A Bahraini filmmaker has traded a studio for the squared-circle, recently directing the biggest professional wrestling show in the history of the Middle East.
KM Studio director and Green Bee managing director Aziz Altamimi, whose previous works include Influencer Inc, The Stars Align, and Becoming the Queen of the North, recently directed Qatar Pro Wrestling (QPW) Superslam III.
The star-studded show featured former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) stars such as Mick Foley, Dolph Ziggler, Matt Cardona (previously known as Zack Ryder), Enzo Amore, and Mustafa Ali and took place in the Qatari capital of Doha.
There were legendary performers from Japan, including Jushin Thunder Liger, a pioneer of junior heavyweight wrestling, and the hard-hitting Minoru Suzuki, known for his brutal, no-nonsense style, at the event staged on February 21 and 22.
Mr Altamimi told the GDN that he was given the opportunity by QPW owner Ali Al Marafi. “He is like my wrestling godfather!” said Mr Altamimi. “He has been teaching me about the business since I was very young.
“At the start of this year, we had a meeting, and he looked at me and said, ‘Aziz, you are directing QPW SuperSlam’.
“It was a huge honour, but also a massive responsibility. This isn’t just another wrestling event, it is the biggest pro-wrestling show in the Middle East.
“To have his trust in me to lead the production is something I’ll always be grateful for.”
Mr Altamimi has always had a special relationship with professional wrestling and grew up watching and idolising the very wrestlers he would end up directing, and now he has the pleasure of calling them his friends and colleagues.
Despite his expertise in filmmaking however, directing a live professional wrestling show was a new experience. “It was a completely different beast compared to directing a film. It didn’t follow any rule I had learned in film school,” said Mr Altamimi.
“In filmmaking, you have multiple takes, controlled environment, and a set structure. You plan your shots and reshoot if something doesn’t go as expected.
“In wrestling? You get one take. No reshoots, no safety net. Once the action starts, it’s happening live, unfiltered and unpredictable.
“Everything is happening at once – you have to balance the in-ring action, the entrances, the crowd reactions, the commentary and the overall storytelling all in real-time.”
He stated that he was excited to help local talent grow, and to put the GCC on the map when it came to professional wrestling.
“I never imagined I’d be the one behind the monitors,” said Mr Altamimi. “I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot in the UK but to do it in the GCC was very special, this wasn’t just another project.
“If I asked seven-year-old Aziz what the coolest thing he’s ever done is, this would be it - no question.
“There were moments during the show where I had to stop and just take it all in – the scale, the energy, the fact that I was directing some of the greatest wrestlers in the world.
“It was proof that the Middle East belongs on the global wrestling stage and that we can continue to create something on par with the biggest shows in the world.”
Mr Altamimi also highlighted ringside talent that he believed had the potential to ‘do great things’, such as current QPW Champion Classy Ali, Saudi’s NF Nitro, Egypt’s Tito Hatem, and UAE’s Shaheen.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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