Bahraini filmmaker Ahmed Zayani’s latest project Hope has been officially selected for the prestigious Chicago Horror Film Festival (CHFF), marking a major milestone for the director and for the kingdom’s growing independent film scene.
Next month, from May 16 to 18, Hope will be showcased at the festival, which is known for celebrating boundary-pushing films from around the globe.
“Getting into the Chicago Horror Film Festival has been quite surreal in the best way possible,” the 39-year-old director and writer told the GDN.
“Considering that it is ranked amongst the best horror film festivals in the world, competition is quite high, with the festival receiving an upwards of a few thousand submissions annually.
“CHFF will indeed be the premiere event for Hope but I am thankful that we have been selected for a number of exciting film festivals around the world including The Ravenheart International Film Festival in Norway as well as The Festival Angaelica in Los Angeles. It is my ‘hope’ that we continue this momentum going forward.”
The short film, which is 18 minutes and 26 seconds long, centres on two grieving souls who, in the aftermath of a global pandemic, find solace in one another and attempt to recover what was once lost. It explores themes of grief and love set in a post-pandemic world, using the emotional residue of recent global events to frame a non-traditional narrative.
Though not a typical horror flick, Mr Zayani noted that the emotional weight of grief and loss often underpins the best of the genre.
“With the familiarity of a pandemic-ridden world still fresh on our minds, that proved to be an appropriate forefront for our story to be set in,” he said.
The film marks Mr Zayani’s return to directing after a 12-year hiatus since his last horror flick Dead Sands, and the filmmaker sees this moment as both a creative resurgence and a personal redemption arc.
“Many things have changed in that interim,” he added.
“Certainly the way I chose to tell a story today is different than I would have done back then.
“Having the benefit of hindsight and knowledge accumulated certainly helps, but I cannot discount how pivotal having a strong support system around me was to the realisation and, hopefully, success of the film.”
At its core, Hope is a collaborative labour of love between Mr Zayani and a collective of Bahraini talent.
It stars Ghazi Alshehabi, Rand Algosaibi, Lujane Yacoub, Khizr Fadeem, Hamad Alnajjar, Amina Aiubova, Zahra Alhayki, Nisha Gill, Isa Hamad, Abdul Hameed and Mohamed Sadiq.
Behind the scenes, Mr Zayani attributed the fruition of the film to Bayan Al Tamimi, Mohammed Fareed, Mohammed Fakhro, Aysha Hamad, Yousif Al Sahhaf, Zohaib Latif and countless others.
The film’s soundtrack features music by Bahraini musicians like Conference of Birds, The Relocators, and Blue Vein River, with Mohammed Al Hasan and Maryam Rashed working on the score.
“Having local artists contribute towards both the soundtrack as well as the score of Hope was of high importance,” he added.
“Back in the day, I used to be involved in the organisation of an annual festival called Sanitarium, and through that, I was exposed to a multitude of talents of various disciplines.”
While Hope is still gaining momentum on the festival circuit, Mr Zayani is already laying the groundwork for future projects.
Though tight-lipped on details, he hinted at new stories on the horizon, especially a long-gestating project titled Faith once Hope completes its run.
“At 39 years old, it certainly did take me some time to get to this point, but I like to think that you are never too old to follow your dreams,” he added.
“With the multitude of talents working on Hope, both in front and behind the camera, it really is my desire to showcase to a global audience what Bahrain has to offer.
“While Hope is a Bahraini endeavour through and through, its scope is not limited to its audience, and hopefully its appeal will be able to cross borders.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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