ShareThe history of film both as an art form and an industry in Kuwait has been characterized by resilience amidst turbulence. Since the groundbreaking release of “Bas Ya Bahar” (The Cruel Sea) in 1972, which catapulted Kuwaiti cinema into the limelight, the industry experienced steady growth until the brutal Iraqi invasion in 1990. However, today, emerging from the long shadow of the invasion, Kuwait’s film industry is experiencing a renaissance. Filmmakers are venturing into the field armed with the power of imagination, creativity, original content and new technology, signaling a promising era of revival.
Ali Aldagher, a firefighter by profession, is a young Kuwaiti actor, writer and producer deeply passionate about cinema. He is delighted to witness the gradual resurgence of the Kuwaiti film industry, reclaiming its former glory. Aldagher recently returned from the UAE after attending the Al-Ain International Film Festival 2024. He participated in the screening of the Kuwaiti feature film “The Boy Inside a Cocoon”, directed by Ahmed Al-Terkait, in which he not only plays a pivotal role but serves as the co-scriptwriter and co-producer.
A chequered history
“The compass of cinema is shifting today”, Aldagher said in an interview with Kuwait Times. He spoke about a chequered history of Kuwait’s film industry and provided some insights into how technology is revolutionizing the way movies are made and experienced today.
“Technology has reshaped every aspect of moviemaking today. Filmmaking has become less cumbersome both financially and artistically. From the rise of digital effects and remote filmmaking to advancements in post-production, software and the widespread popularity of online streaming services, the cinema industry has become an accessible medium today. So many young Kuwaitis are able to find their expressions in the medium of cinema,” says Aldagher.
“It took a lot of time dealing with the societal taboos until we reached ‘Bas Ya Bahar’,” he said, recalling how culture and tradition stood in the way of making films before 1972. Making films was treated as taboo as cinema was thought to be ‘magic’ then. However, the cultural mix influenced by neighboring countries helped bold Kuwaiti artists overcome the societal inertia towards cinema.
“Kuwaiti culture has many things in common with our neighbors Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia. We also have adopted a lot from Indian culture and tradition. This culture mix has helped create a forward-looking generation of youngsters,” Aldagher added.
Although culture put a lot of restrictions on filmmaking, “Bas Ya Bahar” turned out to be an original Kuwaiti movie that delved into the country’s struggles and financial hardships in the ‘70s. “The movie doesn’t celebrate Kuwait, but it depicts the struggles Kuwaitis waged to build the Kuwait of today,” Aldagher noted.
It was a glorious era for Kuwaiti cinema post-“Bas Ya Bahar”. Kuwait was the only country in the GCC that was engaged in filmmaking, adapting to the cultural changes that were taking place across the world. Kuwait produced amazing movies during the period with varied perspectives, like “The Silence” (1976), “The Wedding of Zein” (1976), “My Aunt Qumasha” (1983) and “Ruqaia and Sabecha” (1986), among others.
The invasion
“The invasion changed everything for the Kuwaiti cinema. Plenty of movies were destroyed and archives were burned. It didn’t happen by accident — it was done deliberately. Because when you invade a country, you need to destroy the culture and the heritage of the country so that you can build whatever you want to build,” Aldagher pointed out.
The destruction not only had a material impact on filmmakers, but it also affected their morale and creative thinking. The psychological impact was enormous. Barring a few efforts in the field of theatre, Kuwait’s artistic domains remained largely inactive for more than a decade. “Probably, a revival began to happen only after 2010 or perhaps even after 2015 with the advent of new technological advancements in the film industry. It took a long time for Kuwaiti filmmakers to come out of the shock,” Aldagher said, recalling the painful period that followed the Iraqi invasion.
Al-Ain Festival
“The Boy Inside the Cocoon” tries to explain the psychological effect of solitary life on children in modern society. “Here, one won’t know where reality merges with imagination. So every viewer may have a different take on the movie and it is sure to haunt each one of us,” Aldagher said. “Cocoon” is not a typical horror movie pitting a single victim against impossible odds. It is a 100 percent Kuwaiti movie with original Kuwaiti music and CGI (computer-generated imagery), he stressed.
“The response was amazing and overwhelming after the Al-Ain Festival. Many people are now offering scripts for new films and looking for collaboration in filmmaking. The film brought back nostalgic memories of the good old days of Kuwaiti cinema. ‘Cocoon’ is a genuine Kuwaiti movie and not an adaptation of any foreign language film. The audience was amazed by the script, its craft, acting and coloring. It shows that people admire original Kuwaiti movies and want them back,” he added.
“There were good movies at the Al-Ain Festival. Some Saudi movies made an impact at the festival. For instance, the Saudi film ‘Naga’, meaning a female camel, is a woman-centric movie that defies the gender stereotypes existing in the regional film industry. ‘Naga’ is currently streaming on Netflix. “We thought we were competing with Saudi movies. There were also some bold Emirati films that generated interest at the Al-Ain Festival,” he said.
The firefighter
“The Last Call” (2019) is movie about a firefighter who receives a call on the last day of his retirement, and he goes on a dangerous mission. “The movie was executed by the Kuwait Fire Force and I directed the vision in a way that it appears realistic and acceptable to the audience,” Aldagher said, narrating how his career helps him in his artistic endeavors.
The Kuwaiti movie “Alopecia Areata”, directed by Ahmed Al-Terkait, deals with the condition of spot baldness. “None of us were professional filmmakers. We came together with one vision — to make a movie,” he said. “Areata” won the first prize in the first Kuwaiti film festival in 2017. Later, the BBC bought the film. It was a major forward leap for Kuwaiti cinema, he noted. Another film, “A Stranger”, was also well-received by movie buffs, in which Aldagher played a key role.
Kuwaiti filmmakers have made several movies distinguished for their diverse content and innovative narration over the last two decades. Feature films like “The Sniper” (2008), “The Waves Will Carry Us” (2011), “Tora Bora” (2011), “Sneeze”(2011), “Alisa Khatafha Jamil” (2014) and “Victor” (2015) are a few among the productions that helped Kuwait make an imprint on the film industry. These are in addition to scores of documentaries and short films.
Asked about his future projects, Aldagher struck an optimistic note. “A new movie currently being planned deals with a romantic theme. It examines the hardships of a bride and bridegroom to get married because they belong to two different branches of a religion. The film will narrate the battle one has to wage or the hurdle one has to cross to marry the person you love. It will portray two different cultural perspectives.”
