A BAHRAINI filmmaker is hoping to shine a global spotlight on a local folklore by showcasing his short horror film at international festivals.
Hooves is about the mythological character Um Homar (translated in English as Mother of Donkey), a half-woman, half-donkey creature that seeks out and eats children.
In the past, Bahraini parents, typically mothers, used the tale to warn children against venturing outside their homes in the afternoon, saying that the scary creature, clad in black, lurked in the neighbourhoods at the time.
Um Homar’s tell-tale sign was the sound of her hooves as she prowled the neighbourhood.
The seven-minute film has been shot in Los Angeles and director and producer Hamad Abdullah, who is based in the US, is hoping that it would popularise the fable among global audiences.
“The process of making the movie Hooves was fun and challenging as we had to go from script rewrites to location scouting, casting and constituting a team passionate about Bahraini folklore,” the 34-year-old, who graduated from Full Sail University, US, with a Master in Fine Arts in film production, told the GDN.
“We faced trouble finding a house that looked Bahraini and the one we thought worked best was missing a lot of the ‘artistic elements’.
“Luckily, I had visited Bahrain prior to production and so I managed to bring back a number of décor elements, clothing and art to make the house look as if it’s in Bahrain. I worked closely with my art team and brought my vision to life.”
Mr Abdullah said he had originally titled the film Um Homar, but changed it to Hooves to create a more relatable and universal story for international audiences.
“I have been hearing about Um Homar since my childhood in Muharraq and was inspired by the mythological character,” added Mr Abdullah.
“It is important to bring back those folktales for the newer generations. I believe a lot of people in Bahrain aren’t now familiar with it.”
Mr Abdullah has worked on more than 80 video projects including films, music videos, commercials and documentaries as a producer, writer, director and production designer.
Gloria El Ashkar, an American of Moroccan origin, plays the lead role in the film with her son. The cast also includes Los Angeles-based Netflix actress Lize Johnston as ‘Hooves’, Jaden Milla as the young boy ‘Waleed’ and Sarge as the ‘undead’ dog. The undead are beings in mythology, legend or fiction that are deceased, but behave as if they are alive.
“Hamad (the director) made it safe and free to explore the character development within myself, while letting my son and I, who have the natural bond, narrate the story,” Ms Ashkar told the GDN.
Bahraini film editor Yonis Attiya, founder of Limefish Design, said as shooting commenced prior to the pandemic, work had to be halted multiple times with major changes implemented to achieve the best results.
He said the genre and concept of a Bahraini horror production was interesting and it was exciting to see ‘an old Bahraini folklore that we always knew since childhood come to life’.
“Working on post-production is interesting because you get to see all the footage and try to create the story that the writer and director want to tell the target audiences,” he told the GDN.
“When it came to sound design, we had to bring some props to the studio and record the sound effects and then match them with the picture. The challenge was to make the recordings as realistic as possible while keeping the horror elements going using jump-scares.
“You rarely hear about a Bahraini horror production and so the genre and concept was interesting. Also, despite being shot in the US, the film retains the Bahraini look and feel.”
Hooves is going to be submitted to international film festivals by the end of this month with plans underway to turn it into a feature film or a TV show.
reem@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))