How a viral video inspired Venice Film Festival's first Egyptian movie in 12 years

Khaled Mansour explains how killing of a dog made him upset about violence around the world and sparked an idea that also celebrates city of Cairo

Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo revolves around 30 year-old Hassan (Essam Omar) who goes to great lengths to save his dog from a vengeful landlord. Photo: Film Clinic

Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo is the first Egyptian film to screen at the Venice Film Festival for 12 years. The debut feature by Khaled Mansour is a powerful tribute to Cairo and the timeless relationship between a person and their dog.

The film, Mansour tells The National, began as an indistinct and dim mental image. “For five or six years, I had this blurry image in my mind of a man hugging his dog,” he says, adding that he wasn’t initially sure what it was about that image that had him so transfixed.

Regardless, he knew it would serve as the basis for a film project. He felt there was something to explore about that powerful connection between these two species, together subsisting against an enveloping darkness.

But it wasn’t until a tragic event unfolded in Egypt that Mansour felt like he could develop his idea into a story. “A group of men killed a dog in front of their neighbours for revenge because the dog had bitten one of them,” he says.

A video of the incident quickly circulated online and sparked outrage. In 2015, those involved were given three-year jail sentences. “I felt angry and upset when I saw the video,” says Mansour. “At that moment, I decided to merge this blurry image with this incident.”

While the tragedy served as a point of departure for Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo, Mansour was not interested in re-enacting its particulars. It was the violent nature of the incident that intrigued him. He saw it as emblematic of the state of the world at large. “This violence isn’t unique to Egypt, the Middle East or Arab society,” he says. “It is a universal issue.”

Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo revolves around Hassan, a security guard in his 30s who is on the verge of being evicted from the home he shares with his mother, Altaf, and dog, Rambo. Their landlord, Karem, a belligerent and callous car mechanic, is aiming to tear down the house to expand his workshop. During one particularly heated stand-off, Rambo darts from the house to protect Hassan from Karem’s harassment, biting him in a sensitive area.

Fearing Karem’s murderous retaliation, Hassan sets off to protect Rambo, in a journey that takes him to the underbelly of Cairo while forcing him to reckon with his past.

Casting the roles of Hassan and Rambo was not straightforward. The director was keen on finding an actor to play Hassan who could tick several boxes. He did not want a newcomer, because that would hinder the film’s distribution in Egypt. “It would have been considered as an art-house film and I didn’t want that,” Mansour says. “I wanted the film to make it to festivals, but the audience in Egypt and the Arab world was more important to me.”

Essam Omar is known but is not a household name in the region. The actor has already taken part in several popular Egyptian television series, including Belly of the Whale, Al Ekhteyar and the Arabic-language remake of Suits. Nevertheless, there was still uncertainty about how his involvement would impact distribution. Mansour, though, was willing to take the gamble.

The casting process was even lengthier for Rambo. “We partnered with a dog training academy in Egypt called Eastwind,” Mansour says. “They specialise in training dogs. I showed them the script and said I had a few requirements. The first was that I needed a street dog. I didn’t want pure breeds to take up the role. The second was that I needed a dog that hadn’t been on film before. The third requirement was that I needed two identical dogs, because if one was to tire or wasn’t in the mood to film, we could rely on the other.”

Eastwind took up the monumental task of combing through Cairo’s streets to find two identical dogs that met Mansour’s requirements. The process took months. “They came upon a number of dogs, but most weren’t open to being trained,” Mansour says. “Finally they came across the two brothers. They were bright and took to training quickly.”

The two dogs first underwent a rehabilitation process. Too lean, they were put on a special diet to put on weight. They also underwent physical training, running on treadmills to build up their stamina. “Once they began training on the script, I visited regularly ,” Mansour says. “I wanted to see how they went about certain tasks so I could prepare myself.”

Despite all the preparation, the dogs still reacted in unexpected ways during filming but Mansour learnt to understand and follow the way they responded to certain cues. “I wanted to keep it natural,” he says.

The on-screen dynamic between Hassan and Rambo is affecting. It feels like they have spent a lifetime together. The rest of the cast is no less captivating. Theatre veteran Samaa Ibrahim delivers a poignant performance as Altaf, Hassan’s mother. Ahmed Bahaa, meanwhile, effortlessly boils blood with his cruelty as Karem. For many, the most familiar face in the cast will be Rakeen Saad. The AlRawabi School for Girls star gives a nuanced and layered depiction of Hassan’s friend and possible love interest, Asmaa.

Cairo itself has a starring role. Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo is replete with sweeping shots of the city’s bustling streets as Hassan drives through traffic in a Soviet-era motorbike, with Rambo beside him in the sidecar. Mansour intended the film to be a tribute to the city that at once moved and dispirited him.

Seeking Haven for Mr Rambo is premièring at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday. Mansour still can’t believe that the film has made it to one of the world’s most prestigious festivals.

“I’ve been gradually wrapping my head around it,” he says. “First, when I got the call, I was taken back and in disbelief. Then the next day, the official invitation came. I was driving and pulled over to read the email. That that was another step.

“I finally became convinced when they sent me the logo to embed into the film’s promotional material. It was the logo that I see in films I look forward to and am fond of … and it was on my film! I’ll fully believe it only when I’m in Venice itself.”