OMAN OMAN
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OMAN
OMAN
Tarzan & Idi Amin The Seventh Muscat International Film Festival has been an eye-opener for many film makers and actors of world cinema who now seriously place Oman on the anvil of their creativity. T A Ameerudheen meets two stalwarts on the sidelines of the festival.
Oman on Whitaker’s radar Legendary American actor Forest Whitaker’s sleepy eyes illuminated upon hearing the story of a young American sailor boy who rose to become one of the Sheikhs of the Mahra Tribe of Oman’s South Western Province of Dhofar early in the 19th century. It was during the second day of the seventh Muscat International Film Festival (MIFF) that one of the organisers told him the story of ‘White Sheikh’ and the Academy Award winner gave his verdict immediately with a gracious demeanour: “It is a wonderful story. No wonder Patrick Swayze had evinced interest in making a movie based on it. In fact, there are plenty of stories like this in this part of the world.” The 6 ft, 2 inch bulky actor, who has an uncanny knack in identifying good stories, got to know the huge potential of Oman in his first visit to the Sultanate last week. “I know MIFF is a fledgling film festival. I am not bothered about it. For me, it is an avenue to connect with different people. Moreover, I will try to find stories that resonates with me,” he said. So it is easy to comprehend why he would like to do a movie in Oman. “I love to make a movie in Oman. I have a couple of good stories too. I hope this event will mark the beginning of the project.” Having associated with several directors from different parts of the world, he now hopes to work with an Omani director. “I did a few films with directors from different parts of the world. I am going to make a movie next year with Oscarnominated Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb that will explore the complex relationship between the west and the Arab world. I first met him in one of my trips to Paris. I just did a film with Korean director Kim Ji-Woon. It was a fun to work with him. I hope the same thing will happen here in Oman.” But he wants to improve his understanding about the country and its people before embarking on such a venture. “I don’t know much about the sultanate and its territories. So I have to improve my knowledge.” An actor, known for intensive character study, Whitaker thinks learning new things is the biggest challenge for an actor. “I worked hard and prepared for many months to depict Idi Amin in the Last King of Scotland that went on to scoop an array of awards including the Oscar, BAFTA, BET Award, to name a few. In some movies, it takes a lot time to absorb the energy of the character,” he said. And the versatile actor is focusing only on two of his upcoming projects. He will act in The Bultler, which is loosely based on the story of a White House butler who worked with eight Presidents of the United States. “It is going to be a challenging role,” he said.
Idi Amin Forest Whitaker won 17 best actor awards, including the Oscars, for portraying Idi Amin in the 2006 epic The Last King of Scotland
21
sterling performances
The Last King of Scotland Based on Giles Foden’s novel, The Last King of Scotland tells the story of a Scottish doctor who becomes the personal physician to the dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) in Uganda.
Breaking barriers They are the pin-up couple at the seventh edition of the Muscat International Film Festival (MIFF). They received loud cheers when they walked Red Carpet even as lensmen vied to shoot the best photograph of the charming duo from vantage points. They even heeded to fans’ pleas and posed for photos with them. Casper Van Dien, famous for his roles in Tarzen and the Lost City and Starship Troopers, and his actor-wife Catherine Oxenberg didn’t expect such gracious welcome in a Middle East country. “We were moved by the grand welcome given by the generous, open-minded people in Oman,” said Van Dien. The trip to Muscat thus became a sort of eye opener for Van Dien who had a lot of prejudices about the Arab world. “Westerners have a lot of pre-conceptions about the Arab people, and vice versa. It’s time we organised more film festivals involving the West and the Middle East. It plays a crucial part in breaking the barriers and shedding prejudices. People should be given more opportunities to socialise and interact,” he said. None of Van Dien’s movies are shown at the festival, and the seasoned actor finds it as a blessing in disguise. “I don’t have any regrets for not showing any of my movies here. In fact, I am taking it as a blessing as I can watch other movies peacefully. It is nice to attend film festivals that do not show my movies. I am hoping to see some of the movies which I haven’t heard about. I am here with an open mind. I find this as an opportunity to meet people and interact with them, ” he said. His recent movie The Pact was received well received in the famous Sundance Film Festival early this year. “The Pact has got rave reviews from the judges as well as the film buffs. I have some more movies in the pipeline,” he said. It was American military science fiction movie Starship Troopers that catapulted Van Dien to stardom in 1997. Later, he had acted in its sequel Starship Troopers 3: Marauder in 2008. Now, he is planning to do another sequel of the same movie. “I did Starship Troopers 1 & 3 and it gave me worldwide recognition. I enjoyed working in it. Now I am doing Starship Troopers: The Invasion which will be released worldwide this summer,” he said. He, however, says Tarzan and the Lost City, a 1998 American actionadventure film, too played an important role in his career. “I still get a lot of admiration from the Tarzan fans, so it is also one of my all-time favourites.
Revenge of the Nerds Van Dien’s film career began in 1984 with Revenge of the Nerds. He acted in 50 movies thus far, including the soon-to-be released Starship Troopers: Invasion
Starship Troopers This 1997 American military science fiction film, directed by Paul Verhoeven, was loosely adapted from a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, and grossed over $121 million worldwide.
The Pact The Pact, directed by Nicholas McCarthy, centers on a girl who’s out to find her sister, who has mysteriously disappeared, with the help of a detective (Casper Van Dien) who communicates with ghosts.
OMAN
OMAN
Tarzan & Idi Amin The Seventh Muscat International Film Festival has been an eye-opener for many film makers and actors of world cinema who now seriously place Oman on the anvil of their creativity. T A Ameerudheen meets two stalwarts on the sidelines of the festival.
Oman on Whitaker’s radar Legendary American actor Forest Whitaker’s sleepy eyes illuminated upon hearing the story of a young American sailor boy who rose to become one of the Sheikhs of the Mahra Tribe of Oman’s South Western Province of Dhofar early in the 19th century. It was during the second day of the seventh Muscat International Film Festival (MIFF) that one of the organisers told him the story of ‘White Sheikh’ and the Academy Award winner gave his verdict immediately with a gracious demeanour: “It is a wonderful story. No wonder Patrick Swayze had evinced interest in making a movie based on it. In fact, there are plenty of stories like this in this part of the world.” The 6 ft, 2 inch bulky actor, who has an uncanny knack in identifying good stories, got to know the huge potential of Oman in his first visit to the Sultanate last week. “I know MIFF is a fledgling film festival. I am not bothered about it. For me, it is an avenue to connect with different people. Moreover, I will try to find stories that resonates with me,” he said. So it is easy to comprehend why he would like to do a movie in Oman. “I love to make a movie in Oman. I have a couple of good stories too. I hope this event will mark the beginning of the project.” Having associated with several directors from different parts of the world, he now hopes to work with an Omani director. “I did a few films with directors from different parts of the world. I am going to make a movie next year with Oscarnominated Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb that will explore the complex relationship between the west and the Arab world. I first met him in one of my trips to Paris. I just did a film with Korean director Kim Ji-Woon. It was a fun to work with him. I hope the same thing will happen here in Oman.” But he wants to improve his understanding about the country and its people before embarking on such a venture. “I don’t know much about the sultanate and its territories. So I have to improve my knowledge.” An actor, known for intensive character study, Whitaker thinks learning new things is the biggest challenge for an actor. “I worked hard and prepared for many months to depict Idi Amin in the Last King of Scotland that went on to scoop an array of awards including the Oscar, BAFTA, BET Award, to name a few. In some movies, it takes a lot time to absorb the energy of the character,” he said. And the versatile actor is focusing only on two of his upcoming projects. He will act in The Bultler, which is loosely based on the story of a White House butler who worked with eight Presidents of the United States. “It is going to be a challenging role,” he said.
Idi Amin Forest Whitaker won 17 best actor awards, including the Oscars, for portraying Idi Amin in the 2006 epic The Last King of Scotland
21
sterling performances
The Last King of Scotland Based on Giles Foden’s novel, The Last King of Scotland tells the story of a Scottish doctor who becomes the personal physician to the dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) in Uganda.
Breaking barriers They are the pin-up couple at the seventh edition of the Muscat International Film Festival (MIFF). They received loud cheers when they walked Red Carpet even as lensmen vied to shoot the best photograph of the charming duo from vantage points. They even heeded to fans’ pleas and posed for photos with them. Casper Van Dien, famous for his roles in Tarzen and the Lost City and Starship Troopers, and his actor-wife Catherine Oxenberg didn’t expect such gracious welcome in a Middle East country. “We were moved by the grand welcome given by the generous, open-minded people in Oman,” said Van Dien. The trip to Muscat thus became a sort of eye opener for Van Dien who had a lot of prejudices about the Arab world. “Westerners have a lot of pre-conceptions about the Arab people, and vice versa. It’s time we organised more film festivals involving the West and the Middle East. It plays a crucial part in breaking the barriers and shedding prejudices. People should be given more opportunities to socialise and interact,” he said. None of Van Dien’s movies are shown at the festival, and the seasoned actor finds it as a blessing in disguise. “I don’t have any regrets for not showing any of my movies here. In fact, I am taking it as a blessing as I can watch other movies peacefully. It is nice to attend film festivals that do not show my movies. I am hoping to see some of the movies which I haven’t heard about. I am here with an open mind. I find this as an opportunity to meet people and interact with them, ” he said. His recent movie The Pact was received well received in the famous Sundance Film Festival early this year. “The Pact has got rave reviews from the judges as well as the film buffs. I have some more movies in the pipeline,” he said. It was American military science fiction movie Starship Troopers that catapulted Van Dien to stardom in 1997. Later, he had acted in its sequel Starship Troopers 3: Marauder in 2008. Now, he is planning to do another sequel of the same movie. “I did Starship Troopers 1 & 3 and it gave me worldwide recognition. I enjoyed working in it. Now I am doing Starship Troopers: The Invasion which will be released worldwide this summer,” he said. He, however, says Tarzan and the Lost City, a 1998 American actionadventure film, too played an important role in his career. “I still get a lot of admiration from the Tarzan fans, so it is also one of my all-time favourites.
Revenge of the Nerds Van Dien’s film career began in 1984 with Revenge of the Nerds. He acted in 50 movies thus far, including the soon-to-be released Starship Troopers: Invasion
Starship Troopers This 1997 American military science fiction film, directed by Paul Verhoeven, was loosely adapted from a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, and grossed over $121 million worldwide.
The Pact The Pact, directed by Nicholas McCarthy, centers on a girl who’s out to find her sister, who has mysteriously disappeared, with the help of a detective (Casper Van Dien) who communicates with ghosts.
