why I believe they brought honesty into their performance,” he notes.
Besides the ‘blessed benefit’ of being in jail, another comic element of the film are visualizations of Ahmad’s nightmares while behind bars.
Shooting them required a lot of preparation “in order for them to have the same look as the rest of the film,” Al Massad recounts. With his cinematographer they decided to shoot these scenes in sequential order so they could begin with a realistic feel and subsequently veer into fantasy.
Al Massad, who lives in the Netherlands, moved back to Jordan to make “Blessed Benefit.” He’d always wanted to return to his country but, despite the boost that Naji Abu Nowar’s Oscar-nominated Theeb has supposedly given Jordanian cinema, his return home actually coincided with decreasing opportunities for filmmakers in the region.
“There are less than a handful Arab funds left to support filmmaking,” he laments.
Nevertheless, Al Massad already has a new project in the works. He is working on an new narrative feature project for the international market which he hopes to shoot in Dubai, where the story takes place.
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The American Society of Cinematographers has selected Denzel Washington as the recipient of its Board of Governors Award.
Washington will be presented with the honor on Feb 4 during the 31st ASC Awards at Hollywood and Highland’s Ray Dolby Ballroom. The organization presents the accolade to individuals in the industry whose body of work has made “significant and indelible contributions” to cinema.
The organization said in a statement, “It is the only ASC Award not given to a cinematographer, and is reserved for filmmakers who have been champions for directors of photography and the visual art form.”
Washington made his directorial debut with “Antwone Fisher” in 2002 and directed “The Great Debaters” in 2007. He directed and produced “Fences,” written by August Wilson and based on his Pulitzer Prizewinning play. The movie will be released on Christmas Day. Washington also reprises his original Tony Award-winning role alongside Viola Davis.