JEDDAH: A panel dialogue was held right this moment in Jeddah through the second version of the Pink Sea Worldwide Movie Competition, titled “Hawjan: From the Novel to the Display,” to make clear the journey of remodeling the best-selling novel “HWJN” right into a film.
From written phrases to the display screen, the audio system defined the success of the well-known fantasy novel and the complexities of remodeling it for the large display screen.
The ebook, pronounced Hawjan, was the primary best-selling novel within the historical past of Saudi Arabia when launched in 2013. It’s the first ebook of a sequence of metaphysical and supernatural novels that depict the outcomes of interacting with the unknown realm of the jinn, which co-exists with the human world.
Written by Ibraheem Abbas and translated into English by Yasser Bahjatt, the action-romance story particulars the interplay of two worlds and the unity of two totally different species to cease the evil of their worlds from slipping into one another.
It additionally sheds gentle on good jinns and exhibits the world from their perspective, with people haunting their properties, and exhibits how some people are extra evil to one another than jinn are to them.
The concept of adapting the novel has been tickling the bold thoughts of the producer-turned-director Yasir Al-Yasiri after he was gifted the ebook in 2017 by his buddy, Emirati filmmaker Majid Al-Ansari.
At first, Al-Yasiri didn’t take an curiosity within the ebook, till his buddy insisted he reads it. “I learn it in a single day and I used to be truly like: Woah, that is one thing I wish to work on,” stated Al-Yasiri in a press launch at The Ritz-Carlton Jeddah on Saturday.
He added that he determined to work on it as a result of it “tackles a style that’s hardly ever addressed within the Arab world” and to “break the norm and convey one thing contemporary.”
The 2 males instantly began engaged on the script and began the casting and filming course of in 2018 with Al-Ansari as a director and Al-Yasiri as a producer. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic restricted Al-Ansari from coming to Saudi Arabia, main Al-Yasiri to grow to be the director, and he proceeded with filming.
The story introduces Sawsan, a medical scholar from the world of people, and Hawjan, a curious man from the realm of the jinn, which humankind can not see. The jinn man takes an curiosity in realizing Sawsan and her household after they transfer to a brand new home, the place Hawjan and his household have been dwelling for years.
Whereas making an attempt to keep up the boundaries between his life in each worlds, Hawjan discovers that he comes from a royal bloodline and tries to reclaim his proper to the throne.
The script, written by each Al-Ansari and Al-Yasiri, ensures that the story has the required adjustments for the display screen, however doesn’t drift away from the ebook.
One of many largest challenges the crew confronted was making a metropolis that exists within the jinn world —Milaj Metropolis, which no human has seen. Al-Yasiri stated that they had to remember the civilizational surroundings of the jinn world, which existed earlier than people.
Casting the actors was a bit difficult, looking for characters within the actors relatively than actors who might painting them. This led to the casting of the sensible Saudi actor Baraa Alem as Hawjan, Nour Khadra as Sawsan, Nayef Al-Dhufary as Zanan, and Al-Anood Saud as Jamara.
Because the ebook turned a serious hit in 2013, the publishing homes had been ordered by the spiritual police to cease promoting it 11 months after its launch, because it stirred controversy amongst dad and mom who began complaining that their kids had been studying black magic, and tips on how to name upon jinn.
One month later, the ebook was again on cabinets after the editors, and the reviewing committee, made positive it was away from the claims.
A teaser trailer was launched earlier right this moment by Vox Cinema, giving a glimpse into the world created by Al-Yasiri. Produced by Picture Nation, MBC, and Vox Cinema, the film might be out in 2023.
