Interview with Hala Matar, Bahraini film director

Hala Matar is a young and successful film director from Bahrain. She is currently living and working in New York. It is kind of hard to describe her awesome personality if you do not personally know her, so I am just going to let you guys judge by yourselves how cool and inspiring she really is.

First, let me start by republishing her reel so that you can get an idea of the kind of work she creates.

How did you first get into film? What inspired you to?

My interest in film developed after taking my first cinematography class at the University of Virginia. My film professor Kevin Everson is certainly my greatest influence; he encouraged his students to continually push the boundaries, indulge in our obsessions and be as extreme or absurd as we need to be.

It goes without saying that I was also influenced immensely by watching films, particularly by: Federico Fellini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Jean-Luc Godard, Matthew Barney and Michel Gondry.

What kind of films do you create?

I predominately create Surrealistic and Expressionistic films. I try to project my characters’ emotions and struggles visually by delving deep into their subconscious and dreams.

Seeing as you’re from Bahrain and have lived there for most of your life, do elements of Bahraini culture ever play into your films?

My films do not typically portray elements of Bahraini culture, rather my reactions towards the culture. For example, I usually write about characters that are rebelling against conformity, social norms or global homogeny, and routine, key features of contemporary Bahraini society.

What do your films usually represent? For example, do they concern socio-political issues, romance, taboos?

My films represent issues that stem from questioning the complexity of human nature and the absurdity of life itself, which I always aim to manifest both beautifully and poetically. I have always been nostalgic towards my romantic views of the past. I feel that nowadays artists celebrate beauty less and less, instead they express the harshness and injustice in the world. The marginalization of beauty is also apparent in the architecture that is prevalent nowadays. The function of a building is given more precedence than its form, resulting in buildings that lack embellishments and details, which classical architecture thrived on. One of my main objectives in my films is to bring beauty into the forefront.

My films are also about romantic relationships and sexuality that I personally do not consider as taboo but will most probably illicit controversy in the Arab world.

What do you think about filming in Bahrain? Is there enough of it? If not, why do you think so? (lack of talent, lack of funding, etc)?

I am currently working on my first ninety-minute feature film that will be set in both Bahrain and Dubai. I am so fortunate to be filming in Bahrain, and be one of the first to expose the world to Bahrain’s beautiful landscape.

Unfortunately, there are hardly any films set in Bahrain. Mainly because the arts are not given the importance they deserve in society. Parents tend to discourage their children from pursing careers in the arts, instead they persuade them to take more conventional and safer routes. Secondly there is no arts council, film fund or film schools that would facilitate an environment that is conducive to develop this art form.

Would you ever publish your films within Bahrain or do you think it’s too controversial or risky to? If you had the chance, would you ever care to show your work to a live audience in the country?

Yes, I hope I will be able to show my films here because I address many important issues that Bahrainis can identify with yet conveyed in a new light. Ultimately I hope to enrich theirs modes of thought and engage them to question these issues and seek ownership in them. However, I tend to worry, at times, that some members of the public will not receive my films on a positive note and will deem them to be too controversial.

What would be your advice to aspiring filmmakers all over the Gulf, an area that rarely produces real films?

My advice to all filmmakers is to find a way to make this medium your own. Communicate to the audience your own personal world and unique vision. Widen your experiences: meet random eccentrics, say hello to clowns, catch butterflies, visit your favorite time period, impersonate Louis XIV and create beauty.

I’ll end this post with a personal music video she created – Beach at Red Point by Boards of Canada:

Best of luck in the future, Hala! You’re my idol.

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