Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, an animated adaptation of the celebrated poet's most renowned work, is out in the UAE on May 7.
A Hollywood production celebrating a Lebanese life, the film is the work of 10 directors – but for one of them, today’s release marks a particularly special moment.
Mohammed Saeed Harib walked the red carpet at the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. He stood shoulder to shoulder with producer/star Salma Hayek at regional premieres in Doha and Beirut. But on May 5, the Emirati filmmaker brought it home, walking his own red carpet at the UAE premiere, hosted at Dubai’s Novo Cinemas Cineplex.
"It's a homecoming, a very proud moment for me," says the director, who is best known as the man behind Freej, the region's first computer-animated TV series.
“Almost 10 years ago we kick-started the animation industry in the Middle East. It was a shot out of the dark – and now it’s come full circle with this release.”
The English-language animated version of The Prophet stars Liam Neeson, who provides the voice of the central prophesying protagonist Mustafa, alongside Hayek as the female lead.
Inspired by the lessons of Gibran's text – originally a collection of 26 essays, published in English in 1923 – the film is divided into subtitled segments. Harib is one of nine animators called on to direct a stand-alone "lesson". These lessons are held together with a connecting story directed by Roger Allers, who is best known for the highest-grossing animation of all time, Disney's The Lion King.
Harib's contribution stands out for two reasons: although the project was inspired by an Arab creator, he is the only Arab director on The Prophet, and the only one among the 10 who has not worked on a feature film before.
“Hiring me was a risk,” says Harib. “When they told me I was on board, I was very happy, but also very scared. There was a lot of pressure on me, a lot of expectation.”
Harib's segment, titled On Good & Evil, explores the idea that one's actions are rarely as morally transparent as they seem.
All of the directors were encouraged to experiment with different forms, and while Harib effectively used computer animation for Freej, he chose to tell this story using traditional animation techniques, using hand-painted watercolour frames.
As a result, it took more than three years to complete his three-and-a-half-minute segment, with a team of 25 people working in Dubai, Los Angeles and Paris responsible for hand-painting the 5,000 frames of animation that were needed.
“Gibran was a poet, and you can’t beat the magic of his words,” says Harib. “People use his words in weddings and funerals – and here we are putting them to animation. It was a great responsibility.”
The driving force behind the project is the Mexican-American actress Hayek, whose paternal grandfather was Lebanese.
She visited the country last week for the first time to launch The Prophet in Gibran's homeland.
“This project really came together because of her,” says Harib. “It was her baby, her passion. She wanted to pick up the book and bring it to a new generation.
“And what’s most amazing is that some of the biggest names in the world are coming together to celebrate an Arab creative guy – for me this is a big deal.”
As well as celebrating Arab talents of the past, Harib hopes the movie will help to encourage people in and outside the region to invest in today’s talents – especially those from the region’s film industry.
“For me, this was a big opportunity and these people chose us,” says the 36-year-old. “That push came from outside and now we’re standing shoulder to shoulder with the greats. The message is that we can deliver as Arab filmmakers – we just need the chance.
• Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet will release in the UAE on May 7
rgarratt@thenational.ae