One of the most beautiful things I’ve read about art is Ernst Levy’s famous quote: “When we take art seriously Here, humanity will begin to improve.”
Yes, Levi was right, for art has no purpose but dusting life off the soul, And elevation and transcendence of it, just as enjoyment is considered the pinnacle of pleasures, it is a source of happiness, and sometimes a refuge for solace in the world our misfortunes.
Maryam Abdel Hamid Abdel Ghaffar is an artist to the core. She loved art since her childhood, and became her passion in life, so she decided to She is the first Bahraini woman to win the Best Documentary Short Film award titled “The Voice of the Feathers”, and it also won second place as the best director in the world, in The first monthly film festival in the UK, where I touched on the history of the art of sound Bahraini, and to its founder, Muhammad bin Faris, and she was credited with documenting this ancient heritage of the Kingdom.
She has a special artistic vision, which she translated and embodied on the ground to impress everyone, not at the national level Not only, but on the global level, to emphasize the importance of art as a global language that knows no barriers or borders, and to put Her kingdom is in a sparkling position in the sky of creativity.
“Gulf News” monitored this brilliant experience in the following dialogue:
When did your relationship with art begin?
My relationship with art started very early. Since my childhood, I have loved the art of photography in particular, and my father had a role I have a great deal of developing this talent, as I owned my first camera at the age of about nine, and when I joined At the university to study marketing and human resources, I sought to study a course in the art of photography, and the university agreed in America Exceptionally, it was a very enjoyable experience, from which I learned a lot, and when I came back Back home After studying I practically discovered the difference between us and what is happening there with regard to this field.
And what is that difference?
The most important thing that caught my attention upon my return to Bahrain is that this art in America is dominated by artistic sense, but Here we have the commercial side that dominates in most cases, which prompted me to stop I practiced it for about five years, as I was satisfied with my job, until I decided to look for something special in this The field to come back through, and I found my desire to photograph foods and fascists, and I mastered them very well, and achieved fame great at that, and I became a brilliant name and a prominent position in the market, and I worked with «Fuji Film”, and participated in several conferences inside and outside Bahrain, and excelled in the field of portraiture, jewelry and products I got a lot of recognition, and besides that I found myself more in the field of directing.
The most important shift in your career?
I was very happy to receive an award in the field of food photography in 2020, as well as an award for photographing fascists In 2021, in the international competition “Chromatic Award”, which is a global achievement of which I am proud Through it, I reflect an honorable image of my homeland in this art, but the film The Voice of the Feather is still the same The first and most important move in my career.
What is the movie talking about?
The film “The Feather’s Voice”, which is the name we gave to the ancient Bahraini art of sound, and its duration, won 11 Minutes Award for Best Film Director, and I was the first Bahraini female director to achieve this feat, as the film won Best Documentary Short Film at the first monthly film festival held in the United Kingdom, which is He talks about the history of the Bahraini sound art and its founder, the artist Mohammed bin Faris.
What is the significance of this work?
The importance of this film lies in the fact that it represents the first attempt to document this authentic Bahraini heritage, which she said The jury said that his message went out loud to his viewers, and praised the awareness of the history of music The Kingdom and monitored it in this creative image, and of course, these two awards that the film received were a source of pride and pride. me, and they made a qualitative leap for me in my career.
The most important challenge?
The most difficult challenge I faced in this field is the lack of a specific party that embraces the creators in it, and gathers them under an umbrella One, so that it becomes an honorable front for Bahrain, as is the case in other societies that preceded us a lot in This is like the UAE, for example, which has an integrated media city that supports this category financially and morally, and this is what I hope to achieve in my country in the near future. There are creative Bahraini energies that need to be Take advantage of it and invest it in the required way and translate it on the ground, because everything that is achieved is the result of individual efforts This is what I tried to provide in particular through my own project for every person with passion and talent, Where he trains and rehabilitates them professionally.
And the hardest decision?
Perhaps the most difficult decision I made during my career was to go through the experience of self-employment, and that was about a year ago; that is, during The Corona crisis and its circumstances and consequences, however, I did not consider this step an adventure or a risk, but I see that This pandemic has positively affected my work, due to the digital transformation it has imposed and is witnessing today is different Technical and commercial fields.
Have you tasted failure?
No, thankfully, I have never felt a failure, and the reason for that is determination and determination, along with support My great father has me throughout my journey and in all my steps, but what really hurts me is that society did not This field is being taken seriously so far, and I remember that when I decided to become a professional in this field, I found opinions Unwelcome and a little disappointed with this step, but I did not hesitate even for a moment, but it made me more insistent And strength, and I hope that awareness of everything related to the artistic and media field will be spread.
Have you ever regretted your choice?
I have never regretted my choice, especially as the whole world is heading towards digital transformation in all fields , which is the basis of my work, which I greatly enjoy, and it can be said that the future is ours, but Each of us should have his own mark in this vast competitive market, the use of the camera is an art that differs from One talent for another, with regard to the method of expression and technology, and studying the mentality of the recipient, his desires and needs, in order to deliver the message. to him in the required manner, as well as mastering the technique of using angles, lights and other things that I find in All of them made me a special and distinctive imprint that the viewer could discern in my work.
To what extent are qualified cadres available in your field?
We still need qualified cadres in my field in specializations that are not currently available that must be developed, especially from The female element that I find somewhat withdrawn from this artistic field, due to the belief of some that it has It suits a man more, and thankfully I was able through my experience to remove this barrier, and I opened the door for many to penetrate it, and in general I believe that women are able to move and translate feelings technically in a way that is superior to men, This is what the field of art direction requires.
Your message to young people?
I see that young people today carry within them limitless creative energies and at various levels, only they lack the will and decision-making, so I appeal to any youth component, whether women or men, to define their goal with all accuracy, and strive to achieve it with utmost determination, and not allow anything or anyone to stand in his way, and make His own mark in his field of passion, he may find himself achieving many things he himself does not expect.
Your current dream?
Dreams do not stop as long as we live, and perhaps my most important and closest dream to myself, which always haunts me, and I will not give up on it Whatever pitfalls I face is the expansion and development of my company, and through which I present films that represent my kingdom On a global level, we have creative output energies capable of that, only we must strive And move to reach the world, and I am seeking to establish a specialized academy that focuses on teaching the media aspects that are It is not provided by university studies, with the aim of developing the skills of media professionals working in this field.
Your next project?
One of the important projects that I am trying to implement today is to present a distinctive and innovative Gulf documentary film to be shown on My network watched netflix.