Ashraf Ghori is known to many residents here as the creator of Xero Error, the first CG animated short film to be produced in the United Arab Emirates. Some may even nostalgically recall Ashraf Ghori as the guy that did those amazing illustrations for Khaleej Times (if you grew up in the UAE and had a subscription to the children’s magazine Young Times, you know it, friendo!). Born in India, Ashraf was very little when his family moved to the city of Dubai, which he considers “his hometown.”  Ashraf completed his college at the University of Houston in 1994, founded Tempest Comics, and won several accolades in the United States including being the featured artist at the 1994 Dallas Comic Con. Ashraf returned to the UAE in 1994 and has since been working on independent 3D animation and design projects. In 2007, he began the animation studio Xpanse CGI, and the very next year started work on his labor of love, Xero Error.

WearetheMovies.com loves and supports independent filmmakers in the Middle East. We asked the very talented Ashraf Ghori about Xero Error, Dubai’s potential for independent film production, and…three people he’d like to have dinner with (apparently, Megan Fox made the list!)

WearetheMovies.com: Who or what first inspired you to become a CG artist and storyteller?
Ashraf Ghori: It all started off with comic books. The mix of fantastical storytelling and mind blowing graphics had its toll on a young impressionable mind. Naturally, I did the next best thing and started doing my own comics. Now with the advancements in CGI, it is possible to bring those ideas to life.

WearetheMovies.com: Name three of your favorite movies of all-time.
Ashraf Ghori: There are just so many good movies; it is really hard to choose. But, to narrow it down: Fight Club, Lord of the Rings trilogy and Star Wars.

WearetheMovies.com: You learned your craft in Houston, Texas. Your current project Xero Error is billed as the first CG animated short film to be produced in Dubai, UAE. Why the city of Dubai?
Ashraf Ghori: I’ve been drawing as far back as I can remember. Houston was an eye-opener to the real world, other artists and new concepts. Dubai is my hometown, so I moved back after my studies. I’ve always wanted to create something cool and unique which could gain wide acceptance — Xero Error is the result. It also happens to be the first time that this kind of project is being done in Dubai.

I’ve been drawing as far back as I can remember. Houston was an eye-opener to the real world, other artists and new concepts. Dubai is my hometown, so I moved back after my studies. I’ve always wanted to create something cool and unique which could gain wide acceptance — Xero Error is the result. It also happens to be the first time that this kind of project is being done in Dubai.

WearetheMovies.com: What is the current status of Xero Error? Can we expect to see it at the upcoming 2009 Dubai International Film Festival?
Ashraf Ghori: Xero Error is currently in the early production stage. We’re not as far ahead as we thought we’d be; allow me to explain:  Last year (2008) I started doing the preliminary concept and character design, co-wrote the script, got the voiceover recorded…we thought we’d merrily sign up a sponsor and be on our way to fame and fortune! 2009 was supposed to be nothing but production, and we had planned to premiere Xero Error at the 2009 Dubai International Film Festival. This would have been the ideal scenario!  What actually happened was something very different: we could not find any backing for our production. The economic recession certainly did not help either.

Sponsors who showed interest offered only to promote/publicize the film. This slowed us down. Without funding I would not have the dream team I wanted. So, self-funding my animation studio Xpanse CGI, we instead began looking for volunteers to help us. We continue to persevere and are happy to launch the first teaser of Xero Error this week (Editor’s note: watch it here.) We’re also networking in the US to get some backing for our film, and are aiming for a 2010 release.

WearetheMovies.com: As one of the pioneers of CGI in the region, where do you see Dubai as a resource for independent film/TV production and post, in five years from now?
Ashraf Ghori: Independent films will definitely pick up if there is local support for such projects. Unlike the US, the majority of the expat population here is committed to a daily job — that does not leave much scope for independent projects. I do sincerely hope that this art form gets more appreciation from the government and private organizations. Five years from now, I imagine Dubai could have a much more established film industry.

WearetheMovies.com: Do you think Dubai can compete with mature markets such as, say, Los Angeles, given the fact there are certain limitations under which filmmakers and artists must operate?
Ashraf Ghori: Even with limitations in producing content that may be deemed ‘controversial,’ Dubai is nevertheless gearing up to offer better filmmaking facilities such as the Dubai Studio City, and big name studios are establishing their presence here.  Still a long way to go before Dubai becomes the next Hollywood.

WearetheMovies.com: If you could have dinner with three people (alive or deceased) who would they be?
Ashraf Ghori: I know I’m supposed to say something clever and profound here, but I’m going with the first three people who come to mind: Simon Bisley, Megan Fox…and what’s a party without Malcolm X!

WearetheMovies.com: Besides the Dubai International Film Festival, name two other film festivals you deem most important for Arab and locally based filmmakers?
Ashraf Ghori: Being relatively new to filmmaking, I don’t follow Arab film festivals as keenly I should. But I intend to follow the festivals more closely now.

WearetheMovies.com: What is the best professional advice you have ever received?
Ashraf Ghori: Perseverance (Kenneth Smith); and learn art from real life (Barron Storey).

WearetheMovies.com: What’s next for Ashraf Ghori?
Ashraf Ghori: I am extremely fortunate to get this far with my goals. I hope I find the necessary means to complete Xero Error successfully. I am sure this will open many doors for future successes at film festivals and comic cons; new cutting edge CG films for Xpanse CGI; and also provide opportunities and inspiration for other aspiring filmmakers from the region.  Wish me luck!

WearetheMovies.com is a non-profit website instigating film discussion and independent filmmaking in Dubai, UAE and across the Middle East. (And we love email.)

Independent Kuwaiti filmmaker Meqdad Al-Kout turns 25 in December; in the very same month, his short film Paradoxes (Mufaraqat) plays to curious cinephiles at the Dubai International Film Festival 2008. It is a double celebration for this self-described absurdist whose debut film has been described by Faizan Rashid in his review as “unorthodox and postmodern.” Meqdad is in Dubai, so we caught up with this fresh new voice of the Gulf for a candid interview…

WearetheMovies.com (WM): How did the idea of Paradoxes come to you?
Meqdad Al-Kout (MAK): The first initial idea came to me when I was at work, when I started getting involved with my co-workers who happened to be from the subcontinent, and hearing their stories and how they are being treated in Kuwait. At the same time i was dealing with serious problems from my family and surroundings, and then the idea of wanting to portray these little mad stories started to develop bit by bit.

WM: Your film is clearly non-linear in structure and unconventional in style. Has it been screened in your native Kuwait, and if yes how has was it received by audiences there? How audiences here at the Dubai International Film Festival?
MAK: Due to the fanatic censorship in Kuwait I was only able to screen the film privately in small seminars and other places, and it received some good positive responses. The style is unconventional for a Kuwaiti audience, but I don’t believe it is new; and I admit it is hard sometimes to explain whatever you are trying to portray to certain audiences with absolutely no background of world cinema or independent films.

WM: What or who are some of your influences; and do you think there is growth for this kind of unorthodox films in Kuwait and the Arab world?
MAK: I can’t exactly pin-point my influences, but I guess I could mention some of my favorite filmmakers  such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Michelangelo Antonioni, Abbas Kiarostami; and I think American directors Woody Allen and the Coen brothers also have had a great influence on me. I believe, from personal experience, that it is still strange and unconventional for people in this part of the world to accept these kind of films, at least in my region…

WM: You wear 3 hats on this film — that of Director, Cinematographer and Editor. How was it to juggle these diverse roles and how easy was it to roundup the talent that we see on screen as well as the offscreen crew?
MAK: I shot this film with a home video camera with a budget of around $50. It was only me and my friend Mousaed working behind the camera. I edited the entire film while I was at work and finally it came out, so I don’t really think it was a hard film to shoot.

WM: You state at the beginning that the work we see is “Based on true characters and event”, how factual is this?
MAK: It’s true, as I have mentioned before those people and events are things I have personally experienced.

WM: The character of Raju is clearly from the subcontinent, yet he speaks Arabic in the film. Comment.
MAK: Raju represents a big number of Bengali’s in Kuwait who lead similar lives, and Arabic is the standard language they speak in public with everyone else; except when they address each other.

WM: At some points, such as the opening credits and the self acknowledging nature of the narrative, the film felt as if it might be trying to follow the kind of structure usually in Iranian films, like those from Mohsen Makhbalaf. Would you agree with this viewpoint?
MAK: I can’t really see the similarity between my film and Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s, apart from the black screen opening with voices in the background. The conversation in the beginning is a funny contradiction to some internal thoughts that some filmmakersmight have whenever making a film and choosing the style of the credits.

WM: What’s next for you?
MAK: I have just finished shooting a short film titled Moaz (Banana), and we will be editing it as soon as I come back from DIFF. The film portrays a married Engineer looking for an alternative sexual relation with another woman, which he finds in Mut’a marriage, a marriage that allows you to sleep with someone temporarily for a sum of money.

WearetheMovies.com is a non-profit website instigating film discussion and independent filmmaking in Dubai, UAE and across the Middle East.