Peace and mercy of Allah.
The greatest pleasure in life is doing
What people say you can't do
My name is Amjad Al Noor
Working as a Director for a Media Production Company in Saudi Arabia
Graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences three years ago
After completing four years at the College
With a repeated year, I realized after graduation
That all that I learned about Economics
Is that the word "Economy" is written without "hamza"
It's wrong to write "Economy" with a "hamza"
That was the only thing I learned from the Faculty of Economics
In fact, that was not what I wanted to study
Today I am not gonna talk about my modest experience in film making
I want to talk about that thing that capturing you
And people keep telling you; no you can't make it!
I want to say that everyone has a dream to practice a hobby
His hobby then becomes his source of income
So allow me to take you hundred years back!
When I was young at the time, we had this film camera!
Since I was born my eyes and fell on that very old camera, which was not even working!
I loved watching my family without their knowledge
Through the camera's view finder!
I liked sitting around, watching them going through their daily lives!
All through the camera!
And maybe that was the first sign for my passion with film making and cinema
Thus, I saw everything through the camera's view finder instead of my naked eye!
Years passed by after those incidents
After being admitted to school, I received my first classy gift; a Playstation!
The issue was that my father forbid us to play it even on weekends!
He used to say weekends were actually schooldays! We used to play on school vacations!
This had led my friends disliking coming over to our place!
We were the humdrum house, that nobody liked coming to on weekends!
Thus to save face, because no one liked coming to our house
I invented a game! There was this TV series called "Mataaeb" meaning "Troubles"
Even our Saudi friends used to watch that show
So since we all watched "Mataaeb"
Cause we had no yard, my friends and I used to go to the rooftop!
To act an episode of the show. Of course, I was the Director and they the Actors!
I was very serious to the point that if anyone laughed or made a mistake etc.
We replay the whole scene again and repeatedly! "Cut" I used to shout!
We had a pillow, that pillow was my camera!
The first ever directing job, my camera was a pillow!
Glory be to Allah, years later, the same rooftop where I used to film with a pillow
With a friend of mine, I filmed a short film called: "U.S. Army, you just harm me!"
No way, I am fine, but I always say, the absence of evidence is not the evidence to absence.
What?
Simply because you don't have evidence to something does exist,
Does not mean that you have evidence to something doesn't exist.
What?
What country are you from?
What?
What ain't no country I ever heard of!
They speak English in what?
What?
English (cursing)?
Do you speak it?
Yes
So you understand the words that I'm saying to you
Yes
Well, what I am saying
That are known knowns, and there are known unknowns,
But there're also unknown unknowns. Things that we don't know, that we don't know.
What?
Say what again, say what again.
I dare you, I double dare you (curse) Say what, one more God damn time!
"Applause" Thank you, that was the same rooftop I used to film on with a pillow an episode of "Mataaeb"
On holidays when we used to play PlayStation
For that was the only thing that we played on most of the time
That introduced me to a game called "Driver"
Of course we all know the game "Driver"
I loved that game not because of the driving and drifting and all of the things in it
But I loved playing that game
Because at the end of each stage, an option would appear named Film Director!
Which meant that the game you just played, can be re-filmed again!
You could even choose the camera angles and do whatever you want to do
Just as a Film Director to the thing you were just playing!
I used to play the game for two minutes
And sit for hours and hours working on editing and directing the game I played
In my imagination I had no camera, but in my mind, I didn't need a camera!
Because I was directing a police chase through the streets of San Francisco
So I didn't need a camera, why would I need it?
After that period, came the university stage
So I needed to decide what kind of study I want?
I knew that I wanted to became a Director
But I didn't know what should I study to became a Director?
For instance, was there a certain study? I didn't want to became a TV Program Director
Do not tell me you need to study Media to work as a Director!
I wanted film directing, drama and the likes!
I didn't have the audacity to tell my family that I wanted to became a Director
For us Sudanese, this kind of work to become a Director, is nonsense!
A Film Director!
My mother with her wisdom
For us, the best fields are either Engineering or Medicine!
My mother knew that I was slow in math and my lack of memorizing
I told her that I would like to study something that makes money
I didn't tell her that I wanted to study directing
She said: "Ok, what don't you study Economics, cause it was what Salah Idris studied"
"Applause"
"Either you study economics like Salah Idris or study -- Told her: "Stop, let's stay with this Salah Idris thing"
I was admitted to the university and studied Economics. The years went by without a clue of what I was doing!
I used to spend my holidays in Saudi Arabia. I worked in malls by spraying perfumes on mall cards!
So when a customer comes he could get a whiff of the fragrance
For escaping the mood of studying someting not in my interest,
I decided to save money from this work and buy a camera
When my friends used to write their phone numbers on the cardbacks and give it to girls,
Of course we didn't have a TEDx brochure to write on your number and give it to a pretty girl!
At the time my main concern was to save enough money to buy my first video camera
Indeed, I was very excited, when I bought my first video camera
I went home and I had also bought a tripod and stand
I set it up in the living room, directed it to the door and connected it to the TV
So that when someone comes in, he can see himself on the TV
The first person to walk in was my father, unfortunately, I wasn't recording then
When my father walked in, me with open mouth expecting him to tell me something great
While seeing himself on TV
His first words were: "How much did it cost?" (Laughter)
Of course, that was my first frustration in cinema field, I didn't even start it yet!
After graduation from the College, The story got serious!
I had to get a job
I mean, I could't be sitting around and they waiting for me to become a working person!
I didn't want to repeat the same mistake and work in my specialty which I didn't appreciate
So I didn't work
I had job opportunities. The maximum period I worked was 11 days!
The pressure was huge from my father and family. Staying at home, they would come and inquire
"Hey, did you get a job? Have you found one?"
Glory to Allah, it was a conciliation to our Lord
Just like Dr Anwar's proverb: "Try whole heartedly you servant of Allah, and the rest is on Allah"
And the rest is on you servant of Allah
Glory to Allah, the reward came from Allah While I was sleeping at home
My Engineer friend who was looking for a job, went into a company where he was told
"We not in need of Engineers, but if you know someone familiar with filming, ask him to come!"
At that time to get out of the depression I was in
I took my camera, produced my first film and put it on YouTube!
First film with montage and music and put on YouTube! It's name was "Good Night Arabs"
I acted in that film 6 different characters
That film I produced went viral among my friends It was an amazing feeling
It was my first time to feel like a celebrity!
Like I was one of the celebs
All my friends talked about the film
My father who used to say: "You wasted your money on this camera"
Couldn't believe it, whenever we had guests, He showed them the film!
When my friend went to that company, and was informed they didn't need an Engineer
Then he showed them the film, and immediately. I was hired!
Of course, the film was of limited resources I was hired, cause as a "Production Company"
They realized, if I with such limited resources, could produce that, then it is definitely possible!
Thanks to Allah, I'm currently working for a production company!
Grace to Allah, the thing that I'm devoted to; my passion became my source of income!
I want to say, definitely everyone here had once
Thought about doing something, and people curbed him: "Are you serious?"
As I said in the beginning, the greatest pleasure in life, is doing what people said you can't do!
So my word to anyone who wanted to do something
And people keep saying you cannot do it
Don’t get mad and ring alarms, instead, thank them
It is actually the biggest motiviation you will ever need!
When somebody tells you that you can't do it
The best example for this is when you want a kid to do something
You just tell him, you can't do it And he will do it, despite all
Just because you touched that weak point, that you cannot do it!
I would say to all the ambitious people here, anyone who has a dream
I would tell you, you cannot achieve your dream!
"Applause"
Furthermore, about filmmaking in Sudan
Of course, our filmmaking is confined
With me living in Saudi Arabia
The image of Sudanese in the Arab world, and I'm not talking about US, Europe etc.
I'm talking about the Sudanese's image in our neighbouring Arabs
You can't imagine how dreadful this image is
Once a friend of mine, saw Al Fatih Tower and inquiried: "You have this in Sudan?!!"
People really have a ghastly image, and I don't blame them at all
I blame that we are not reflecting to them, our beautiful picture to see
If you asked anyone even in the street, a homeless for instance
If you asked him: "What's the color of the taxi in Egypt?"
He would tell you: "Black and white!"
The movies had tremendously portrayed that, even though he never been to Egypt!
Everybody can speak with the Egyptian's accent, just because he watches their movies!
In my view, the biggest media broker, to portray your country,
To expose your country to people, is the film industry
We are said to be the nation of reading, but nobody will go search the net about Sudan!
What's Sudan? What's the history of Sudan? Nobody will sit and read about Sudan's wikipedia!
But when you make a film about Sudan
An interesting film, definitely people will watch it
A while ago, I made a Sudanese film, calledL "120 Seconds"
This film went viral in Saudi Arabia
It proved my saying. The nicest comments came from non-Sudanese, the Arabs!
" Really, you Sudanese are not that bad!"
Any Filmmaker who has in mind, that we Sudanese if made something, noone would see it!
On the contrary, people are very keen to know about Sudan and what is Sudan?
Trust me; the best method for a person to deliver these things to people is through films
I'm not talking about big budget, just take your camera, take nice pics and put it on YouTube!
The whole world would see Sudan
In the end, will get back to my word
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people said you cannot do"
For only one reason, when you do it, best feeling in two words
When you finally attain it, you come and say to those who said you cannot do it
Here I am!
"Applause"
Thank you very much Salam alikum