The Moroccan film-maker Ahmed El Maanouni came to international attention when his film Trances (Al Hal) was presented by Martin Scorsese at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. His 1978 debut, Alyam Alyam (Oh the Days!), will be screened at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival
1. Stories should be told their own way. I am a storyteller and my concern as an Arab filmmaker is to share our true emotions, not only giving back to the western world their own vision. Since my first film, Alyam Alyam, I have tried to play out an original vision where truth and correctness are a matter of nuance and respect. The truer the image, character and scenario, the better the chance that the film reaches universality.
2. A film is made to last. Its emotional charges and its messages should remain forever. We are not aware of the richness of our film heritage in the Arab world, let alone do we understand why and how we should preserve it. We have to protect it and find ways of exploring and presenting it to new audiences.
3. It is time to speak about our history with a freedom of speech. The greatest difficulty is to get rid of self-censorship. It is a necessity to reflect our societies' rapid changes and to give them an uncompromising sight in our films. It is a long fight. It's worth it. With more freedom, the film-maker's responsibility increases and it is so much the better.
4. People appreciate art naturally, but tastes must be cultivated. Without this, we cannot value the beauty that surrounds us and we risk lapsing into barbarism. I am alarmed when I see how audiences respond to a bit of flesh on the screen. Film criticism is an integral part of the chain of the cinema. It should play an important role, especially in our countries where taste is not a part of the main preoccupations of the education.
5. Our true heroes - not kings and leaders - are still an undiscovered land to us. I hope to discover such stories to adapt into film scripts.
As told to Jemma Nicholls
Alyam Alyam will be shown at 9.30pm on October 16th at Marina Mall, followed by a Q&A with El Maanouni. Visit www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.