The powerful image through Al Jazeera Channel.

A nation without memory is nothing. This is a heavy conscious thought that the people of Morocco and its government are always discussing it seriously .It is true that local journalists are in some extent feel free to use their pen to tackle touchy subjects that in older times namely during years of plumb these same journalists would think twice to write, however freedom of speech still remains an unaccomplished job that many are asking to fulfill its complete mechanism into a dynamic, awaking yet fragile country called Morocco.



Al Jazeera Channel has done it again .I mean another scoop. It is about a program called “Shahidun Ala Asser” animated by Ahmed Mansur that presents a political prisoner; Ahmed El Marzouki who has revealed to Al Jazeera viewers every detail with brilliant precision and description of hellish times that he has endured in Tazmamart; a secret prison in south-eastern Morocco at the Atlas Mountains. The program becomes very popular not only in Morocco but also in the Arab world, because it introduces people that are considered persona non grata, exilers and sometimes political opponents usually rejected by their regimes.



Ahmed El Marzouki, a special guest to “Shahidun Ala Asser”, has made controvecy in his country because he dares to tell the truth which is a will considered by his Tazmamart mates, an act of courage and honor. People of Morocco are deeply shocked by El Marzouki’s announcements and this makes civil society organize seminars, movies and debates to find a lost memory of a nation which is still looking for itself within tradition and modernism.



Allal El Alaoui

Sufism within music in Fes.

Dikher through the heart is the most exquisite and secretive way to communicate with Allah, dikher has eleven rules:

1- State of pure ritual obtained by ablution “ablution erases sin”
2- Fluffiness of praying of the two raka àt.
3- Orient oneself towards Qibla by positioning your body in a solitary place.
4- Pressing your position to the opposite one that you usually do for praying.
5- Asking Allah for forgiveness “ Astirghfirullaàh”
6- Reciting “Fatiha” one time, and Sourate Al –iklas three times.
7- Close your eyes, press your lips and tie up your tongue as if you eat it with true calmness. This act helps you to chase strange thoughts that come through your vision.
8- A spiritual act called “ Epitaph attachment “ ràbi-tatu-l-qabr- means the consideration of death : you see yourself dead, washed ,wrapped into shroud; once the death ceremony is about to finish, you see yourself taken upon a tomb ,your family and your friends are gone leaving you all alone ,then nothing can be in your side apart from your good deeds.
9- To link yourself into a spiritual direction “rà-bitatu –l – murshid” .In this act, the disciple directs his heart towards his master’s heart, and keeps his image into his consciousness, even though his master‘s absence.
10- Concentration of all body senses by orienting all your powerful perceptions to Allah
stating “you are my goal and your satisfaction is only what I ask”.
11-Waiting for the “eventual” effect called –ghaiba- “ecstatic fainting”.
For more details read “Anthology of Sufism” by Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch.


Sufism

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Happy Arab day to Al qods Al Arabi.

Arab streets consider Al qods Al Arabi as a newspaper of dignity and pride speahead by a palestinian figure called Abdel Bari Atwan, born on the 17th of february 1950 in Deir al-Balah in Palestine.


No matter how hard some constipated mentalities have worked to destroy this respectful newspaper, well read through out the Arab world, Al qods Al Arabi still continues to look for truthful events and informations in order to edit them for people, beautifully analysed before the eyes of weak arab regimes and Nazis Isrealis governments supported plainly and secretively by the west.


Today Al qods Al Arabi celebrates its 20th birthday and still writes smart articles edited by courageous journalists who usually tackle touchy subjects of a wounded world called Arabs. In my country, it is sad to hear from time to time that some journalists are given bribes to keep their thoughts hidden.However,there are others just like our modest newspaper , Al qods Al Arabi choose to fight for the truth and rightfulness.

Allal El Alaoui

HASSAN ET MORKOS is in Morocco .

Titre du film : HASSAN ET MORKOS
Interprétation: ADEL IMAM – OMAR SHERIF – LEBLEBA – MOHAMED IMAM
Scénario : YOUSSEF MAÄTI
Réalisation : RAMY IMAM
Durée du film : 120 minutes.


SYNOPSIS FILM : HASSAN WA MORKOS
Il s’agit d’une comédie satirique, l’histoire d’un prêtre chrétien et un cheikh musulman dont des menaces de mort les obligent a ce que chacun se déguise dans le personnage de l’autre sans qu’aucun d’eux ne dévoile à l’autre la vérité de son comportement. Le cheikh se fait passer pour un prêtre et ce dernier pour un cheikh. Lorsque contrairement au dicton, l’habit fait le moine et le cheikh, cela peut amener à de drôles de quiproquos. Le récit du film, comme une plongée au sein même de ces deux personnages, crée une structure de fiction et cinéma vérité.
Le Cheikh et le Prêtre attaquent sur tous les fronts, prêchent la cohérence, la tolérance dans la foi musulmane et chrétienne et tirent une sonnette d’alarme pour avertir des dangers d’une dérive extrémiste qui se fait menaçante, et tend à s’ériger contre le progrès de leur pays en même temps qu’il sape toutes les valeurs de tolérance, de paix et de cohabitation.
Que de belles images chargées de symboles et de signification, qui représente musulmans et chrétiens a la face du monde, main dans la main, unis et solidaires , façonnant ensemble, dans une œuvre commune, leur action en faveur de la paix , la cohérence, la tolérance et la compréhension entre les peuples.


DATE DE SORTIE :

Le 22 Avril 2009 au CINEMA MEGARAMA - CASABLANCA

Le 22 Avril 2009 au CINEMA LYNX – CASABLANCA

Le 22 Avril 2009 au CINEMA RITZ - CASABLANCA

Le 22 Avril 2009 au CINEMA MEGARAMA - MARRAKECH

The secret words of love.

Nessma is an Arabic word gently breathed very often by a gifted poet or Azzajal.This word derives from beautiful dunes and wild climates of silent Sahara. Arab cinema “see Chadi Abdessalem’s movies and also Moroccan movies” have not denied to mention this sweet word either uttered shamefully by a lover” see famous verses written into Malhoun by Ahmed Remoun «والعاشق قاتله حرام " "or by an orator ( see Ahmed El Maanouni’s film “Alyam, alyam ” ) .


Smart Moroccan writers like Fatima Mernissi whom I have the honor to refer to her wonderful book on love and its mystery “ l’Amour dans les pays musulmans “,has endlessly kept writing amazing books about women and men referring to their dignity to be respected ,to love and to be loved . Being myself a lover and because my readers from over the world are eager to know about Arabic culture, here in this context I mean my Moroccan one, I have republished Ibn Al Hajala’s fifty words of love because it is public and meant to be known for everybody as it is mentioned by Mernissi herself.Therefore, I think that Fatima will appreciate what I have done, the fact that I have willingly put publicity to her book within my weblog .I know things will work out very well because it is all about love and a message of love to the people who love just like our handsome writer Fatima whom I have been told that she is a great intellectual having a big heart and a lover too.


May be in Sahara,love is much stronger and mysterious than other places in the world. Lahssen Badis; a Moroccan Azzajal ; born in Errashidia which is a magical town situated in the south of Morocco, known of its huge raising sun that comes out from golden dunes, would tell us more through his craft about love ( see below the secret of words of love that inspires our Azzajal.No doubt ,native of Sahara, this has great impact on Lahssen Badis as it has on many mysterious writers like for example Antoine de Saint-Exupery whose works remain mysterious but eternal . Antoine admired too much Sahara and no doubt he was inspired to write great art through his vivid imagination .What strikes most is that Antoine and Badis have something in common ;both men have no doubt seen magical beams of light in the sky through flying because they were simply pirates .

Arab culture in general is based on poetry see classical “Souk Al Oukad” where in that time of pre-Islam, multicultural poets from all over the tribes and cities came to Mecca just to enchant and obviously to show off their brilliance of writing poetry.Poets then, stated to listeners exquisite words that affect their souls and praise hearts of Al Assiad .That is why, Azzajalin and poets enjoy to use within their art, verses of love that is eternal in the human breast. By the way, Arabic language has about fifty meanings of love in the Kamuss. Surely, Poets manipulate these rich synonyms in their works so well that no barrier; soldier nor any gate of Palaces will prevent them from penetrating.


Western cinema also refers to this word “see the dying protagonist in that movie ‘The English Patient’ written and directed by Anthony Minghella or through cinematography that describes beautifully nature of Sahara ( see Davis lean’s movie ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.However,too many western movies shot in Sahara mainly in Ouarzazate, still focus on shooting funny films that are unfortunately ideological or anti-Islam ,ignoring of course the beauty of Sahara that God has given,read Juan Goytisolo and Edward Said works .

Allal El Alaoui


Al Assiad : Lords and rich traders
Azzajal : Poet who writes poetry into slung language. Or dialect.
" والعاشق قاتله حرام it is forbidden to kill a lover.
Malhoun : dialectical verses sung in a large group see Malhoun in Andalusia and North Africa.

Kamuss: Arabic Dictionary.

Love Names in Arabic

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Religion & Spiritual Education love ebook

Azzajal Lahsen Badiss

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

天然パーマンTENNEN PARMAN. A special welcone to the world of cinema from a colleague

maxlength="255" value="" />


The Web
value="askdavetaylor.com" checked /> Ask Dave Taylor

私が大好きなモノを、私の熱い気持ちと日本のインターネットからの情報を交えて、世界に紹介したいと思っています。宜しくお願いします。

Do you know dear Parson that Morocco literaly means Sun Going Down and Japan means Rising Sun .


天然パーマンのLOVE

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Uncategorizable-Unca Tutorial-Doityoursel

The beginning of the death of Moroccan festivals: Teteoun film festival as an example.

Mediterranean youth are fond of cinema more than cinema-goers. No doubt, Teteoun, a beautiful Mediterranean city also called “white pigeon”, has shown through history that it is able to hold burdens of film festival which has breathed its 15th candle this year .Yet, Teteoun suffers a lot to get movies from several countries and the fact that it has scheduled Spanish cinema as special guests for the last minute, has raised many questions .This is of course a mysterious affair that only Ahmed Housni, the director of Teteoun Film Festival and his team can unfold hopefully.


Teteoun film festival has only scheduled one Moroccan movie.Housni,the director of the festival ,argues and emphasizes that the goal of the festival is to open space for Moroccan youth .He wants all countries to participate in his festival which has scheduled 80 long-featured movies and 34 film documentaries.


Too many cinema-goers wonder why Moroccan movies are rejected unrespectfully in festivals knowing of course that Moroccan people pay to realize such events. .Any way, there is something fishy as Shakespeare says .The president of the festival ,now ambassador of Morocco in Rome, ,Nabil Ben Abdellah is busy now to support Italian grief because of that ferocious earthquake that hits Italy recently . Teteoun film team seems to be nervous at first because it does not know what to do. Most film directors wants exquisite hotels and comfort and besides their copy of movies should not be lost as exactly happened in other Moroccan festivals like The International Film Festival in Salé badly organized by its spearheade, Abdellatif Assadi.




Only official media is present, but majority of free media is not welcomed let alone bloggers and cinema-goers.Budget is not sufficient and can not cover all the necessities of the festival, one local journalist states .If Teteoun film festival can not bear to invite intelligent cinema ,its film directors; producers and free media.Don’t we think that it is the beginning of the death of this festival ?


Allal El Alaoui

Entretien avec Ahmed Housni, le directeur du Festival international du cinéma méditerranéen de Tétouan

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Brochures & Catalogs 2008 music

The Thinking Eye on Latin Cinema.

KLAUS EDER

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Screenplays & Plays Creative Writing business usa

IntroMexCine5-05

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Creative Writing

A message for change to Barack Hussein Obama.

My name is Allal el Alaoui .I am a blogger and cinema-goer.My dream is to see the world united and everybody smiles again. I have written a project with the help of my colleagues and friends.

My initiative tackles a noble goal that gathers two gigantic dreaming companies, Hollywood and Bollywood, into a glittering and yet artistic night where the world enjoys a wonderful meeting between stars and super-stars, actors and actresses in order to serve global peace without referring to any geographical space nor any ethnic, religious and political status, but instead this show or event relies on the mutual respect between people and dialog of cultures.

Now, we have Barak Hussein Obama, a dynamic president who is very keen, in my opinion to change the world .May be the east and the west could be joined at least into one night when we get fervent smiles that we have lost recently. So, if you could help me to make this event come true, please do not hesitate to do so even by telling your friend, institution, or parents.






Moroccan native allal-cinemagoer, whose blog mostly discusses cinema, has a message about the arts for the candidates:
...because of the dangerous change that our world is going through especially America's values and its famous civil rights are now at stake and most important we are going to have a new president who might again intensify war around the world, I just want to say that whoever win the battle to Washington Dc to become the president of The U S A ,Hollywood should reconsider its policy [and] produce movies of great talent based on dialog , love and especially altogetherness, rather on discrimination, xenophobia, hate of Arabs etc.. .

Talking digital age in Rabat

In 2006, at the Renaissance café in Rabat which is a closed cinema theatre now, I and Razak ,an engaged writer,Mustapha Hairane,journalist and photographer ;El Khammar Essafi; talked about our digital age in relation to movies and electronic writings called Blogosphere. We have talked about successful digital films like Abbas Kiarostami‘sTen, and Michael Mann’s Collateral .we have also mentioned mediocre and good movies produced by CCM or SNRT because these governmental institutions have now sophisticated digital tools to produce movies such as Avid softwares, Kinescoping machines, and recent HD Cameras.



We mentioned the inspiration of the red city Marrakech to some renowned creators and the fact that Marrakech was once visited by Bill Gates, this mysterious city inspires this genius engineer by its beautiful sights and icy mountains. Bill Gates,therefore ,is called proudly in Morocco Al Haj Belghit;a close name to a honorable intelligence domestically ,may be,during his touristic visit to this city, he was inspired so much that he invented intelligent tools for the personal computer revolutions .This big event breaths softly into the souls of intellectuals, writers because it succeeds to further governments from intervening the businesses of simple people besides it imposes its heavy weight of secretive surveillance that is usually practiced by non-democratic states such as our country .This Big Brother policy is unfortunately used in the states itself. Here, I wonder why can not Arab Intelligentsia help to spread its culture either via media ads or hacking ? I know that Arab Encyclopedia is now on the market, but many people can not have it.



It is obvious that the Internet becomes a Greek agora instead of souk de Okad in the Arab world namely in my country. Too many web sites and blogs are created and taste of getting more informed is undefinable.Indeed this powerful instrument becomes relevant to many such as exilers, journalists, writers and freedom of information seekers. Maroc Telecom,a powerful media source at home, asks too much money to provide help for users or web new comers. I presume Bill Gates will laugh on this deal because it exploits his tool for financial reasons. However, that time, Digital culture invades our behavior as much as our values, and modifies our relation to reality.” We were really amazed by the use of mobile cells, emails, PCs,, video games, YouTube and our fidel researcher “Google” is always answering our questions that we displace on its engine .In fact;Google was and is our cultural modern culture, although we sometimes are skeptic whether its information is true or false because of the infiltrating the American intelligence agencies .



Culture of constipated mentalities begin to be more narrowed by the explosion of information and cultural blockaders, linguistical agents and authorities in general become worried by this new age of free information .The west is still compromising to liberate it to the world, even though UN wanted to intervene to govern the internet but The United States of America and Europe refuse this thinking because apparently they are scared that authoritarian regimes take over .

I think it is time for the Arabs mainly ,Grand Maghreb to take actions which means that people have to get up and cry for their rights as once it is sung by The unforgettable Rasta man, Bob Marley. We are pleased to know that some Algerians cry out either from Algiers,Rome (Abdelkader Remoun) or from Paris in order to have a democratic state without being governed by mafia-like people. The Battle for democracy becomes a must for these countries named above, although its governments spread culture of fear and oppression.



In Morocco, We are happy to see journalists and bloggers supporting democratic associations and free pen writers like Mohammed Erraji,Chakib El Khayari, Hassan Barhoun and more others… It is obvious now USFP, the Social Union of popular forces, have lost that honorable position among its people of pretending to be democratic after its long faked “battle” for democracy. Instead this political party of the third world activist Ben Barka has sent its people to interior exiles and indifferences. .Therefore, we will not be surprised if this party is totally abandoned by the people that badly scorn this political party due to its unconvincing programs, and its very old fashioned leadership. Even now its charismatic leader, Ben Barka is getting less unfortunately loved because of that political system called "out of order policy " that USFP has shown during its alternance prior to the death of king Hassan the second.






In Grand Maghreb, freedom of speech is not yet happened and many fans just like journalists and writers would love to see this beautiful thing becoming real even though some countries like France and U S A is not giving any help nor publishing truthful reports of what is really going on. Thanks to the net which becomes wildly utilized,blogs and sites will be multiplied just to protest against coercion of Maghreb governments.




There must come a time when we sit down and talk otherwise the gap between the state and people becomes wilder and who knows when the reunion might be again. On this occasion ;we feel deeply sorry for that Tunisian Zouhair Yahyaoui who will always be remembered among Tunisian and Maghreb activists as someone who had sacrificed his life for the struggle for freedom of speech.



I understand that young people born after the nineties of the last century; have greater advantages to speak computer languages rather than us; take for example my little baby Rania who keeps calling me Mama and Papa to her mother at the age 7 months . Now being 13 months, incidently, she has mixed all the two names and calls me O Bapa,is if Rania has been influenced by the headaches of Obama elections,by the way Obama answers emails which is a thing that even one little responsible in Morocco would not be pleased to do if he already knows how to run computer systems.


Phonetics instead has nothing to do with HTM, CSS or IPaper languages that the net is basically relied on now.Languistics are different in tones and intonations than the computer ones .Who knows one day we see computers speak their own language derived of course from mother language of today’s and consequently they put men into slavery just like the story of Planet of the Apes. Computers might then give orders to cyborgs to destroy humanity from earth.Then,the game of digital age will be over.

Allal El Alaoui

Moroccan cinema in english : CCM.

Moroccan Cinema in English

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Academic Work Education free language

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13419706/Moroccan-Cinema-in-English

www.ccm.ma

Zineb Ennajem

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13294758/Zineb-Ennajem

Zineb Ennajem

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Creative Writing allalcinemagoer.blog

El Oualid Mezouare.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13294714/oualid-mezouaroualid mezouar

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Creative Writing allalcinemagoer.blog

Al-Ghazali,a light of intelligence seen by Ovidio Salazar.

Al-Ghazali, the Alchemist of Happiness is a beautiful film documentary directed by Ovidio Salazar. It is true we live in a confused age where almost humanity can not know how to distinguish between good and evil .Yet, movies like Al-Ghazali erases some questions of our intellectual age by refreshing our memory that there were in the past some thinkers who have lived through hardships and difficulties just to again peace in searching Allah (God).


In fact, this film already mixed up with academic interviews from Iran, England and America points out how blissful is the truthfulness of Allah and that the Almighty can be reached by spiritual practices just like Al-Ghazali did in his time. Man is born with AL Fitra (instinct) to go down to the profoundest abyss in order to find himself and to come back with an idea to remember that there is only one truth which is Allah, our Almighty who is worth worshipping.

Ovidio Salazar’s cinematic techniques are much convincing as far talking about documentary film making especially he has not hesitated to go to Tus, Khorasan, Iran in order to be more realistic where Al-Ghazali is buried .He tells Al-Ghazali’ story through narration and fabricated dramatic scenes. The search of truth seems continuous by Al-Ghazali whose taste of knowledge is so vast that he leaves his family, his Khalif,( supreme authority in Baghdad )his properties and his country in order to find Allah.

Nowadays, apart from intelligent movies that we watch from time to time either in festivals or in hacked DVDs ,Hollywood is still bombarding us with worthless artificial and violent movies that we are manifestedly fed up with especially now that the west is still eager to continue his continuous and ferocious fight against Islam via means of image destructions like cinema .This west itself has unfortunately denied that Islam has once breathed gently into the soul of Europe in order to be civilized (see Averroes,Ibn Sina Ibn Arabi …) .

With this genre of movies ,we hope that the world shifts 180 degrees to Al-Agl ( reason ), beauty and intellect rather than hate and indifference and the discourse that the west controls itself and anything foreign to its atmosphere is barbarian and savage, reminds us in fact of its uncontrollable launching bomb on Hiroshima and its unpitiful torturing of innocent souls in Guantanamo Bay.I think I myself have not controlled myself because of the 21 first century burden and atrocities that I still have to find relevant in the teaching of my master Al-Ghazali .Yet peaceful mind is quite reachable as long as there are non-arrogant people who reject dictatorship in their “Nitham-Al Hokm” ( Way of Governing ) and thanks to Allah , it seems that there are other people who have courage to produce via cinema other people ‘s beautiful lives even if they are seemingly“enemies” .

Allal El Alaoui

To Casanegra or not to Casanegra.

Unfortunately because very few cinema-theatres are still closed, I have decided to watch Casanegra on DVD at home but not on silver screen cinema theatre which is a thing that I have felt sorry for .Sorry Nour-Edine.I assured you I have not hacked your movie, but somebody has given it to me raw and unfinished ‘ non-étalonné” to watch it .Apparently, your film has moved me a lot because it is one hundred percent cinematic (see Moroccan and Norway money ) this co –production has made things easier very seldom for a creator to work and that also explains why your films has reached a nice level in cinematography where you have used wild angle a lot as if to reveal your intimate love to this cosmopolitan and yet giant city called Casablanca .This movie has made brilliant box office in Casablanca itself which is quite normal through good performances of new actors such as Adil and Karim and let alone Benbrahim whose powerful presence is remarquable .But anyway, i have good news for you. I think Casanegra is an intelligent film well directed by your vivid imagination and your skillful hands.



As I have said before, although I am not a Casablanca man, I feel much moved by some beautiful dark scenes. This reminds me of German cinema, very expressive and pictures are much more in silhouette. As a film-goer I know what you wanted to say because you have started your movie all in black as if you want to tell us that this is a dark city and yet it is beautiful. I like also your characters starting with our beloved Benbrahim and of course Adil and Karim, the two boys who have been well directed by yourself.



The story is about two mates who share friendship and hardship altogether. Karim recruits children to sell cigarettes and dreams to be respected within his circle. Adil wants to go to Europe in order to find paradise and he would do anything to find a visa and go to Malmo in Suede.



I also know one thing is that Moroccan viewers would hate themselves because of the vulgarity of your style language that you have well used in your sequences of your movie .But, I think I consider your style as avant-gardist because what we have seen nearly thirty or forty years in Moroccan cinemas through out realistic European and American cinema is the same use of slung language of the street .Moroccan cinema-goers will get used to this language step by step.That is a something that I assure you to be happening very soon .So let’s go to Casanegra and see ourselves through this beautiful story written by Nour-Eddine lkhmari.

Allal El Alaoui


WRITTER/ DIRECTOR: Nour-Eddine Lakhmari (Maroc - Norway)
CINEMATOGRAPHER : Luca Coassin (AIC)
PRODUCERS : Ali Kettani / Dino Sebti _ SIGMA
FEATURE FILM / SOCIAL DRAMA
35 mm / scope color / 126 minutes
LANGUAGE : Moroccan
CO-PRODUCTEURS : Aziz Nadifi / SOREAD 2M
MUSIC : Richard Horowitz
EDITING: Sarah Mouta
ART DIRECTION: Badria Soud Elhassani

The 2009 blogger-award given to Maria Makrim .

No doubt Maria Makrim loves freedom of speech. That is why she writes excellent articles about sensitive matters about Morocco, and obviously Maria has been successful in depicting Moroccan realities whenever she tackles a sensitive subject in her country.


Maria, therefore, is chosen to be given the 2009 blogger-award which is a symbolic prize , because of her continuous research on Moroccan touchy subjects and also to her honesty and devotion to her journalistic work.


Maria Makrim ,aged 32 born in a cosmopolitan city called Casablanca, is now working as the chief editor of the famous newspaper “Al Ayam “In Casablanca ; Morocco.

Last year the blogger - award was given to Ahmed Essarouri because of his decency and fruitful works in media especially at SNRT x-RTM.


Allal El ALaoui

So You Want to Be a Filmmaker.

So You Want to Be aFilmmaker
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

.... Recognizing how independent films differ from studio pictures
..... Getting an overview of the filmmaking process

~ln is a powerful medium. With the right script under your arm and a r~taff of eager team players, you're about to begin an exciting ride. The
single most important thing that goes into making a successful filmmaker is
the passion to tell a story. And the best way to tell your stories is with pictures.
Filmmaking is visual storytelling in the form of shots that make up
scenes and scenes that eventually make up a complete film.
You have the power to affect people's emotions, make them see things
differently, help them discover new ideas, or just create an escape for them.
In a darkened theater, you have an audience's undivided attention. They're
yours - entertain them, move them, make them laugh, make them cry. You
can't find a more powerful medium to express yourself.
As a filmmaker, you have to decide what you enjoy doing most. Do you like
putting things together and making them happen? Then you'd probably make
a great producer. Do you like things just a certain way, can you envision things
as they should be, and do you love working with people? Then your calling
may be directing. Or do you love telling stories, and are you always jotting
down great ideas that come to you? If so, then writing screenplays may be for
you. You can be referred to as a "triple-threat" in filmmaking if you write, produce,
and direct. Having some understanding of what the other people on your
crew do - like the cinematographer, the producer, the editor, the dolly grip,
and the prop or wardrobe person - is important. Understanding what each
person on your team does will improve your working relationship with them
and, in the end, make a better film.



Digital filmmaking: The future of making films
+
Today, you can shoot your film in several different
formats. You can choose analog video or
digitalvideo or use a completely differentformat
by shooting with atraditional film camera using
super-B or 16mm film, or the choice of studio
productions, 35mm motion-picture film stock.
In this age of digital technology, almost anyone
with a computer and video camera can make a
film. You can purchase (for around $3,500) or
rent a 24-frame progressive digital camcorder
(like the Panasonic AG-DVX-l 00 - see Chapter
10 for more on cameras) that emulates the look
of motion picture film, without incurring the cost
of expensive film stock and an expensive
motion-picture camera.
If you can't afford one of these dig ita I cameras,
you can purchase computer software that takes
a harsh video image shot with an inexpensive
home camcorder and softens it to look more like
it was shot with a motion-picture film camera.
Many new computers come preloaded with
free editing software. In Ch apter 16, I give you
tips on starting your very own digital-editing
studio. You can also find out more information
on the world of digita I filmmaking in Digital
Video For Dummies by Martin Doucette (published
by Wiley). You can uncover more camera
information in Chapter 10.
High Definition (HO) TVis anew technology that
takes the video image one step farther. The picture
is much sharper, richer, and closer to what
the human eye sees as opposed to what the
video camera shows you. Watching HD video is
like looking through a window - the picture
seems to breathe. The new HDdigital cinema
cameras (the ones used by George Lucasl combine
HD technology with the 24-frame progressive
technology to emulate a unique film-like
picture quality in an electronic environment,
without the use of physical film. Unfortunately,
HD digital is still expensive (much more costly
than using a regular digital camcorder); the
cameras are extremely expensive to purchase,
and daily or weekly rental rates are usually
beyond what the independent filmmaker can
afford. HD also requires special monitors and
viewing equipmentthat processes the high resolution
in this new technology, making this
medium too complicated and expensive to be
part of the independent filmmaker's equipment.



So where do you find the good ideas to turn into films? An idea starts in your
head like a tiny seed, and then it sprouts and begins to grow, eventually blossoming
into an original screenplay. Don't have that tiny seed of an idea just
yet? Turn to Chapter 3, where you develop strategies for finding ideas or taking
a story or book and turning it into a screenplay. In that chapter, I show you
how to option (have temporary ownership of) existing material, whether it's
someone's personal story or a novel that's already been published.
You have a story in you. If something is a curiosity, is constantly on your
mind, or is troubling you, write about it. See Chapter 3 for tips on turning
your idea into a feature-length script (at least 90 pages). You'll find yourself
answering many of your own questions - you may even solve your problem.
Best of all, you could very well end up with a screenplay.

Part I: Filmmaking and Storytelling _
Surfing sites for filmmakers
+
You can find avirtually unlimited number of Web
sites dealing with filmmaking and independent
films. Becoming a filmmaker includes plugging
yourself into informative outlets that help you be
more aware of the filmmaker's world. Here I list
six sites that may be helpful to you as a lowbudget
filmmaker:
yI The Internet Movie Database (www . i mdb .
com) is avaluable information source used
by Hollywood executives. It lists the credits
of film and TV professionals and anyone
who has made any type of mark in the
entertainment industry. It's helpful for doing
research or a background check on an
actor or filmmaker.
yI The Independent Feature Project (www .
i fp . 0 rg) is an effective way to get connected
right away to the world of independent
filmmaking.
yI In Hollywood (www.inhollywood.com)
is a research site updated weekly that
offers current information on film projects.
FinancinfJ Your Film:
Where's the MonelJ?
yI The Association of Independent Video and
Filmmakers (www . ai vf . 0 rg) is an organization
that (as the name suggests) supports
ind ependent filmmakers. At the Web
site, you can find subscription information
to The Independent (a magazine geared
toward the independent filmmaker), discounts
on film-related books, festival
updates, crew classified ads, and other
membership perks.
yI IndieTalk (www.indietalk.com) is a discussion
forum forfilmmakers. Here you can
post and read messages about screenwriting,
finding distribution, financing, and lots
of other topics. It's a great site for communicating
with other independentfilmmakers.
yI Amazon.com (www.amazon.coml, an
Internet store where you can purchase
movies and books, has a plethora of information
for the inde pendent filmmaker, from
films available for sale on VHS and DVD to
cross-referencing actors, directors, producers,
and all related movie memorabilia.
+
After you've turned your idea into a completed screenplay, you can't get it
made (produced into a film) unless you have the financing. In Chapter 5, I
give you some great tips on how to find investors and how to put together a
prospectus to attract them to fund your film. You also find out about other
money-saving ideas like bartering and product placement.
In Chapter 5, I even show you how to set up your own Web site to help raise
awareness for your film, attract investors, and eventually serve as a promotional
site for your completed film. Raising money isn't as difficult as it sounds
if you have a great story and an organized business plan. You can find investors
who are looking to put their money into a film for the excitement of being involved with a film and/or the possibility of making a profit. Even friends
and family are potential investors for your film - especially if your budget is
in the low-numbers range.
On a Budi}et: Schedulini} Your Shoot
Budgeting your film is a delicate process. Oftentimes, you budget your film
first (this is usually the case with independent low-budget films) by breaking
down elements into categories - such as crew, props, equipment, and so
on - the total amount you have to spend. Your costs will be determined by
how long you'll need to shoot your film (scheduling will determine how many
shoot days you'll have), because the length of your shoot will tell you how
long you need to have people on salary, how long you'll need to rent equipment
and locations, and so on.
When you know you can only afford to pay salaries for a three-week shoot,
you then have to schedule your film so that it can be shot in three weeks.
You schedule your film's shoot by breaking down the script into separate
elements (see Chapter 4) and deciding how many scenes and shots you can
shoot each day, so that everything is completed in the three weeks you have
to work with. An independent filmmaker doesn't usually have the luxury of
scheduling the film first (breaking it down into how many days it will take to
shoot) and then seeing how much it will cost. You also should have a budget
and even a possible schedule as ammunition to show a potential investor.
Plannini} Your Shoot~ Shootini} Your Plan
Planning your film includes envisioning your shots through storyboarding,
by sketching out rough diagrams of what your shots and angles will look like
(see Chapter 9). You can storyboard your films even if you don't consider
yourself an artist. Draw stick characters or use storyboard software, like
Storyboard Quick or the 3-D Storyboard Lite, which gives you a cast of
characters along with a library of props and locations.
+
You also need to plan where you'll shoot your film. You research where
you're going to film much like planning a trip - then make all the appropriate
arrangements like figuring out how you're going to get there and the type of
accommodations if it's out of town. Regardless of where you're shooting, you'll
need to sign an agreement with the location owner to make sure you have it
reserved for your shoot dates. Also, you'll have to choose whether to film at
a reallocation, on a sound stage, or in a virtual location that you conjure up
inside your computer.

Film feeling
Audiences experien ce distinct psychological
effects when looking at film or video. Film tends
to have a nostalgic feeling, like you're watching
something that has already happened. Video
elicits the feeling that it's happening right nowunfolding
before your eyes, like the news.
Many people love old movies, not just because
of the great storytelling, but because of the sentimental
feeling they get, especially with old
black-and-white films or even the color films of
the 1960s. Steven Spielberg made Schindler's
List in black and white to help convey both the
film as a past event and the dreariness of the
war. The medium on which you set your storywhether
it be actual film celluloid on which the
images are developed, videotape, or digital with
afilm-style look- has aspecific feel and effect
on your audience.
+
Hiring Your Cast ...
Your film crew becomes your extended family (although maybe a dysfunctional
one). You spend many days and nights together - through good and
bad times - so hiring people who are passionate about your project and willing
to put their all into it is important. You may have to defer salary to your
crew if you're working on a tight budget. (Find out how to do that and more


Acting is not as difficult as you may think. People are born natural actors and
play many parts on the stage of life. Everyone is constantly in front of an
audience - or performing monologues when alone. In Chapter 8, I lead you
step by step through the process of finding a great cast to bring your screenplay
to life. I also fill you in on acting secrets so that you can direct your
actors and get the best performances.
FitminfJ in the RifJht Direction
Making a film requires special equipment, like cranes (tall apparatuses on
which you place the camera for high shots), dollies (which are like giant skateboards
that you put the camera on for movement), camera systems, and so
on. Without the proper lighting, you'll leave your actors in the darkliterally.
Lighting can set a mood and enhance the entire look of your film.

In addition to seeing your actors, you need to be able to hear them as well.
This is where the art of sound comes in. Microphones need to be placed
close enough to the actor to get a good sound recording, but not too close
as to have the microphone creep into the shot. The skill of recording great
sound comes from the production sound mixer.
If you're taking on the task of directing, you'll become a figurehead to your
actors and crew. You'll need to know howto give your actors direction and
what it takes to bring the best performance out of them.
In terms of telling your story visually, you'll need to understand a little
about the camera. Much like driving a car, you don't need to understand how
it works, but you need to know how to drive it (your cinematographer should
be the expert with the camera and its internal operations). The camera is a
magical box that will capture images so that you can effectively and visually
tell your story to the world.
Seeint) the lit)
The eye of the camera needs adequate light to "see" a proper imagewhether
it be appropriate exposure for a film camera, or enough light to get
a proper light reading for a video camera. Chapter 11 gives you the lowdown
on lighting. Lighting can be very powerful and can affect the mood and tone
of every scene in your film. A great cinematographer combined with an efficient
gaffer (see Chapter 7) will ensure that your film has a great look.



Production sound is extremely important because your actors must be heard
correctly. Your sound mixer, who's in charge of primarily recording your
actors' dialogue on set, needs to know the right microphones and soundmixing
equipment to use, as you see in Chapter 12.
Actors takint) 'Jour direction
The director's job is to help the actors create believable performances in
front of the camera that lure the audience into your story and make them
care about your characters. Directing also involves guiding your actors to
move effectively within the confines of the camera frame. Chapter 13 guides
you in the right direction with some great secrets on how to warm up your
actors and prepare them to give their best on the set.



Threatening film
Chris Gore runs an e-mail newsletter called Film
Threat Magazine. If you're afilmmaker or want
to be afilmmaker, you need to be on this mailing
list. You'll find interesting reading including
information on film festivals, box office updates,
and brutally honest movie reviews, along with
actor and filmmaker interviews. Get more information
at www.filmthreat.com.
+
ShootinfJ throufJh the camera
Directing the camera requires some technical knowledge of how the
camera works and what each lens and filter does, which I explain in Chapter 10.
Chapter 14 addresses how to frame your shots and when to move the camera.
In that chapter, you also discover the skills that make up a successful director
and how to run a smooth, organized set.
Cut It Out!: EditinfJ Your Film
Editing your film gives you a chance to step back and look at the sequence of
events and all the available shot angles in order to shape and mold them into
the most effective production. You can even repair a bad film (or at least make
it better) during the editing process. Editing is the time when you'll really see
your film coming together. It's a fascinating phase of filmmaking and can be
very rewarding as you watch your baby come together piece by piece.
Nonlinear editing software is now available for virtually any computer (starting
at $50), and it allows you to edit anything from a home movie to a professional
theatrical-length piece (90 to 120 minutes). The technology of
nonlinear editing allows you to cut your shots together in virtually any order.
You can easily see different variations of cutting different shots together,
rearrange them, and move or delete in between scenes in a concise and easyto-
understand manner. Chapter 15 tells you what the new digital technology
makes available to you for editing your film on your desktop.
ListeninfJ to 'Jour film
At the editing stage, you add and create the audio, dialogue, sound effects,
and music as you see and "hear" in Chapter 16. Titles and credits are important,
too, and I discuss them in Chapter 18.


SimulatinfJ film with software
If you can't afford to shoot your movie on film, you can use a technology by
FilmLook (www. fi 1ml oak. com). FilmLook runs your video footage through
special processors, electronic settings, and so on, and creates the effect that
your image was shot on film.
Software programs can also make your video footage look more like film.
These programs emulate grain, softness, subtle flutter, and so on. Bullet software
available at www. redgi antsoftwa re. com can convert your harsh video
footage to look like it was shot on film. The video-to-film process converts 30frame
video to a 24-frame pulldown, adding elements to create the illusion
that your images were photographed on film as opposed to shot on video.
Using software that makes your video footage look like film takes time for the
computer to process. Depending on what software you use, the processing
time could take hours or days just to turn video footage into something that
looks more like film. With a 24-frame progressive video camera, you get the
film image immediately as you shoot. (See Chapter 10 for more information
on 24-frame progressive Video.)
DistributinfJ Your Film and
FindinfJ an Audience
The final, and probably most important, stage of making a film is distribution.
Without the proper distribution, your film may sit on a shelf and never be
experienced by an audience. Successful distribution can make the difference
between your film making $10 (the ticket your mother buys) or $100 million
at the box office. The Blair Witch Project may never have generated a dime
if it hadn't been discovered at the Sundance Film Festival by Artisan
Entertainment.
There's no business like ShowBiz Expo
+
ShowBiz Expo is one of my favorite conventions.
Four times ayear, Mind Ventures offers regional
conventions in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and
New York. Thousands of people flock to the expo
to schmooze with fellow filmmakers, network,
and see the latest developments in equipment
technology (and in some cases, even experiment
with the technology, hands-on). It's like a giant
toy store forfilmmakers.


Even mediocre films have done well commercially because of successful distribution
tactics. And great films have flopped at the box office because the
distributor didn't carry out a successful distribution plan.
Here are several suggestions on how to find a distributor for your film:
~ Send out your screenplay before shooting your film and see if you can
get distribution interest based on the script.
~ Send out screening cassettes of your completed film to distributors with
the potential that one will acquire your film and distribute it.
~ Enter your finished film in film festivals like the Sundance Film Festival
(see Chapter 20) and let a distributor discover you.
~ Have a premiere screening for your film and invite distributors and
industry people to the big event.
~ Set up a publicity stunt (see Chapter 22) to attract the attention of a
distributor.
Check out Chapter 19 for more tips and secrets to finding a distributor.


+

The disclosure of rights activist, Chekib el-Khiari,means that Morocco is going the right way to freedom of speech

The disclosure of rights activist, Chekib el-Khiari,means that Morocco is going the right way to freedom of speech.We are disappointed to know that Moroccan authorities have reported this latter to the Judicial Police in Casablanca on February 17, 2009.

Morocco is willing to get rid of its hellish past known in Arabic " Sanawat al Jamer " "years of terror".People are really fed up to hear such atrocities again.

I am sure that Morocco,because of its openness to freedom of speech and rights for the its citizens will set free Chekib el-Khiari very soon.

Cinema in Morocco resembles Gaza.

Poor cinema in Morocco.It is targetted by everyone and eveywhere.First,and sadly speaking;majority of cinema-theatres are closed because of the mediocrity of films introduced to cinephiles and cinema lovers, plus the everlasting and continuous existence of hacking either in Derb Ghallef ;Casablanca or in Essamarine in Rabat.

Another factor that is targeting these days Moroccan cinema is some political ideologists who called themselves “protectors of Islam”.They are also taking this burden into their shoulders and condemn publicly some movies starting with Laila Marrakchi's film “Marock” Noureddine Lakhmari ‘s “ Casanegra “ and finally Aziz Essalmi’s “Hijab Al Hob”.

Noureddine Lakhmari's has recently received financial offers from some hackers to put his movie into Derb Ghallef’s souk,but he refused insisting that his film should be seen at cinema-theatres in Morocco. It is obvious that watching a movie in a cinema-theatre is much better enjoyable than watching it on DVD even if the operation happens comfortably at your home.

These are not new things happening to Moroccan cinema, but let’s fresh our memories and go back to some Maghreb countries especially Algeria where also GIA ‘s fidels in the nineties banned cultural cinema and decisively closed some cinematic clubs in Algiers.No doubt it becomes ironic in these countries that censorship has been active after the independence of Morocco and Algeria and now the state itself is encouraging to promote cinema by giving money to cinematic investors and sometimes unfortunately to some people who have nothing to do with movies .


Around Rabat-Salé ,the future cosmopolitan capital of Morocco, if you take your car and circulate to see some cinemas among popular suburbs and also some clean streets, the majority of cinema-theatres have become closed ,ruined,abandoned to homeless, criminels and drug dealers. This bad image of cinema theatres reveals to me that they are similar to buildings of Gaza,abandoned and isolated like a frozen iceberg somewhere in the north of our beloved earth.

By Allal El Alaoui

Free souls in America sing for Gaza

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009


A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

links : http://www.michaelheart.com/Song_for_Gaza.html